"Please Write Often": Wartime Correspondence

In addition to oral histories, the Veterans History Project collects original manuscript materials—including letters sent to and from veterans during their service. The correspondence collections in our archive present vivid accounts of war. They capture small details of the military experience that might otherwise be lost from memory, or considered unimportant in future retellings. Quite often, these letters are intimate, personal documents; whether exchanged between family members, friends, or lovers, they stand as statements of love. Here, we present 18 collections featuring examples of wartime correspondence. While similarities exist between them, each set of letters tells a unique story about how the individual veteran experienced war.

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    personal narrative
    Robert L. Barber Collection Private First Class, Marine Corps, Korean War, 1950-1953 - Parris Island, South Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; San Francisco, California; Japan; Korea.
    • Contributor: Traver, Sheldon - Barber, Robert L. - Holiday Retirement Corporation
    • Date: 1950
  • personal narrative
    Edwin Turner Bowden, Sr. Collection Colonel, Army, World War, 1914-1918 - Leon Springs, Texas; El Paso, Texas; Columbus, New Mexico; Deming, New Mexico; Douglas, Arizona; China; Manila (Philippines); Juarez, Mexico. Colonel, Army, World War, 1939-1945 - North...
    • Contributor: Bowden Sr., Edwin Turner - Bowden, Edwin
    • Date: 1917
  • personal narrative
    Ronald E. Dzierzynski Collection First Lieutenant, Army, Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Holabird, Maryland; Vietnam.
    • Contributor: Dzierzynski, Ronald E. - Wong, Janice - Farrar, Mike - American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach Chapter
    • Date: 1966
  • personal narrative
    Audrae Marie Gandreau Collection Technician Four, WAC (Women's Army Corps), World War, 1939-1945 - Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Monroe, Virginia.
    • Contributor: Knecht, Donna - Gandreau, Audrae Marie Miller
    • Date: 1945
  • personal narrative
    Robert G. Geisler, Jr. Collection Corporal, Marine Corps, Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Phu Bai, Vietnam; Da Nang, Vietnam; Chu Lai, Vietnam; Camp Pendleton, California.
    • Contributor: Geisler Jr., Robert G. - Geisler, Linda
    • Date: 1966
  • personal narrative
    Ralph Samuel Jaffe Collection Private First Class, Army, World War, 1939-1945 - Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Manila (Philippines); Pacific Theater.
    • Contributor: Jaffe, Stanley - Jaffe, Ralph Samuel
    • Date: 1944
  • personal narrative
    Patricia L. Lala Collection Civilian, Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - United States.
    • Contributor: Lala, Patricia L. - Lala, Patricia
  • personal narrative
    Allan Stuart Levin Collection Staff Sergeant, Army, Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Fort Lewis, Washington; Qui Nhon, Dong Ba Thin, Phu Cat, and Landing Zone (LZ) Hammond, Vietnam; Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
    • Contributor: Levin, Allan Stuart - Levin, Allan
    • Date: 1966
  • personal narrative
    Christopher Ryan Linton Collection Private First Class, Army, Persian Gulf War Era, 1990-2001 - Georgia; Kuwait; Iraq.
    • Contributor: Brennan, Bob - Cape Fear Community College - Linton, Christopher Ryan - Hunter, Haley
    • Date: 1999
  • personal narrative
    Dennis Keith Martin Collection Corporal, Army, Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Fort Polk, Louisiana; Oakland, California; Fire Base (FB) Patton, FB Devens, FB Jackson, FB Kon Tum, Sugar Mill, Cu Chi and Dau Tieng, Vietnam; Cambodia.
    • Contributor: Martin, Barbara - Martin, Dennis Keith
    • Date: 1969
  • personal narrative
    Richard E. Merwin Collection Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - South Pacific; Treasure Island, California.
    • Contributor: Merwin, Richard E. - Merwin, Sally
    • Date: 1944
  • personal narrative
    John O'Reilly Collection Technician Three, Army, World War, 1939-1945 - California; England; Normandy, Avaranches, Coutances, Le Mans, Chartres, Vitre, Laval, Paris, Caen, Verdun, Cherbourg, Fontainebleau, Metz, France; Bastogne, Luxembourg; Ardennes, Belgium; Rhineland; Starnberg, Munchen, Germany;...
    • Contributor: O'Reilly, John - O'Reilly, Molly
    • Date: 1942
  • personal narrative
    Irving Oblas Collection Yeoman First Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Sampson, New York; Lido Beach, New York; Shoemaker, California; Bremerton, Washington.
    • Contributor: Oblas, Carla - Oblas, Irving
    • Date: 1943
  • personal narrative
    Kenje Ogata Collection Staff Sergeant, Army Air Forces/Corps, World War, 1939-1945 - Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois; Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lincoln, Nebraska; Davis-Monthan Air Field, Tucson, Arizona; Topeka, Kansas; Foggia, Italy; European Theater.
    • Contributor: Lawrence W. Calkins - Ogata, Kenjalin - Calkins, Jeanette - Kenjalin Ogata - Ogata, Kenje
    • Date: 1942
  • personal narrative
    Vincent Simonelli Collection Sergeant, Army, Vietnam War, 1961-1975 - Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Cu Chi, Vietnam; Fort Carson, Colorado.
    • Contributor: Simonelli, Vincent
    • Date: 1965