Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource James Rudolph Sorenson Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1914-1918
- Dates of Service: 1942-1946; 1917-1919
- Branch of Service: Army
- Service Unit/Ship: Philippines Civil Affairs Unit, Army Corps of Engineers; 6th Army; Battery D, 147th Field Artillery Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division
- Battles & Campaigns: New Guinea; Leyte; Lingayen; Alsace-Lorraine; Aisne-Marne Offensive; Meuse-Argonne Offensive
- Location of Service: New Guinea; Philippines; Pacific Theater; Camp Dodge, Iowa; France; Europe
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel; Private First Class
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/90984
At the start of World War II, Lieutenant Colonel James Sorenson was a 45-year-old father of four, and a combat veteran of the first World War. By early 1942, he was stationed in California, half a continent away from his family in Kansas City, Missouri. He wrote his wife, Betty, on September 16, 1942, "I hope we won't have to live like this another year. I miss you all the time." In fact, they would go on to endure an additional three years of separation. Constantly homesick for Betty and his children, he attempted to secure a discharge due to his age and rank, only to be sent to the Pacific Theater, where he participated in the invasion of the Philippines. The journal he kept during his service complements the over 350 letters in his collection, narrating many of the combat experiences that he left out of his correspondence with his family.
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About this Item
Title
- James Rudolph Sorenson Collection
Names
- Sorenson, James C.
- Sorenson, James Rudolph
State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation
- Kansas
Headings
- - Sorenson, James Rudolph
- - World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1914-1918
- Branch of Service: Army
- Service Unit/Ship: Battery D, 147th Field Artillery Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Camp Dodge, Iowa; France; Europe
- Battles & Campaigns: Alsace-Lorraine; Aisne-Marne Offensive; Meuse-Argonne Offensive
- Highest Rank: Private First Class
- Dates of Service: 1917-1919
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Service Unit/Ship: Philippines Civil Affairs Unit, Army Corps of Engineers; 6th Army
- Location of Service: New Guinea; Philippines; Pacific Theater
- Battles & Campaigns: New Guinea; Leyte; Lingayen
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
- Dates of Service: 1942-1946
- Entrance into Service: Commissioned
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Manuscript: Correspondence [406 items] -- Handwritten document (collected 1942-1946)
- Manuscript: Correspondence [48 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1942-1945)
- Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1917-1919)
- Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1941-1949)
- Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 1942-2013; 2013)
- Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 1942-2013; 2013)
- Photograph: Negatives [7 items] -- Photographs (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Diaries and journals [2 items] -- Handwritten document (collected 1917-1946)
- Manuscript: Memoir [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2004-2005)
- Manuscript: Military Papers [3 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1944-08)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/90984
Online Format
- image
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Special Format
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
Battles & Campaigns
Service Unit/Ship
- 32nd Infantry Division
- 6th Army
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Battery D, 147th Field Artillery Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division
- Philippines Civil Affairs Unit, Army Corps of Engineers