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, 1914-1918; World War, 1939-1945
- 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
- Location of Service: Camp Dodge, Iowa; France; Europe; New Guinea; Philippines; Pacific Theater
- 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.
