These are my grandfather’s letters to my grandmother while serving in the US Army during WWII. New letters posted as long as they last (1942-1945). I also supplement with photos and songs from the period that relate to the letters as I find them. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-32703227-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push([‘_setAccount’, ‘UA-32703227-1’]); _gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’]); (function() { var ga = document.createElement(‘script’); ga.type = ‘text/javascript’; ga.async = true; ga.src = (‘https:’ == document.location.protocol ? ‘https://ssl’ : ‘http://www’) + ‘.google-analytics.com/ga.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();Tumblr (3.0; @aliceandshorty)http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma40uqr1sd1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Thanks to Shorty’s description of running into a bear I can be almost certain he was at Cold Bay in September of 1943. This is a B-24 Liberator photographed at Cold Bay in 1943 and is the same type of aircraft produced at the factory where Shorty’s brother Pat worked in Ft Worth during the war. </p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/31242216505http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/31242216505Sun, 09 Sep 2012 21:16:02 -0400b-24liberatorWWII photoPatcold bay19431940swwIIWW IIWorld War Twoworld war 2 My Dearest Alice: Here I sit on this lonely Sunday afternoon, on duty, trying to write letters in...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/31201080389http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/31201080389Sun, 09 Sep 2012 11:28:00 -0400wwIIWW IIWorld War Twoworld war 2censorshipalaskaaleutiansvintagelove letter1940s1943August 1943 Dearest Alice: Just a few lines to say all is well, though I have no momentous news (as usual)....http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/31145133904http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/31145133904Sat, 08 Sep 2012 16:25:00 -0400wwIIWW IIWWII letterhopealaskaaleutiansvintage1940s1943August 1943<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m926vm5LrF1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Shell and bomb craters, Kiska Island, August 24, 1943</p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29830779297http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29830779297Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:10:21 -0400KiskawwIIWWII photoWW IIWorld War Twoworld war 2vintagealeutiansalaska19431940s<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9275zUc2N1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Funeral at Kiska, 1943. Canadian Lt. Sid Vessey of the Rocky Mountain Rangers, killed by land mine.</p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29829697539http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29829697539Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:03:00 -04001940s1943KiskaWW IIWWII photoWorld War Twoalaskaaleutiansworld war 2wwIIRocky Mountain RangersCanadian WWII soldiers My Dearest Alice: As you know, it has been about ten days since I wrote. Or at least, that is the...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29829250412http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29829250412Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:52:12 -0400wwIIWorld War Twoworld war 2WW IIWWII lettervintagelove letteralaskaaleutians1940s1943August 1943KiskaDeevintage dramaBobNancy My Dearest Alice: I received your letter of July 28, and was surprised to get it so soon. For...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29760471342http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29760471342Sun, 19 Aug 2012 11:26:46 -0400wwIIWorld War Twoworld war 2WW IIWWII lettervintagelove letter1940s1943alaskaaleutiansAugust 1943 My Dearest: Received your letter just before going on guard tonight and it kept me warm in the cold...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29719523492http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29719523492Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:28:14 -0400wwIIWW IIWWII letterWorld War Twoworld war 2vintage1940s1943August 1943alaskaaleutians<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8vlrpaG6W1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Page from 1943 Sears catalog explains purchasing rationed shoes by mail. </p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29590675170http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29590675170Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:35:48 -0400rationing1943sears1940swwIIWWII photo Alice, My Dear: I received your letter of July 18th, and it sounds as if you must have been very...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29589734969http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29589734969Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:22:00 -0400GodWW IIWWII letterWorld War Twoalaskaaleutiansvintagewar nerveswhite picket fenceworld war 2wwII1943August 19431940s<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8urzgUEPJ1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><span class="style3">Adak, Dec 1942/43, as viewed through transport port hole.</span></p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29552624093http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29552624093Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:52:27 -0400adak1940salaskaaleutianswwIIWorld War Twoworld war 2WW IIWWII photo<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8ti67uI5Z1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>“GOWEN, A.D. Jr. Cpl Son of Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Gowen, husband of the former Roielee Lawson. Entered the Army<span>  </span>in September 1941, trained at San Francisco. Served in Aleutians, on Attu. Has Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon with battle stars.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><br/>Sounds like Shorty was right to worry about Dee in the Spring and Summer of 1943. Dee may well have been involved with the Battle of Attu, in which 549 Americans and 2,850 Japanese were killed and another 1,148 Americans were wounded. <br/></span></p></p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29507680318http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29507680318Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:22:54 -0400DeeAttuwwIIWW IIaleutiansalaska<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8tg9eDL2j1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Plane & men against the weather. Adak 1943</p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29504870266http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29504870266Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:41:38 -0400adakalaskaaleutianswwIIWorld War Twoworld war 2WW IIWWII photoalaska photo19431940s<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8t1ie7efF1qm2z1jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Phone equipment on Kodiak, ca 1942.</p>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29485815567http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29485815567Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:23:02 -0400alaskaaleutiansalaska photokodiakwwIIWWII photoWorld War Twoworld war 2WW II1940s My Dearest Alice: Received your three letters of July the 2nd, 7th, + 10th. Was very glad and...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29483328641http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29483328641Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:15:40 -0400gracevintagevintage dramamarriagealaskaaleutianswwIIWorld War Twoworld war 2WW IIWWII letterWar is Real, and Never Insignificant: This is a lovely blog by a woman planning a trip to the...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29428545484http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29428545484Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:38:04 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8qywq5wmi1r5j9hco1_500.gif"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8qywq5wmi1r5j9hco2_500.gif"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8qywq5wmi1r5j9hco3_500.gif"/><br/> <br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://usnatarchives.tumblr.com/post/29406953500/reporters-race-through-the-white-house-to-be-the" target="_blank">usnatarchives</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Reporters race through the White House to be the first to break the news of the Japanese surrender after President Truman’s announcement of the unconditional surrender of Japan, which ended World War II.</p> <p>Images: Photographs taken by Abbie Rowe. From the holdings of the Truman Presidential Library. (August 14, 1945).</p> </blockquote>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29420024594http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29420024594Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:17:42 -0400Note: this letter was written before the one posted yesterday, which is dated July 21, 1943, but...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29413466738http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29413466738Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:16:33 -0400DeeRoieleealaskaaleutiansmarriageFranceswwIIWWII letterWW IIWorld War Twoworld war 21940s1943July 1943vintage““Besides, I have a rugged time coming up tomorrow. With the noise and all that I will...http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29359309402http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29359309402Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:28:00 -0400<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AvgyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xhEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=846%2C403636">Yes, it looks like Jewell and Sam Speed got married (regarding Shorty's question on July 21, 1943)..</a>http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29358812607http://aliceandshorty.tumblr.com/post/29358812607Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:20:41 -0400Sam SpeedJewell