Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 19, 1942
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Indiantown Gap Military Reservation (Pa.)
Furloughs
Military maneuvers
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 19, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Indiantown Gap, Military Reservation, Pennsylvania, dated June 20, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon arriving in Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Pennsylvania and discusses how his letters will be censored from then on, in addition to the cooler temperatures up north. He continues to write about his hopes for a furlough and the convenient travel options out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Olexa, Joseph P.
Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
In Copyright
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 24, 1942
Fort Devens (Mass.)
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 24, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Indiantown Gap, Military Reservation, Pennsylvania, dated June 24, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes ahead of having a "blackout" at the military reservation that evening and discusses various subjects including his hopes for a furlough and how it would be a miracle to return to Fort Devens.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 25, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 25, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Indiantown Gap, Military Reservation, Pennsylvania, dated June 26, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving her latest letter and package, discussing how he will give her a big bear hug upon receiving his furlough someday and how no military information is to be given out moving forward.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 6, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 6, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 7, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after a whirlwind visit together for a few hours and shares the details of his return back to camp in Pennsylvania.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 7, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 7, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes hoping to learn how she's been since they last saw each other and his hopes for the Army to continue their special train routes so he can visit again one day.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 11, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 11, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after a week of hard training and also a week since they were together again at her family home in Massachusetts.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 12, 1942
Motion pictures--1940-1950
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 12, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 13 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving her most recent letter and pictures and fills her in on his latest news, including the movie he saw that afternoon. He also writes to prepare and reassure her for the weeks ahead when he may not be able to write as often.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 28, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 28, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes discussing potential arrangements for her to travel to visit him and stay in the nearby Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, while still holding onto hope for his own upcoming furlough.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 17, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 17, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 18, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving three of her latest letters and notes how the heavy flow of mail through New York has an affect on their communication, in addition to his hopes in receiving a furlough so he can get the chance to see her again.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 18, 1942
Love letters
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 18, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 20, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes lovingly to Agnes of how she remains in his thoughts and how he hopes to be together again, despite him being so far away.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 19, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 19, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 20, 1942. In the letter, Joe affectionately writes to Agnes upon receiving a letter and souvenir from her, sharing how she is always on his mind, and his hopes for receiving a pass or a furlough so they can be together again. He also reassures her of his intentions of taking her home to meet his family one day and the big bear hug he will offer upon reuniting.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 20, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 20, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 21, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing how it is difficult for him to write long letters when writing each day or upon receiving multiple letters all at once, but he reassures her that he is thinking of her often and wishing they could spend the weekend together. He also writes that he will be on Guard Duty the next day and how he spent the day doing laundry and preparing his uniform among other activities.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 22, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 22, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 23, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing how he thinks of her often, especially when on Guard Duty, and how thinking he will be able to see her again soon helps to keep up his morale.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 24, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 24, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 25, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes reassuring her of his eagerness to write and his hopes of her understanding the delays in communication. He also writes of his busy week including doing Guard Duty and being put on Charge of Quarters.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 25, 1942
Handwritten letter with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 25, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while having an exceptionally good day while thinking of her and discusses various subjects such as the recent movie he saw called, "Sweater Girl," and how he thinks his brother is trying to steal her away from him.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 27, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 27, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 28, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sending his well-wishes to her after being sick and the possibilities regarding their corresponding with each other's siblings in the future.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 30, 1942
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 30, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1209, New York, New York, dated July 30, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while anticipating his Army division's next move and reassures her that he will write as soon as he arrives at their new location.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 10, 1942
Great Britain
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 10, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated August 11, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon arriving in England, sharing the news of his enjoyable voyage, the censorship of their letters moving forward, and the slight change of address with all of the mail continuing to be routed through New York City.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 26, 1942
Air mail service
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 26, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated August 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving two of her Air Mail letters, and shares his recent travels around London to many of the famous historical sights, in addition to his overall reflections on being stationed in England.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 29, 1942
V-mail
Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 29, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated September 7, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes expressing his appreciation for the recent Air Mail letters he received from her while stationed in England, in addition to how much he misses and thinks of Agnes each day.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 30, 1942
Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 30, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated September 8, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes after receiving her third Air Mail letter, hoping for her continued well-being and his best regards for her parents back home.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 6, 1942
Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 6, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated September 17, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes hoping for her wellbeing and appreciative upon receiving her latest letter, along with one from her younger sister, Beasie. He also writes about Agnes being back at school and his anticipated absence for her future graduation.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 9, 1942
Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 9, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated September 22, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes briefly to Agnes noting the backlog of mail he received from her and how family and friends haven't received any mail from his current address due to the delay in mail processing through New York City.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 3, 1942
United States. Army Promotions
Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 3, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated October 27, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes after gladly receiving three of her letters and sharing the news of his recent promotion to the rank of "Sergeant."