302 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bf982407df4a9159c33311c3116e6688.pdf 642a6809fc8f5fa4c619369a50a89fa6 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5eb7b32892f89e2ab37964555e977b73.pdf 023ce224706b3c091c56c4059807e5ed PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-04] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} Lt. [?] To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. From S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients (Sender’s name) 4187 U.S. Hosp. Plant (Sender’s address) A.P.O.-152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. July 4, 1944. (Date) England Hello “Darling,” I shan’t mention what day this is but I sure have thought of you all day today. It’s two years today that I saw you last and how I did wish that I could be with you. As I write memories of the 4th I spent with you flash through my mind. Well “Darling” when I get back, we sure can have swell times like that one and maybe better. I was awarded the “Purple Heart” for wounds received in action. I’m sending it home and hope that you will get a chance to see it. I guess your Dad can give you a description of it if you haven’t saw a picture of it. [sic] I’m still coming along fine and at this rate it won’t be long till I’m fully recovered. Well “Sugar” I shall close and my thoughts are ever of you. Don’t forget to write as often as you can? Yours Always With Loads of Love, “Joe “ PS. Give my best regards to everyone? {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JUL 13 8 PM 1944 No. 3 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-07-04 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 4, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 4, 1944. The envelope is sent from Det. of Patients, 4187 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-152, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 13, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes on the Fourth of July, a day that holds additional significance as the last day they were together before their two years apart. He also writes with the news that he has been awarded the "Purple Heart" medal for being wounded in action and will be sending it home to his family for safekeeping. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Fourth of July Purple Heart Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb271de08186e0d4586cf06a1d6b78de.pdf f8459a7aabfc667cfcea7e3fde4f4421 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bd224997c548144e77c8cc0d7cf58678.pdf 8e860eb6121aa557693d5064d81e41be PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-03] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 34770 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. From S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients (Sender’s name) 4187 U.S. Hosp. Plant (Sender’s address) A.P.O.-152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. July 3, 1944. (Date) England Hello “Darling,” Still feeling fine and improving. We have books, magazines, and papers to read to pass away the time. We are treated swell too and the nurses are swell. I have two more clippings of Sad Sack that I will send later on. I can’t help but look at your lovely picture and “Darling” I keep wishing that I could be with you again. When that day comes I don’t think you’ll have any rest for I’ll want to hold you in my arms always. That’s going to be grand too because I can start making my last time and two years isn’t nothing to sneeze at. Of course “Darling” I don’t want to be a tease but still I may [be] getting anxious, ain’t I? [sic] Well, tomorrow is the 4th and I shall think of you. I guess you will go to that amusement park and I hope you will have a nice time there. Anyway, I can be with you in your thoughts and if not young lady, I’ll think you’re an awful meanie. Ha! Ha! Will close hoping to hear from you real soon. Yours Always With Loads of Love “Joe” {Signature accent mark} �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JUL 10 6 PM 1944 No. 3 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-07-03 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 3, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 3, 1944. The envelope is sent from Det. of Patients, 4187 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-152, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 10, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes while recovering in the hospital, sharing how he passes the time reading and admiring her photograph at his bedside. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Sad Sack Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/29594cddf96581bd975d269f380610b7.pdf eecb71b5e49525faca988bbb94b8c9a3 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ce14ff64aaa4cd3808c9bc3eff26bb25.pdf 400832bd1b9c290476f8979341121c43 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-02] [Page 1] S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) DET. OF PATIENTS 4187 U.S. HOSP. PLANT A.P.O. – 152 c/o PM. N.Y., N.Y. July 2, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Today is Sunday and it brings back memories of the Sunday’s I use [sic] to spend with you. I shall never forget them and can hardly waite [sic] to be with you again. I’d like nothing better than to chew on your ears right now just to be mean. I’d even squeeze you a plenty till I think that I have made up all of the lost time I didn’t spend with you. Ain’t I terrible? Well “Darling” it’s going to be swell being with you again when I get back and I shan’t ever let you get out of sight. Did you get my letters I had written while I was in France as yet? I hope so, because I did answer some of your questions in them. At times I just sit and think of what you are doing and wish I could be hidden somewhere just to watch you. Now don’t get me wrong, for I don’t want to spy on you but just to see you go about in your every day’s task. [sic] I’m still waiting to see that other picture you are going to send and hope that you will send more when you take them. [Page 2] I’m improving everyday “Darling” and feeling fine. I still hope that you aren’t worrying about me for I shall be just as good as ever when I am fully recovered. I’ve got your picture out on my little stand and keep looking at it wishing you would come out long enough to tell you how much I love you. Most of the fellows admire your picture, but little do they know of what I think of it. We have a radio in our ward now and it’s grand to hear the news and music by leading bands. Two more days and it will be the 4th of July and my mind rushes back to the time when we were last together. I shall never forget that day either and the day we met at Whalom Park. I’m still anxious to hear from my folks telling me about the Wedding Anniversary and who all was there. I hope you can read this scribbling of mine and if not write and let me know and I’ll try to write it in English. Ha! Ha! Did you get that ring you had boughten for me? [sic] Just curious? Well “Darling” I shall close for this time. Give my best regards to your folks. Yours forever With Loads of Love & Kisses, Joe {Signature accent mark} PS. Write real soon? �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) DET. OF PATIENTS 4187 U.S. HOSP. PLANT A.P.O. – 152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 152 JUL 5 1944 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 34734 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER W.F. Scott Capt. F.A. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-07-02 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 2, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 2, 1944. The envelope is sent from Det. of Patients, 4187 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-152, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 5, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a Sunday while recovering in the hospital, reminiscing of the Sunday's they used to spend together and how swell it will be when they are together once again. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/517005fd07cf37459011a72197a96f49.pdf 572c433fe091c77cb67ebc19cde4c075 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9f763a989204429c3a20fd63fb474ea8.pdf ecb0ef6467e4d4af262d915b7bfdd55c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-01] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 34770 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. From S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients (Sender’s name) 4187 U.S. Hosp. Plant (Sender’s address) A.P.O.-152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. July 1, 1944. (Date) England Hello “Darling,” Still waiting for your letters to be forwarded to me and I sure do miss them very much. I hope they will arrive here soon. I am getting better every day and it shall not be too long till I’m fully recovered. I was hit by “shrapnel” and there are a few small pieces that will be with me from now on. I had my hair cut short again yesterday and what a relief it is. Well, “Darling” what have you been doing lately? Thinking about us I hope and of the little cozy home we shall have. To be with you again is going to be “paradise” and I hope to forget all of the things I’ve been through. I still love you very much “Darling” and I’m very fortunate to have a swell girl like you to love. I hope that you shall not worry any about me and think of the happiness we shall have in our future. Will close and write real soon? Yours Always With Loads of Love, “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. JUL 3 5 - PM 1944 [?] PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-07-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-07-01 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 1, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 1, 1944. The envelope is sent from Det. of Patients, 4187 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-152, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 3, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes from the hospital and shares the news that he is improving every day and on his way to recovery, despite the shrapnel wounds that will always be with him. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f7645483c43e577b23b17c4128fb90b8.pdf 5418319f1ae92f82b98ec7ad3c4ebe4e PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cc85775a800bf0c9c506ac3af4e70ee7.pdf 039887022ee7914b7ce3a29aceb84c9c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-30] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY [?] U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. From S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients (Sender’s name) 4187 U.S. Hosp. Plant (Sender’s address) A.P.O.-152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. June 30, 1944 (Date) England Hello “Darling,” Still improving and feeling fine. Hope this letter finds you well and in the best of health. I finished that book of Hurricane [sic] and it was very interesting. You ought to read it sometime. Well “Darling” I love you as much as ever and still miss you a plenty. My mind often wanders to the last 4th of July we spent together and how I wish it could be the same this year. What a grand day it would be being with a swell girl like you. You know I’m just about in the mood to tease and only have one set back which is you? I’d love to chew on your ears awhile and then fuss with your curls. Guess I’ll have to waite [sic], won’t I? Give my regards to your folks and let them know I’m feeling better. Will close with all my love to you. Yours forever With Loads of Hugs & Kisses “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JUL 10 6 PM 1944 No. 3 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-30 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 30, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 30, 1944. The envelope is sent from Det. of Patients, 4187 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-152, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 10, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes while recovering in the Army hospital in England. He writes that he is feeling fine and wishes they could spend the Fourth of July holiday together as they had done in years past. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/803f556abae531d7667feb402225a39b.pdf 3b5dd273a3bd30fb0404ba8548604cd0 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b9820657030c9c5fded059dd26eed8cf.pdf c4c77de3c4c0f351d3cf9d775e8cb18b PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-29] [Page 1] {Letterhead featuring the words “AMERICAN RED CROSS” and their red cross emblem} S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) DET. OF PATIENTS 4187 U.S. HOSP. PLANT A.P.O. – 152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. England June 29, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Thought to drop you a letter and hope this find you in the best of health. I’m coming on fine and improving every day. At present, I was reading a book named “Hurricane” and must say it is very interesting. I’m going to read one of “Charlie Chans” Mysteries after I finish this other one. My thoughts are always of you “Darling” and I still patiently waite [sic] for the day when we shall be together again. Did you get the letters I had written to you while I was in France? I hope so? [sic] I’m still very anxious to get your letters forwarded to me from the company and I miss them very [Page 2] much. I hardly can waite [sic] to see you again and I guess it will be hard to let you go when I can hold you in my arms again. Two years seems like ten that I saw you last and how I wish that you and I could spend this 4th of July together. Someday our dreams and plans shall come true and we shall patiently waite, won’t we? I’ve got to more cartoons of Sad Sack for your scrapbook and will send more when I have the chance to get them. Was sorry to hear you couldn’t find a fountain pen for me. I surely do need one, but if you can’t get one don’t bother. Yesterday I wrote to my folks again and to Helen and Johnny. Well “Sweets,” I can’t seem to write a long letter so I shall close with all my love to you. Yours forever, With Loads of Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} PS. Write real soon so I can have something to write about. Won’t you? [Envelope front] �S/Sgt. Joseph Olexa (12016893) DET. OF PATIENTS 4187 U.S. HOSP. PLANT A.P.O. – 152 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 152 JUL 4 1944 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 34770 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-29 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 29, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 29, 1944. The envelope is sent from Det. of Patients, 4187 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-152, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 4, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while in the hospital using American Red Cross stationary and informing her of his well-being and the books he is currently reading. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c5f09a59209a78fecd781a0b39dd2ba0.pdf 4e36f7a0cebe938fe4cce8c1f8ee1f6b PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2daf1b759e94ebc685dd7989b83392fc.pdf a66cebf30eb3430a7ee0b17767e424be PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-21] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 22 JUN 1944 From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. June 21, 1944. (Date) Hello “Darling,” Writing to let you know I got 5 of your [?] welcomed letters the latest one dated June 6th. I was very pleased and happy to hear you had a grand time at home and meeting the rest of the family. I know they enjoyed your company and they think you’re grand. Well “Darling,” I still love you as much as ever and miss you very, very much. I wish I could be with you to get those hugs you wrote about and will expect them when I return. The picture you sent in your Easter outfit was swell even if it wasn’t clear. At least My Darling looked very pretty and becoming in it. I shall anxiously wait for the other pictures to arrive. I shall let you know when I get the package you sent and will write as often as I can. The roses here are very big and pretty, there are also a lot of “Carnations” and “Gardenias” [sic] and I sure wished I could pick them for you. Will close with all my love for you. Yours Always, With Loads of Kisses, �Joe {Signature accent mark} {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JUL 3 1 PM 1944 No. 3 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-21 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-21 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 21, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 21, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 3, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes letting her know he received five of her latest letters and the photograph of her dressed up for Easter, which he enjoyed along with the news of Agnes meeting the rest of his family. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/381050c6723f790115b941b578bd4f5b.pdf 2146bf620226916f17b2177050018b22 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f9730911f3bb83dba2fabaf196270bfa.pdf 225328ff8697052142c21df1e78ad3b7 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-14] [Page 1 - front] Somewhere in France June 14, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Got two of your letters and was very pleased to get them. I guess, I’ve read them fifty times or more already. I am very anxious to hear about your visit with my folks and hope you had a grand time. I also got a letter from Helen saying that she would be up home. Did you see her? I hope you did? [sic] You needn’t worry none about me Darling for I’m still safe and in good health. I also agree that it is a big problem to have a wedding especially when there are so many relatives. [Page 1 - back] That puts us both up in a tree, doesn’t it? I guess it would be best to get married if I get a long enough furlough but the Michigan law states that people getting married must have a blood-test. This takes from 10 to 20 days and I would get mad if I got a short furlough and a marriage license requires a 3 day wait making up to 23 days in all. Not unless you can make out the marriage license before I get there on furlough for I can get a blood test in the Army and send it to you then you can get yours. You have to show the certificates while getting the license. [Page 2 - front] Do you think we can arrange a small wedding when I get there? I hope we can but if we can’t, we can get married anyway without one. I’ll leave this up to you and then you can give me your opinion. Darling, I sure wish that I could be there with you to plan this but we’ll have to plan now since I’m not there. Well, Darling, I still miss you as much as ever and love you more than anything else in this world. Each day that goes by brings me closer to you and with God’s help I shall waite [sic] for that day to come. How are your folks? [Page 2 - back] Don’t forget to give them my best regards and Hello? [sic] Will close this time hoping to hear from you again real soon. Yours Always, With Loads of Love & Kisses, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Excuse the writing and paper for it’s the best I have. �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY 1 B.P.O. [?] JUN 25 1944 A.P.O. POSTAL SERVICE Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-06-14 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-14 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, June 14, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated June 14, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated June 25, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from an unidentified location in France as he anxiously awaits the news of her visit with his family back home in Michigan. He also discusses some of their initial wedding plans including his potential furlough from the U.S. Army, their marriage license, and hope for a small wedding. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Weddings--Planning Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b36251cbee3bb5df6e32496cf6918a9b.pdf abdeea434de8d1d6c81ff454443cab08 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1987aa78e08f9a461facfcb3ad62a6b2.pdf 83c59fbcf1463cbf180c68c3d01fa909 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-29] [Page 1] England May 29, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Still thinking of you and wondering what you may be doing at this moment. I love you as much as ever “Darling,” and miss you terribly. I can hardly waite [sic] to hold you in my arms again and squeeze you a little to satisfy a little of my desire of being with you again. I just got in from a softball game which we lost although it was a good game. I got pretty sweaty and dirty, so I took a nice shower. Went to church yesterday as usual and we had a swell [Page 2] time singing Hymn’s. I also went to the movie last night and saw a very good picture called “Journey for Margaret”. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do, if it comes your way. Well “Darling” you shall always be the girl of my dreams and the more I think of you, the deeper you wiggle inside of me. If that keeps up, I shall never have any rest but it will be worthwhile loving a swell girl such as you. Someday I shall be able to tell you this and what a day that will be for the both of us. Gee!! “Darling” I wish I could [Page 3] be with you right now. I’m in the mood right now to chew a little on your ears and knip [sic] your nose. Could you stand a little of my teasing? Hope so because I’ve just knipped [sic] your nose whether you know it or not. Oh!! Happy day when I can knip that real nose of yours. Ain’t I a meanie, though? How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my best regards, will you? I’m still very anxious to see the rings and in my mind, I can see you wearing them. I still keep taking you with me whenever I go in thoughts and hug every moment I can. [Page 4] I can’t help day dreaming [sic] so I shan’t avoid it especially when it’s about you. You’re to blame for that “Darling,” but I enjoy it an awful lot. Have you heard from my folks as yet? I hope so for I keep telling them to write to you when they’re not busy. I can’t express my feelings about you “Darling” in writing but I shall be able to show you when I get back and that we are together again. Well “Darling,” I shall close and in the mean-time [sic], I shall think about us. Yours forever With Loads of Love, Joe {Signature accent mark} PS. What do you think of this clipping?!!! Ha! Ha! �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE MAY 23 [?] 1944 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-29 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 29, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 29, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated circa May 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after returning indoors from a softball game, reminiscing about the church service and movie he attended the day before entitled "Journey for Margaret." He also writes that Agnes is the girl of his dreams and how he looks forward to the happy day when they are together again. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Motion pictures--1940-1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3852f1941bfde98f85ddfd815d8a1320.pdf f87762acf4bb55897921e836a8195053 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a6fa283f62569345b0942e2e6fb1d7db.pdf 9926560c0f7381fc779e14625d755d89 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-27] [Page 1] England May 27, 1944. Hello “Darling,” My thoughts, were of you, all day, today [sic] and how I wished that you could have been here with me. “Darling,” I miss you very, very much and still longing for the day when I shall be with you again. I don’t think that I shall ever let up holding you so close to me. I’m going to shower you with all of the kisses I’ve saved and then chew on your ears a little, just to be a meanie. When that day comes I shall be very tickled and at that [Page 2] I shall not mind. Ha! Ha! You’ve got me this way young lady, so you ought to know what you are in for. Ha! Ha! I thought of a thousand things today all about us and how happy we will be. “Darling” my love for you keeps piling up and if I don’t get to see you soon I’m liable to bust. Won’t that be awful? I’m very happy and contended being engaged to you “Darling’ and shall patiently waite [sic] to get that big engagement kiss I am looking forward to. I’ve re-read your last letter so much about getting the rings that I think I can recite it by heart. Every day that goes by [Page 3] I keep saying, Hope I get a letter from Agnes. [sic] Of course there are days that I’m disappointed but when I do get one it makes up for the days I didn’t get them. Well “Darling” what have you been doing today? Thinking about us? I hope so and if you didn’t, I’ll dig your ribs till you do. I’d like to do it right now because I’m in the mood to tease. Can you stand a little of it? I can! Ha! Ha! Ain’t I awful but remember “Darling,” I’ve been away so long that I just can’t help it. I’m only giving you a small detail of how much I’ve missed you and just waite [sic] till I shall be able to do it. Ha! Ha! [Page 4] I can hardly waite for the day when we can go to so lonely spot [sic] and piece together our future and the happiness we plan to share together. Oh! “Happy Day” when it shall come true!! Don’t you think so? Well “Darling,” I shall close with loads of hugs and kisses from me, for you. Yours forever With Oceans of Love, Joe {Signature accent mark} �PS. I am very anxious to see and wear the ring you got for me. Here’s another clipping for that scrapbook you plan to have. [Envelope front] AFTER 5 DAYS RETURN TO S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE [?] [Postmark partially missing due to stamp removal from top right corner] VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-27 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-27 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 27, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 27, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated circa May 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in England, full of excitement regarding their engagement and the news that Agnes successfully picked out their wedding rings. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Wedding rings Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/07b5e7bc32e2e5126f732d11b5292ba5.pdf 22afe78804e55bef25367dddf5d9d6b8 PDF Text Text ��������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9dc0ef79d7048289baf8c74a884f3ff9.pdf 90ae0dd4985e80166bcf5254cb3361e7 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-26] [Page 1] England May 26, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Rec’d your letter of May 16th and was very pleased to hear you have the rings and I shall always be very anxious to see them. I know I shall like them from your description, so you need not worry none “Darling.” The only disappointing thing now is that I’m not there to put it on your finger and get a sweet kiss from you. I think of you always Darling and love you more as time goes by. I miss you too and the touch of your tender lips pressed closed to mine. Someday I shall be [Page 2] able to do this and squeeze you like I use [sic] to making up all of the lost precious moments being with you. I am very happy to have someone like you, to love, knowing that someday you’ll be my wife and sharing our lives together. I can’t half express how I feel but when I get back “Darling” I shall be able to show you. I did figure the rings would run a little over the amount I sent because of the tax and was very pleased that you told me about it. I doubt nothing of what you write “Darling” and nothing shall spoil our happiness with the both of us feeling the same [Page 3] way. Although this war may keep us apart our thoughts of each other will bring us close together until we shall be and what a grand day that is going to be for us. I want you to be happy and contented always because you mean everything to me. Then some day we shall have a little home of our own and build a small world within it to enjoy. We have so much to plan and do that I can hardly waite [sic] to return and be with you again to complete them. I know the Lord will bless us and help us plan our future and serving him faithfully always. I pray for you every nite [sic] Darling [Page 4] knowing that the Lord will keep you safe for me. The Lord has been with me always and in my hardships of the past, comforting and protecting me from harm. I thank Him for being over here teaching me the way He wants me to live. Not by the dark days of the past, but that of kindness, true faith and serving Him always. In the future days to come, I may have many more hardships but I shall take them in stride knowing that the Lord will always be with me. I look for bright future days with all of the happiness He wants you and I to have. I never cease thanking Him for all He has done and given me and may I ever be a faithful and [Page 5] �loyal Christian soldier in His great and mighty army. I’m not a perfect Christian but I shall be with His divine help. I got a package from Helen today with candy cookies and popcorn and was it ever good. I’m anxious to get your package too “Darling” and the cookies if you’ve made some. Don’t worry about me not liking them because you’ve made them for me. I was just teasing in my other letters and I shall be patient and never want you to be discouraged. I’m still very excited about you having the rings and if you were here with me now, I’d want to hold you in my arms and tell you [Page 6] how much I’m in love. Well if you don’t want me to send you that extra money for the rings I’ll have to think of a way to make that up. Do you have any suggestions? Ha! Ha! Sometime in the future I plan to send you the money for a wedding gown or would you want to waite [sic] till I get back? I’ve got one thousand and fifty dollars including my war bonds saved and I shall keep saving, so that we can have a pretty good start when we are married. I know that you plan to save too and its swell for I want you to have everything you deserve. I saw a “Jeep” today with Gloria’s name on [Page 7] it and was wondering if she turned into one and joined the army. I wouldn’t doubt it none. Ha! Ha! How are your folks? Did you mother get my letter? Don’t forget to give them my regards and that I asked about them. No, “Darling,” I don’t think you’re a showoff by wearing your ring because it’s grand being engaged to you and if anyone envies you, it will please me more. I shall remember to button up that dress or if it is worn out you shall some other one I can button. [sic] What do you think of that? I still haven’t heard from home and I’m very anxious to hear from them. I shall write another letter to my folks tomorrow. [Page 8] I’m surprising myself finding out that I’m on my eighth page. I need a pat on the back. Ha! Ha! I’ve enjoyed your kisses very much “Darling” and even though I can’t send you any, my thoughts are of you getting them, when I bring yours to my lips. Well “Darling” I shall close with all my love to you. Bye “Darling” until I hear from you again. Yours forever, With Loads of hugs and kisses {symbols} “Joe” {Signature accent mark} PS. Have you taken any pictures lately? I haven’t re-read this letter, so don’t forget to excuse the mistakes, will you? �[Envelope front] AFTER 5 DAYS RETURN TO S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE [?] [Postmark partially missing due to stamp removal from top right corner] VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-26 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 26, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 26, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated circa May 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes with excitement after receiving the good news of their wedding rings, wishing he was there to propose to her in person, and holding onto his faith to keep him strong while they are apart. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Wedding rings Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/45ba10a672130b92b4bbdc49d8a24bf3.pdf 6a52b153767b3944879e680a2e203194 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a3ce156f3ac71e69bebe9313c39a4726.pdf 91c6994e8ca212185f21c08fa933f62f PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-24] [Page 1] England May 24, 1944. Hello “Sugar,” Haven’t much to do at present so I decided to write you another letter. You are always in my thoughts “Darling” and at times, I wish that I were with you to tell you how much I’ve missed you. What a grand day it will be when it comes? Especially when I can be with you and tell you how much “I love you.” I am still very happy to be engaged to you “Darling” and can hardly waite [sic] for the day when we can make all of our plans come true. If you were here with me now I’d squeeze you [Page 2] with all of my might and knip [sic] that nose of yours, just to be a tease. I’d also pull out some of your curls, to have you make them up again. We shall not get any rest as you say, but “Darling,” it will be worth it. Anyway, I’ve got to make up a lot of lost time so I don’t think you would mind or would you? Ha! Ha! It’s swell to think that someday you’ll be my wife and that we shall always be happy, sharing our lives together. Both of us aren’t perfect but we shall get used to each other’s ways then we shall be, won’t we, “Sweets”? I’m anxious to get your answers to my questions I’ve asked you [Page 3] in my other letters and hope those letters get here soon. When I hear from you each time, I think of the days we spent together and it makes me want to be with you. I can’t tell you how much I love you, but I sure can feel it and everything tingles inside of me. I got a letter from Helen today and everything is fine with her. She expects to go up home for my mother and father’s wedding anniversary. I hope that she will be able to see you too when she is there. I suppose you are looking for the rings you like and I shall be very anxious to see them till that time comes. I haven’t rec’d your letter stating that [Page 4] you got the money but Helen said she sent it to you. Just another month and it will be 2 years since I saw you last and it seems like ten. Each day that goes by brings me close to you and that I shall be able to hold you in my arms again. Shall close for this time “Sweets” with loads of hugs and kisses. Yours Always, With All my Love, Joe {Signature accent mark} �{Hand-drawn symbols representing hugs and kisses} PS. If you can send me some blue ink in one of you packages, do so, for I haven’t much ink left? [Envelope front] AFTER 5 DAYS RETURN TO S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 172 MAY 26 1944 A.P.O. VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-24 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 24, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 24, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 26, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from England as he is approaching his two year mark of being overseas. He is happily engaged to Agnes, dreaming of the day when they can make their future plans come true, and anxiously awaiting news of the wedding rings she has picked out for the two of them back home in the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Wedding rings Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3b22237ea1d44b6cf3424bb8cef01484.pdf 9682d9e2d4eb019f9acb623878b93cab PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/093392cb2ab74192da9100b8637d802c.pdf aaed137fa731e28bf7301335a51e7c53 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-21] [Page 1] England May 21, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Just got back from church and what a swell service it was. I thought of you being here with me too “Darling” and you never slip my mind, for more than a few minutes at a time. I miss you very much “Darling” and still long for the day when we will be together and tell you how much I’ve missed you. Not only that but to squeeze you as much as I can, to give you a small idea of how much I love you. I can hardly waite [sic] too, to plan our future together and be very [Page 2] happy, sharing our lives together. You keep wiggling so much inside of me that at times I don’t know what to do. See what you’ve done young lady? But I’ll get even someday, just waite and see?!! [sic] Ha! Ha! Maybe, sometime I will steal in to chew your ears while you are sleeping and I’ll bite real hard. That’s going to please me very much too! Ha! Ha! How are your folks these days? Don’t forget to mention that I asked about them. I still haven’t heard from home but expect to any day now. I’m still hoping that my mother, Ollie, and Francis will have time to visit you and the folks soon. I’ve written and asked them too and I know they will. They think a lot of you too “Darling” and they never fail [Page 3] to mention something about you in there [sic] letters to me. I saw two movies lately and one wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. They are “Tarzan Triumphs” (not so hot) and “Light of Heart” which was good. I’m going again tonite [sic] but don’t know what the picture will be as yet. I hope to get that picture of you with your Easter outfit, for I’d like to see what it’s like. Don’t forget to send it, will you? Have you made any cookies for me? If you haven’t, you’d better get started for I’m “starved.” I haven’t rec’d Helen’s packages as yet and hope they don’t get here mashed. Well “Darling” what have you been doing today? Thinking about us? If not I’ll knip [sic] that [Page 4] nose of yours for being so forgetful. Ain’t I a meanie though? Went over to see Roy but he wasn’t in. He’s a hard man to find. He still writes to Mrs. Wenenburg, so they’ll be mighty surprised to hear that we are engaged and that none of their gossip about us was very effective. The nerve of them. Well “Sweets” I shall close with all my love to you. Yours forever, With loads of hugs and kisses {symbols}, “Joe” �{Signature accent mark} PS. I’ll be needing some writing material soon so I hope you have a package on the way. [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE MAY 23 1944 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-21 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-21 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 21, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 21, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 23, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after an enjoyable church service, wishing she were there with him and hoping their families will visit each other back home in Michigan. He also writes of the recent movies he has seen including "Tarzan Triumphs" and "Light of Heart." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Church services Motion pictures--1940-1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c9a494b6996b749d82f0c98b2f373b44.pdf e757839903e157fc68f5adc34a1c4994 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/36a695dde3ad0b2c6db5411b82a8a0f9.pdf c0c2f150474b0094c6ee969058c63958 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-20] [Page 1] England May 20, 1944. Hello “Darling,” I rec’d two of your latest letters day [sic] May 10th, 11th, and a V-mail from Helen. It sure was grand to hear from you again “Sweets” and I always waite [sic] for them to arrive. I love you as much as ever and my thoughts are always of you. Was pleased to hear that you’ve got another raise. You’ll make that million yet, if you keep doing your best. I wouldn’t doubt but in a little while you’ll be earning more money than what I do. I earn a hundred and twenty dollars a month besides my living, etc. I am [Page 2] trying to save a hundred a month now so we can have a good start when we get married. I save just enough for expenses and the rest goes for savings for our future. I can hardly wait till I return and anxiously awaite [sic] for the day to come when we can be together for good. That’s going to be grand for us, isn’t it “Sweets”? If I could squeeze you right now, I’d show you what I mean! Ha! Ha! I’m still fortunate to have a girl like you and happy to now that someday in the future you shall be my wife. Yes!! We have so much to plan together that I think we may not know where [Page 3] to begin. But we shall get started somehow. Is it so? Helen also stated that she sent you the money I told her to and I guess you are busy looking for the rings you want? Wish I were there to go with you but I know I shall like the ones you get without me being there. I try not to worry about you “Darling” but when I don’t hear from you regularly I just start in worrying again. [sic] That’s bad, ain’t it? I’m being teased on this end as much as you are “Sweets” but it doesn’t hinder me none. When they do that, I shall love you more and some of them may be jealous when they tease. Don’t you think so? Someday we shall have a nice home. We shall be very happy too and not [Page 4] one moment shall we forget the Lord and his blessings upon us. He is very understanding and when we bring our plans, troubles, and disappointments before Him, He shall help us to overcome them. I’m not a perfect Christian but that is one of my greatest ambitions. There is one verse I shall always try to remember which is “Lo, I am always with you.” There is a lot of meaning in that verse when one stops to think. Well Darling, I never cease thanking God for having such a swell girl as you and may he bless and keep you safe for me. Will close for this time and write real soon. �Yours Always With Loads of Love & Kisses, Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE MAY 30 1944 A.P.O. VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-20 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-20 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 20, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 20, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 30, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while sharing his admiration for his future wife and pride in her recent accomplishments at work. He also writes of his faith and how blessed he is to have Agnes in his life. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Weddings--Planning Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2a3e0acb361e5e16bfee3c4f06a4b7cb.pdf 2ebf257f61364426333af081737fa86b PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b02b1f884098b7156fb209e7755cec2a.pdf 5f6a8aabec0a9a5a65fa521c94c3dbd8 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-12] [Page 1] England May 12, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Got your two letters dated May 2nd and 3rd and the one from your mother. It sure was grand to hear from the both of you and I don’t mean maybe. They got here in eight days too. That is a surprise for me, isn’t it? I got the small pictures of Gloria & Beasie that your mother sent and must say that the both of them have changed. Especially Beasie. She’s grown and changed very much. She also resembles you a lot too. Roy was down nite [sic] before last to visit me. I expect to get that wedding picture he promised me sometime next week. I went to the movies last nite [Page 2] and saw “White Cargo”. The picture is fair. Did you see it? I still miss you “Darling” and love you more each day. If I could bite your ears a few times now, it would please me very much. Ha! Ha! I’m still very anxious for that day to come when we shall be together and hope that we can see each other for a long time. You bet that we shall be happy and being contented and my love for you Sweets will never cease. Anyway, I know that you shall be a swell wife and that makes me a fortunate fellow. I hope that by the time you get this letter that Helen has sent you the money I had her draw out of the bank for [Page 3] the rings. Yes, a nice small wedding is ideal but I don’t care how big it will be as long as I can make you happy. I’ve really enjoyed the kisses you sent Sweets and I always look forward to getting them. It’s lucky I got your two letters together or I would have been disappointed. So you’ve got a puppy now. You’ve already spoiled it by babying it so much. Now you’ll have a job on your hands. I have not heard from my folks as yet since I told them of getting engaged but I know that they approve, being that they like you. I also think about us “Sweets” and it shall be great when we can talk together planning our future. Won’t it? [Page 4] I don’t think I could be a very good teacher to teach you how to swim and keep my mind on work because I haven’t seen you in so long that I’d want to hold you so tight and tell you how much I’m in love. Do you blame me? Well “Darling,” I shall close, with all my love for you. Yours forever, With Loads of hugs and kisses {symbols}, Joe {Signature accent mark} �PS. Don’t forget to send me some more pictures when you get them. Write real soon. [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE [?] MAY 14 1944 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-12 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-12 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 12, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 12, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 14, 1944. In the letter, Joe shares his excitement over their initial wedding plans with Agnes as he awaits his parents' response regarding their good news. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Motion pictures--1940-1950 Weddings--Planning Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5a918e444eb4e2b27044f4389c966131.pdf 75a4470e2e16f6e9bece9f2513fb9755 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ed30267bb8172d0fd5a39962ef1f1d47.pdf 285e4ddb4da923c981d43a6dabcc0c19 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-08] [Page 1] England May 8, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Here I am again today and my thoughts were of you since it’s been lovely out. Anyway, it’s one thing that I can’t forget because you keep wiggling deeper and deeper inside of me. I still miss you as much as ever “Sweets” and love you more as the days go by. I sure would like to chew on your ears right now and that would suit me to a “T.” Got another V-mail from Helen stating that she has heard from you and sends her congratulations to the both of us. Well, “Sweets” what have you been up to today? Out window shopping? You should be because it’s your [Page 2] day off. Went to the movies last night to see Thunder Bird which was pretty good. Movies are a great past time for me, since I’m so far away from you and young lady when I do see you again, you’ll never have any rest. Ain’t I awful mean? You’d better let me in on some of your secrets pretty soon oughtn’t you? I gave you most of mine and if you don’t I knip [sic] that Dutch nose of yours till you do. Scared any? Ha! Ha! I have not rec’d your mother’s letter as yet but expect it any day now. You can bet your boots that I’m a very happy and fortunate man of your folks approval and being engaged to a swell girl like you. I saw Roy again last nite and expect to get that picture he promised me when [Page 3] he comes over to see me. I guess he still hasn’t gotten over the surprise I gave him yesterday. I shall send another request for the cookies today and here’s hoping you have some on the way from my last request. Or haven’t you rec’d that letter I sent in as yet. Helen will send you the amount of money I mentioned and if the rings run over that amount, I’ll have Helen send you the balance. I’m sending a few more clippings that I’ve enjoyed and hope they amuse you too. Well how are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my best regards, will you? How is Venna? Is she back from visiting her husband? If I don’t get any letters from you soon, I’m afraid that I [Page 4] shall run out of things to write so I’ve got my fingers crossed and hope to get some soon. Well, “Darling” I shall close for this time and write real soon. Yours forever, With Loads of Love, Joe {Signature accent mark} �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 172 MAY 10 1944 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-08 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-08 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 8, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 8, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 10, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while thinking of her on a lovely day in England, sharing the news of his sister Helen's excitement over their engagement and her willingness to help them purchase their wedding rings. He also writes of his most recent visit to the movie theater to see the film "Thunder Bird" and how going to the movies is a great pastime for him while he is so far away from Agnes. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Motion pictures--1940-1950 Weddings--Planning Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c5cd45f2a2213a07cbcf4d5b75e6850a.pdf b85d1f528dc36f56eab621f014b1b6e7 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/471d7748285dc181568bdb9dcec74a24.pdf 86b31be41b9fd1ec3aafbe8a82d6b156 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-07] [Page 1] England May 7, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Rec’d your two letters dated April 25th and 28th. It has made me very happy “Darling” to hear that you accepted my proposal. It didn’t take them very long to reach me, either, and I was surprised to hear my letters reached you in so little a time. You’re [sic] folks are swell, “Darling,” and there is none better. I couldn’t half express my appreciation either and they’re tops. I love you as much as always “Sweets” and just longing for the day when we can be together and what a grand day it will be. I hope that I can make you as happy as I want you to be and live an enjoyable life together no matter what we [Page 2] have to face in our future. I was very much pleased too that you want a plain wedding ring. To me, they look much nicer. We have so much to plan together that I don’t know how to begin. I’d much rather be there to plan everything with you but it may be much easier for us if we started now and polish it off carefully when I get back. Don’t you think so? It’s swell, to be engaged to you “Darling” and I wish I could prove it right now. The more I write of our engagement and future plans, everything tingles inside making me wish I could squeeze you with all of my might. I won’t be that mean for I may break more than one rib. Ha! Ha! [Page 3] I shall be very patient with you “Darling” and when we get used to each other’s ways, nothing will stand in our way to be happy and contented. My ring size is eleven (11) and believe me “Sweets” I shall always remember it, because it’s from a swell girl like you. What kind of a wedding would you like to have? This will be one of our important plans to figure out now. Don’t you think so? We can’t plan the exact day of the wedding, as yet, till I return but if you have an idea let me know. I got a V-mail from Helen also and she’s still very anxious to meet you. I’m going to tell her to send you the money for the rings. I know my folks will approve of our engagement for they always mention something of you in their letters. So you needn’t worry about [Page 4] that “Sweets.” Ollie was down there with his girl-friend. [sic] By the way they write, they had a swell time together. I only wish that I could be with you too “Darling” and they’re lucky! I went to the church services today and of all people I saw Roy. I told him that we were engaged but he didn’t believe it. I told him of what you wrote and he said that he told Carolyn to tell them what you had written to me. Beats me why they want it to go out that way. I’m going over for his wedding picture this afternoon and will send it to you. Will close for this time and don’t forget to �give my best regards to your mother and Dad. Will send a request for the cookies tomorrow when I write. Yours forever, With Loads of hugs and kisses {symbols} Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Write real soon, won’t you? [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 172 MAY 8 1944 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1944-05-07 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-05-07 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 7, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 7, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 8, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes with great excitement after receiving her letter accepting his engagement proposal, dreaming of their future wedding and life together. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Weddings--Planning Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/06c4eea1535b53b045cb80783263bf60.pdf ee1b1a52aa1a7d8c5b079d47022e9121 PDF Text Text Day 293 by windoworks After today there are 2 days left of 2020. All news venues have begun their recap of the year. Here’s one from the Washington Post. It is tongue in cheek and should make you laugh out loud because that’s what we need right now: laughter. We’re trying to think of something nice to say about 2020. Okay, here goes: Nobody got killed by the murder hornets. As far as we know. That’s pretty much it. In the past, writing these annual reviews, we have said harsh things about previous years. We owe those years an apology. Compared to 2020, all previous years, even the Disco Era, were the golden age of human existence. This was a year of nonstop awfulness, a year when we kept saying it couldn’t possibly get worse, and it always did. This was a year in which our only moments of genuine, unadulterated happiness were when we were able to buy toilet paper. January Which begins with all of Washington, as well as parts of Virginia and Maryland, gripped by the gripping historic drama of the impeachment of Donald Trump. Remember that? How gripped we were? Chinese news media report that a man in a city named “Wuhan” died of a mysterious virus. This is not considered a big deal in the United States. February Washington and its suburbs remain gripped by the U.S. Senate’s historic impeachment trial of President Trump, March/April (Mapril) And then, sprinkled in amid all the political coverage, we begin to see reports that this coronavirus thing might be worse than we have been led to believe, although at first the authorities still seem to be saying that it’s basically the flu and there is no reason to panic, but all of a sudden there seems to be no hand sanitizer for sale anywhere, which makes some sense although there is also no toilet paper, as if people are planning to be pooping for weeks on end (ha), and then we learn that Tom Hanks — Tom Hanks! — has the virus, and now they’re saying it’s a lot worse than the flu and we need to wash our hands and not touch our faces and maintain a social distance of six feet and use an abundance of caution to flatten the curve (whatever “the curve” is), but they’re also saying we don’t need face masks no scratch that now they’re saying we DO need face masks but nobody HAS any face masks but hey here’s a funny meme about toilet paper but ohmigod look at these statistical disease models WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE May And we are, as a nation, exhausted. We are literally sick and tired of the pandemic. Ha-ha! Seriously, we hate each other more than ever. We disagree about everything — when to reopen the economy, whether �to wear masks, whether to go to the beach, whether it’s okay to say “China” — everything. Each side believes that it is motivated purely by reason, facts and compassion, and that the other side is evil and stupid and sincerely wants people to die. Every issue is binary: My side good, other side bad. There is no nuance, no open-mindedness, no discussion. June The protest movement grows in size and passion with frankly not a whole lot of social distancing. In Washington, D.C., large crowds gather in front of the White House. President Trump, angered by reports that at one point he retreated to an underground bunker, states that in fact he was merely inspecting the bunker, this being a responsibility explicitly assigned to the president by the Constitution, right after where it says he’s in charge of foreign policy. To demonstrate that he is not the kind of leader who hides in bunkers, the president courageously goes outside (after the protesters have been cleared away) and personally walks several hundred feet to historic St. John’s Church, where he holds up a Bible. Or possibly it is a thesaurus. The important thing is that it is a serious-looking book and a strong visual, at a time when what this wounded and divided nation needs, more than ever, is strong visuals. July Covid-19 cases continue to rise sharply in some Southern states, accompanied by what the World Health Organization describes as an “alarming” spike in smugness in some Northern states, notably New York, where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo unveils a poster, for sale at $11.50, commemorating, in a cartoony manner, New York’s pandemic experience. Really. It is as if the White Star Line sold whimsical souvenirs of the Titanic. August Because of the pandemic, both parties hold their conventions virtually, which means that instead of endless hours of repetitious blather, the TV broadcasts consist of endless hours of repetitious blather but without the entertaining visuals of delegates in stupid hats. The Democrats adopt a sweeping platform filled with bold policy initiatives that nobody will ever look at again. The Republican platform consists of, quote, “whatever was in the president’s most recent tweet.” September The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg triggers a classic display of Washington-style ethical consistency as both political parties, addressing the issue of when the vacancy should be filled, passionately embrace positions diametrically opposite the ones they passionately embraced in 2016. October. The White House announces that President Trump is infected with the coronavirus, as are the first lady, White House staffers and others who have been near the president at events where many people did not wear masks or observe social distancing. This seems to suggest, crazy as it sounds, that the virus — �who could possibly have known this? — is an infectious disease that you can catch from other people. The president begins a course of treatment at Walter Reed that includes an antibody cocktail, an antiviral drug, a steroid and — this really happened — a motorcade ride around the hospital. The important thing is that the president recovers quickly and announces that covid-19 is frankly no big deal for anybody who has a large team of doctors, 24/7 access to a world-class medical facility and a helicopter. Then, having learned an important lesson from his experience, the president resumes holding massive rallies where many people do not wear masks. November It is not until Saturday that the news media call the election for Biden. Trump claims that he won the election BY A LOT, but it is being stolen from him via a vast, sophisticated, malignant and purely hypothetical vote-fraud scheme. To combat this fraud, the president forms a crack legal team headed by former sane person Rudy “Rudy Three i’s” Giuliani, who presides over what future scholars will view as the single greatest event in the history of America, if not the world. This occurs when the president announces via tweet that his lawyers will hold a news conference at “Four Seasons, Philadelphia.” Everyone assumes he means the Four Seasons Hotel, but in fact — and here we have definitive proof that there is a God, and He or She has an excellent sense of humor — the event takes place in the parking lot of a company called Four Seasons Total Landscaping, which is across the street from a cremation center and down the block from Fantasy Island Adult Bookstore. December Long term, the economic outlook remains troubling, with the U.S. economy being kept afloat mainly by consumers making monthly payments to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, CBS All Access, HBO Now, Peacock, HBO Max, Discovery Plus, Starz, Chickadee, Eyeballz, Amazon Super Deluxe, HBO Medium Rare, Chickadee Plus, Disney Extra Special, Amazon Supreme Unleaded, HBO Gluten Free and a bewildering array of other streaming services that consumers rarely watch but keep paying for because they can’t figure out how to cancel their subscriptions. While the president continues to insist that he was reelected, members of his staff quietly prepare for the transition by updating their résumés and conducting a search for the briefcase containing the nuclear launch codes, believed last seen in the back of a golf cart in Bedminster, N.J. There has been a surprising lack of memes on FaceBook. Instead it is all about charity and an overwhelming amount of breaking scientific news. This morning I read of a application/injection (?) for people exposed to the virus but not yet sick. In mind bogglingly detailed and scientific terms it describes how this would work. I’m sure there was something in there about mimicking the virus, but after the 4th paragraph, I gave up. But I think the 2 vaccines already in use, as well as the vaccines still in the trial phase, predicts an enormous change in medicine and science. Admittedly, these vaccine developments have had a huge �amount of funding poured into them, but shouldn’t we now pour money into the already here with us, climate crisis? Every country trying to address this and act responsibly have predicted any changes in making a difference will take years. Could I just respectfully point out that we don’t have years. We have to start immediately. Remember how I posted an article this week about coming pandemics such as this first one, being the direct result of environmental degradation? If we want to keep our pale blue dot habitable, we better start right now. I believe incoming President Biden has a significant environmental and climate crisis plan and he has nominated strong people to lead this effort. The changes in climate were subtle for a long time. 18 years ago, I remember being struck by the sound of geese honking as they flew overhead, returning from their winter southern migration. Recently, driving past small lakes outside Grand Rapids, I have seen large flocks of water birds, sitting on those lakes. The seasons are moving. It is almost 2021 and there has not been a significant snowfall yet. While this is of interest to me, across America this is of vital importance to farmers. It is too early yet to see the numbers after the Christmas traveling and gathering. Of course we still have New Year’s Eve to think about. But here’s a piece from someone who contracted Covid and dealt with it at home. HOW TO FIGHT COVID AT HOME No one ever talks about how to fight Covid at home. I came down with Covid in November. I went to the hospital, running a fever of 103, a rapid heart beat, and other common symptoms that come with Covid. While I was there they treated me for the high fever, dehydration and pneumonia. The doctor sent me home to fight Covid with two prescriptions - Azithromycin 250mg & Dexamethason 6mg. When the nurse came in to discharge me, I asked her, "What can I do to help fight this at home?" She said, “Sleep on your stomach at all times with Covid. If you can’t sleep on your stomach because of heath issues sleep on your side. Do not lay on your back no matter what because it smashes your lungs and that will allow fluid to set in. Set your clock every two hours while sleeping on your stomach, then get out of bed and walk for 15-30 min, no matter how tired or weak that you are. Also move your arms around frequently, it helps to open your lungs. Breathe in thru your nose, and out thru your mouth. This will help build up your lungs, plus help get rid of the Pneumonia or other fluid you may have. When sitting in a recliner, sit up straight - do not lay back in the recliner, again this will smash your lungs. While watching TV - get up and walk during every commercial. Eat at least 1 - 2 eggs a day, plus bananas, avocado and asparagus.These are good for Potassium. Drink Pedialyte, Gatorade Zero, Powerade Zero & Water with Electrolytes to prevent you from becoming dehydrated. Do not drink anything cold - have it at room temperature or warm it up. Water with lemon, and little honey, peppermint tea, apple cider are good suggestions for getting in fluids. No milk products, or pork. Vitamin’s D3, C, B, Zinc, Probiotic One-Day are good ideas. Tylenol for fever. Mucinex, or �Mucinex DM for drainage, plus helps the cough. Pepcid helps for cramps in your legs. One baby aspirin everyday can help prevent getting a blood clot, which can occur from low activity. Drink a smoothie of blueberries, strawberries, bananas, honey, tea and a spoon or two of peanut butter”. Oliver: �Didn’t I eat this yesterday for breakfast? And the day before, and the day before that? �Flashback: Portoferraio and Porto Azzurro. Porto Azurro �Looking up at a Medici fortress �Ancient Roman villa, right on the coast �Part of the ruined villa �Looking down at �Portoferrairo The harbor �Second White Night for us �And yes, I did have white clothes. That’s it for today. The sun is shining after many grey days although there is a winter storm warning for us beginning at 10pm tonight and promising ice and snow all night long. Hmmm. Its one thing to be shut in by a virulent virus, but its even worse to be shut in due to a storm. Of course its still 2020. That explains it. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-29_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-293 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-29 Title A name given to the resource Day 293 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d2eea7fb783566c81f71035a05276165.pdf 6e6a7377b96a8cb6b48dc816d0e39100 PDF Text Text Day 292. 3 days of 2020 left. by windoworks It seems everyone is thinking 2020 has been such a dreadful year, but it will be much better once we get to 2021. And that is hope. We all have to have hope, otherwise none of us would get out of bed in the morning, ever. But let us be cautious about 2021. The virus is not finished with us yet and even if this virus is brought under control, the scientists tell us that there may be other viruses waiting for us, in the wings. This morning Craig and I talked about this, as the evidence points to the destruction of animals natural habitats as the driver behind these possible new pandemics. The more we mine and excavate and cut down and clear rainforest, the closer the animals live to us, seeking shelter and food. Then, as we are all living cheek by jowl with wildlife, it becomes so much easier for animal viruses to make the jump to humans. So, as many researchers, historians and scientists are telling us, we have to consider what to do about OUR environment. I see lots of words written and spoken about THE environment and that allows us to keep this scary idea at arms length. Its not personal when we use THE. But it is personal, it is our environment and WE are all responsible for its maintenance and health. Humans can be so careless with OUR planet - the only home we have. The following excerpt from Carl Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot was inspired by an image taken, at Sagan's suggestion, by Voyager 1 on 14 February 1990. As the spacecraft was departing our planetary neighborhood for the fringes of the solar system, it turned it around for one last look at its home planet. Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how �frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. As I read these words again, it reduces me to tears. Sagan said it all. It is important to remember that we all live on this pale blue dot. This is all we have, right now. If we destroy the environment in search of more money and more ‘things’, we have nowhere else to go. Some years ago, I attended a talk on Big History (Big History is an academic discipline which examines history from the Big Bang to the present. Big History resists specialization and searches for universal patterns or trends. Wikipedia). One of the professors talked about our misconception of space travel, the belief that persists that if we trash this planet, we’ll go somewhere else. He described the time it would take to travel within our Solar System, and then described how long it would take (at Light Speed, not invented yet) to a nearby star system with an inhabitable planet similar to Earth. It would take generations, and we still don’t have the technology. And that’s not even beginning the discussion of who gets to go and who has to stay behind. So here we are, stuck on our planet, using up our environment as if we could just push the restart button and begin again with a new program. And before you lie on the floor and wail, remember that baby steps always take us where we want to go, in the end. Let us all try to live responsibly. That’s not too hard, I think. Here’s some more ways in which 2020 changed us, from The Atlantic: Over the past few months, the best place to trace America’s deepening pandemic anxieties has been the shelves of grocery and big-box stores. The first common household goods to disappear were disinfectants: hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, Lysol. Bottled water and toilet paper were snatched up once companies started advising workers to stay home. Next up were rice and dried pasta, followed by video-game consoles, microphones used to record podcasts, and athome pedicure supplies. Amid these disappearances, one of the most persistent has been that of an extremely common, shelf-stable product that has no obvious link to cleanliness or quarantine at all: flour. At first, �flour hung around on shelves while people bought up dried beans and canned tomatoes. Then, several weeks ago, while America watched as unsold vegetables were plowed back into the soil and fretted over the earliest outbreaks among midwestern meatpackers, one flour company quietly saw its sales skyrocket 2,000 percent. Flour was nowhere to be found in stores, and it soon disappeared from the internet. Quickly, evidence that a person had bought and used flour became proof of their irredeemable profligacy to people who love to get mad online, who grew frustrated by the baking projects of those who had found flour when they hadn’t. Home bakers were accused of flour privilege. Never had emotions run so high about milled wheat. Scooping up a bag of flour still often depends on dumb luck, even as packaged bread and other flour-based processed foods remain abundant. It doesn’t take much detective work to figure out where it’s all going: Facebook has been flooded with photos of homemade focaccias, pancakes, and banana breads. On Twitter, people are on their third or fourth wave of backlash to sourdough as a concept. Americans are baking a ton, and the nation’s flour supply has fallen victim to our newfound hobby. Now millions of people are hurtling backward into an existence where frequent breadmaking feels like an elemental part of American life. For flour manufacturers, the deluge has come in two separate waves. In mid-March, flour shelves thinned out, but mostly didn’t empty, as people were stocking up on all kinds of staples they’d need to stay home for a few weeks of regular cooking. The real flour rush began in late March, as it became clear that states’ initial stay-at-home orders would likely be extended. Marketwide demand shot up more than 160 percent, with no signs of abating. This sudden demand has thrown a wrench into the flour distribution process. In America’s industrialized-food supply chain, getting ingredients to the people who want them depends on far more than availability of the food itself. Supplies of wheat have actually remained abundant for flour brands, because less is being sent to restaurants and industrial bakeries. But brands are competing with one another to source the paper bags that consumer flour is packed in, as well as the trucks and drivers necessary to move it around the country. Bags of flour are big and bulky, and are allotted relatively little space on store shelves. And there’s the matter of making the flour— factories can ramp up their production only so much and still keep employees safe. Until March, advising people that bread-making is an essential life skill would have sounded to many like being told to learn how to churn their own butter or raise their own barn. If the coronavirus had hit in 1985, fewer people likely would have had to buy a new sack of flour and package of yeast to make sandwich bread, because those ingredients already would have been sitting in their pantry. It’s too early to know whether Americans forced to develop their cooking and baking skills will keep going once more restaurants reopen and returning to the grocery store for just one or two things feels less indulgent. But for the people who sell flour, one of the pandemic’s by-products might just be a solution to their biggest long-term problem: convincing people to give baking a shot. “The hardest thing to do is get people to make biscuits �once,” Minner, of Hometown Food, says. “It’s a skill that they maybe always have wanted to pick up but just didn’t have the time to do it, because they weren’t at home long enough.” If there’s one thing millions of Americans aren’t lacking right now, it’s time in their homes. Now if they could just get a bag of flour. And that paper bag shortage is reflected in many other items as well, one of which is the swabs and the needles etc required for vaccinations. We have the vaccine but sometimes struggle to find adequate supplies of the necessary paraphernalia in much the same way states have struggled to find supplies of PPE. And now, its Oliver time. ��Yesterday we went to Blodgett Hospital because I was suffering from a reoccurrence of a minor ailment which needed a small test. I lined up on the 6 feet apart spot on the floor and listened apprehensively while the young man in front of me described what sounded like Covid symptoms. Craig came in after parking the car, had his temperature taken and was allowed to stay with me. Then it was my turn and I was taken inside and put into a cubicle. The nurse asked me to take off my clothes and put on a gown (thank goodness for the heated blanket they provided). We sat there and listened to the patients around us. My complaint turned out to be exactly what I suspected, and so after an hour and a half, we went home again, armed with the appropriate antibiotics. Why did I choose the E.R.? Because (a) any Urgent Care facility would be filled to overflowing with people who might have Covid symptoms sitting in the waiting area for hours and (b) at the E.R. they put you straight into a room or cubicle and you never wait in the waiting area. Did I need to put on the gown? No, but rules are rules. And just so you know: yesterday the US reached 19.2M cases, so by my unconfirmed calculations, we should crest 20M cases by Friday. The deaths stand at 333K and rising. And, this morning New Zealand is considering stricter new border controls in ,light of the new Covid variant - an extra test on arrival and a requirement of arrivals from hot zone countries to remain in their quarantine room. Pre-flight testing requirements are being considered. Although we are not flying to New Zealand in early July, Australia often follows New Zealand’s lead. So we’ll see. At this point we imagine our flight will be a repatriation flights, that is. Australians returning home, as that is who is allowed into the country at this time. We are most fortunate to hold both American and Australian citizenships. We will return to the cruise flashback tomorrow. It may be time to consider coordinating masks which match your day’s outfit. Masks are with us for the foreseeable future. And I don’t really have to say this, do I? Over your mouth and nose, people! Both apertures breath out the virus as well as breathe it in. Cover them both up. Thats all for today. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-28_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-292 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-28 Title A name given to the resource Day 292 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/55ef5c98703ad6530e31f53247426d0e.pdf 97c0d433b22e1e93d7d3300623c6f1d6 PDF Text Text Day 291 by windoworks Last night we watched the Queen’s Christmas message online. This was also a Christmas ritual in Australia. After 18 years and many Christmases spent in other countries as well as here, I had forgotten it. We were watching something on TV last night and then Craig left the room to make himself a cup of tea. As usual, I had a quick look online - and there it was. When he returned, we sat together and watched it. The Queen looked better, softer perhaps, and she spoke almost exclusively about the virus and its effect for 7 or so minutes. It was the most meaningful and touching speech I have ever heard her give. She is a devout Christian and she did include references to Jesus later in the speech. But first, she talked about the parable of the Good Samaritan, the stranger who helped the injured and robbed man, lying on the side of the road. Then she showed photos of “Good Samaritans” as well as photos of her standing masked, at the laying of the wreath of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. She talked about all the high holidays that different religions celebrate and then she talked specifically about Christmas and how very different it was this year. When she said “perhaps we just want a hug or a squeeze of the hand” instead of gifts, I cried. I cried for us, Craig and I, and all the other people across the world, who usually gather for Christmas, or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or Omisoka (and forgive me if there are others I have left out) and couldn’t celebrate together this year. All those on their own and making the best of it. Here on Auburn block, most of us gathered with those in our family bubble - that is, those who live in the same house. It was the first Christmas in my memory, when it was just Craig and I. We had a nice, quiet day, just like Thanksgiving. I don’t think I would like to celebrate holidays like that again. In other news, there was an RV bomb in downtown Nashville. Luckily there weren’t lots of people killed, just some injured, although they did find a body, but they aren’t sure who it is. Trump went to Mar-ALago for Christmas and refused to sign the end of year Covid relief bill and millions on unemployment benefits suffered as the last bill lapsed on Saturday night. This also means a government shutdown will happen at 12.01am Tuesday, when the money runs out. He just couldn’t go quietly, could he? He had to drag the entire country down with him to assuage his feelings. Now, to the vaccines and life after them. �And here is the first installment of a glimpse of what aspects of life after the pandemic might look like, from the Atlantic: This first one resonated with me. Renovating my living space: It has come to my attention that my apartment sucks. Objectively, that might be too harsh an assessment, but it certainly feels true right now. Don’t get me wrong: It has big, sunny windows; appliances that are �functional, albeit old and ugly; and an amount of closet space that I would describe as “enough.” But the many things the apartment leaves to be desired—cheap fixtures, landlord-beige walls, and an ancient tile kitchen floor that never quite looks clean—have become unavoidably obvious to me as I’ve sat inside of it for the better part of this year. In May, when the novelty of quarantine baking began to wear off—one can make only so many galettes out of frozen fruit originally bought for smoothies—my idle hands turned to the problems around me. Armed with my pathetic beginner’s tool kit, I started small. I raised and releveled a shelf that had been crooked for, by my estimation, at least two years. I ordered frames for prints that had been stashed in my closet and charged my long-dead drill battery to hang them. I scrubbed my tiny kitchen with Ajax from top to bottom, and in the process realized that some of my stove’s components weren’t supposed to be the color they’d been since I moved in. I sharpened my chef’s knife. I flipped and rotated my couch cushions. I ordered and assembled a new shoe rack, even though my feet don’t go very far these days. I was stymied only by the popularity of my impulses. As I looked for cabinet paint, backsplash “tiles,” and even a new kitchen faucet, “out of stock” warnings abounded. Gathered around a firepit in a Brooklyn backyard, a friend of a friend complained that the city’s home-improvement stores appeared to be out of lumber, one of the many effects of skyrocketing demand atop shaky supply chains. Millions of Americans had simultaneously decided the same thing: If we’re going to be inside, it might as well be the inside we want. And this one is for all those working from home for the foreseeable future: To have a job without a workplace, you must build an office of the mind. Structure, routine, focus, socialization, networking, stress relief—their creation is almost entirely up to you, alone in a spare bedroom or on your couch, where your laptop might vie for attention at any given moment with your pets or kids. If the coffeepot runs dry, there is no one to blame but yourself. Now a once-in-a-century pandemic has resurrected the abandoned future. I’m back on my couch, along with millions of other Americans. And as soon as we were remanded to our homes in the spring, the predictions of a decade ago sprang back to life: If the COVID 19 experiment has proved anything, it’s that employees can be productive without being physically present, so why not jettison expensive corporate leases and free everyone from commutes? But the longer people spend editing spreadsheets or taking conference calls at the kitchen table, the more obvious it is that workers lose far more than physical space when they lose their office. Contrary to managerial paranoia, people generally want to be good at their job. To do that, many need the support, collaboration, and friendship of colleagues, which is more difficult to foster online. Outside of immediate family, people’s co-workers become their most consistent opportunity for social interaction. What happens when you lose that is a great concern. People felt excited for the first few weeks of remote work. Among other benefits, who doesn’t relish the chance to be out from under the literal watchful eye �of a supervisor? But now a fair number of the early enthusiasts are starting to go stir-crazy, with no relief on the horizon and, maybe worse, no one to commiserate with at the office microwave for the 90 seconds it takes to nuke last night’s spaghetti. Workplaces are complex social ecosystems just like all other places humans inhabit, and decentralizing them can obliterate the things that make them satisfying: knowing eye contact with a co-worker when a change you’ve been begging for is finally announced. A slightly-too-long lunch break with your desk neighbor because your boss is in meetings all day. Giving a presentation to your peers and watching them receive it well. Figuring out whom you can rely on, and whom you can’t. There’s so much unspoken that you absorb as an employee. You don’t get that right now with just a set of scripted meetings. At home, though, you probably get better coffee. More topics tomorrow. Here’s a photo for all those who asked and all those who wondered how Murphy was doing. We didn’t meet her new owners by choice. We know the general area where they live and we have seen other photos in which all of the family members are present. Her new family want us to be pleased with our decision. We hope that she is happy and will continue to be happy for the rest of her life. �Wearing her new pink, skull and crossbones collar and with her new Christmas ‘baby’. �Adventures with Oliver: �Look! Santa remembered what I asked �for! �Shouldn’t there be water in here? Our next stop was Portoferraio on the island of Elba. On April 11, 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba. He was banished but there was no instructions of how he was to live so he borrowed money from his sister (I think) and secured a house high in the hills where he lorded it over everyone else. Now after France, it was not luxurious but it was pretty nice. The coast of Tuscany from the ship, �Outside his house �His seal, of course �Painted Egyptian room �His bath �The �terrace The long, steep approach (it was hot and you had to walk up the uneven cobblestones). This was just the first stop on our tour. More tomorrow. It is yet another grey cold day. There are 4 days left of 2020. Keep safe. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-27_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-291 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-27 Title A name given to the resource Day 291 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/eb6f8b21489cdac9b10ff3e39a95aca0.pdf 2dac4eb632ed8523d0798a7223bd19d9 PDF Text Text Day 290. Saturday December 26. 190 sleeps to go. by windoworks It was an odd Christmas Day. It was very quiet outside. Even at 10am there was hardly any traffic on the roads. This year Craig and I forgo presents because we are packing up our lives and one more something to find a space for wasn’t needed. You know its cold when Craig dons his face mask. We ate our lunch at about 1:30pm. We had chosen to have lamb - a cause for laughter from our youngest lamb is commonplace in both Australia and New Zealand. It is not so common here. Working together in the kitchen was one of the small pleasures of the day and all the work was worth it when we sat down to eat. �And yes! I found a few Christmas crackers left over from other years. It snowed on and off all day and the temperature kept most people snugly inside. We FaceTimed with our Australian children and our relatives. The partial lockdown had precluded the usual big family gathering but everyone seemed cheered by their successful smaller events. As ever, Oliver made us laugh and here’s one photo that raised the hairs on the back of my neck: �Shortly after this was taken, he stood up on the tricycle seat and raised his hands in the air. �Hmmm. There are 5 days left in 2020. Will 2021 be significantly better? Here are 3 scenarios from the Daily Beast: The Dire Ideal In the best-case scenario, vaccine batches will continue to be distributed with relatively minor hurdles from here on out. Then, they will quickly be joined by still more vaccines—from the same companies or from others, like AstraZeneca—who can shore up efforts to get the shots to as many Americans as possible. In this scenario, researchers are also able to develop a vaccine that children under the age of 16 can take, which is currently not authorized for the Moderna or Pfizer drugs. In that case, the entire country might experience some measure of pandemic relief by as soon as the spring. Health-care workers would enjoy a respite from the startling physical and emotional toll of their jobs caring for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who became severely ill and died. There would be significantly fewer severe cases and deaths from COVID, and nowhere would that be clearer than in hospitals. In this scenario, the big questions about the vaccines will be answered, and the answers will be good ones. �Do the vaccines prevent transmission from healthy or moderately ill people to others? Yes. Doctors who catch mild or asymptomatic cases of the virus after getting vaccinated will not spread it to their families. Does immunity last at least one year? Potentially longer? Yes. In other words, we won’t need to handle booster shots—beyond the second initial dose—or scary viral mutations until researchers and frontline workers have had a little room to breathe. The Brutal Setback Scenario The worst-case scenario for 2021 begins with people still congregating and flouting public health guidelines in January, without having been vaccinated. It’s going to be a good long time in 2021 until we feel any cumulative effect on public health, because we’re still not changing our behavior. We still have to live with the coming hospitalizations and death. We’re going to be close to 500,000 deaths by March, from projections published last week by the University of Washington. This leading research group’s models, which have been used by the White House, have estimated that 562,000 Americans will have died from the virus by April 1, 2021. In the worst-case scenario, the big questions about the vaccines will be answered. Do the vaccines prevent transmission, in addition to severe infection? No. It turns out the vaccine prevents you from getting sick but it doesn’t prevent you from spreading it to someone who hasn’t had their shots yet. Does immunity last at least one year? Potentially longer? No. We might even be forced to re-evaluate our priority lists in order to provide booster shots to the already-vaccinated by the time the year is out. Then there’s vaccine hesitancy. As of this week, millions still say they won’t take the COVID-19 vaccine. Fauci told The Daily Beast earlier this month that his “primary biggest fear is that a substantial proportion of the people will be hesitant to get vaccinated.” In this scenario, vaccine skepticism, actual problems with the doses, unforeseen side effects, human error in the logistics of transporting the vaccine, or distribution issues—wasted doses from problems with Pfizer’s required ultra-cold storage, for example—hamper the effort to achieve anything close to herd immunity. Many people don’t get the vaccine until after next year. The Messy, Deadly Middle The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model projects that, with the vaccine rollout, about 34,500 lives will be saved by April 1, 2021. A more rapid rollout would save 55,400 more lives compared to a no-vaccine scenario. The model projects that 100.1 million people are expected to be vaccinated by April 1 in the U.S. With an even faster rollout, however unlikely, the number of vaccinated individuals could reach 194 million. The journey to a vaccinated United States will not be linear. Some counties, where the vast majority of the population is elderly, will be safer and free from community transmission sooner than others. That works in reverse as well. Some of the same communities that have been ravaged by this pandemic are also going to be left high and dry by the vaccine as health-care inequality still falls along race lines in the United States. When some pockets are left under-vaccinated, it means they are going to be vulnerable to outbreaks in the future. For public health authorities, it will be paramount to keep an eye on issues of �logistics and the distribution of two doses per vaccine to ensure that everyone who receives one dose receives two. So here we are. Cruise ships have canceled all sailings until at the soonest, March 2021 and I’ll be amazed if cruise can safely go ahead by then. Qantas, the main airline for Australia, doesn’t see international flights for Australians resuming until the end of 2021. For Craig, his final semester classes will all be online and at this point GVSU has proposed online teaching in the fall semester of 2021. Of course all universities and colleges face failing enrollments and may switch to more online classes, especially for much older students such as retirees and people retraining for the workforce. Will popular attractions such as Disneyland reopen? Will Las Vegas become the glitzy gambling destination again? Will business people fly as often to meetings and conferences or will Zoom and the like take this over? My son Asher has already switched to virtual store visits, instead of traveling there. Will we realize that with a little effort we can work practically anywhere in the world - have laptop can travel. It seems as though in the beginning these new ways of working were difficult and complex, but as time went by, working and functioning this way got easier and easier. In the future, although we may not have to work from home, having the option to do so may make our lives easier. This morning we are at 18.8M cases in the US. I wonder how much higher will the positive case count go? The Covid deaths in the US reached 330K yesterday - well on the way to 400K deaths some time in January. And yet people still don’t wear a mask at all, or if they do, they wear it on their chin or just covering their mouths. I have seen a large amount of instruction online, carefully explaining mask dos and don’ts and describing which masks are best and which ‘masks’ are no better than no mask at all. Although the CDC said for months that wearing a mask helps you to not spread the virus, they finally said that wearing a mask helps prevent you from being exposed too. �And bad breath? A thing of the past. Something caught in your teeth - who will ever know? I believe we won’t know what 2021 will bring until we are at least partway into it. In the meantime, keep up all the good work and perhaps it will be The Dire Ideal instead of The Brutal Setback Scenario. More travel flashbacks tomorrow. Its 5 days people. Lets try to have a very safe New Years Eve, shall we? � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-26_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-290 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-26 Title A name given to the resource Day 290 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3b5e3bda5aaf94eec540b4e4ae0e7a0f.pdf b4ceaf5db75fc71209c9ecf14b5cba21 PDF Text Text Day 289. Christmas Day by windoworks I always think of this poem on Christmas Day. A.A.Milne was a favorite of mine and somehow this poem seems even more suitable today. King John's Christmas by A. A. Milne King John was not a good man— He had his little ways. And sometimes no one spoke to him For days and days and days. And men who came across him, When walking in the town, Gave him a supercilious stare, Or passed with noses in the air— And bad King John stood dumbly there, Blushing beneath his crown. King John was not a good man, And no good friends had he. He stayed in every afternoon … But no one came to tea. And, round about December, The cards upon his shelf Which wished him lots of Christmas cheer, And fortune in the coming year, Were never from his near and dear, But only from himself. King John was not a good man, Yet had his hopes and fears. They'd given him no present now For years and years and years. But every year at Christmas, While minstrels stood about, Collecting tribute from the young For all the songs they might have sung, �He stole away upstairs and hung A hopeful stocking out. King John was not a good man, He lived his life aloof; Alone he thought a message out While climbing up the roof. He wrote it down and propped it Against the chimney stack: “TO ALL AND SUNDAY—NEAR AND FAR— F. CHRISTMAS IN PARTICULAR.” And signed it not “Johannes R.” But very humbly, “JACK.” “I want some crackers, And I want some candy; I think a box of chocolates Would come in handy; I don't mind oranges, I do like nuts! And I SHOULD like a pocket-knife That really cuts. And, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all, Bring me a big, red india-rubber ball!” King John was not a good man— He wrote this message out, And gat him to his room again, Descending by the spout. And all that night he lay there, A prey to hopes and fears. “I think that's him a-coming now,” (Anxiety bedewed his brow.) “He'll bring one present, anyhow— The first I've had for years.” “Forget about the crackers, And forget about the candy; I'm sure a box of chocolates �Would never come in handy; I don't like oranges, I don't want nuts, And I HAVE got a pocket-knife That almost cuts. But, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all, Bring me a big, red india-rubber ball!” King John was not a good man— Next morning when the sun Rose up to tell a waiting world That Christmas had begun, And people seized their stockings, And opened them with glee, And crackers, toys and games appeared, And lips with sticky sweets were smeared, King John said grimly: “As I feared, Nothing again for me!” “I did want crackers, And I did want candy; I know a box of chocolates Would come in handy; I do love oranges, I did want nuts. I haven't got a pocket-knife— Not one that cuts. And, oh! if Father Christmas had loved me at all, He would have brought a big, red india-rubber ball!” King John stood by the window, And frowned to see below The happy bands of boys and girls All playing in the snow. A while he stood there watching, And envying them all … When through the window big and red There hurtled by his royal head, �And bounced and fell upon the bed, An india-rubber ball! AND OH, FATHER CHRISTMAS, MY BLESSINGS ON YOU FALL FOR BRINGING HIM A BIG, RED, INDIA-RUBBER BALL! For some reason this makes me teary. Perhaps it is the memories of so many other Christmases than this one. When I was a child, my brother and sister and I would all climb into Mum and Dad’s bed early in the morning, and open our presents. As the youngest, I always got a lot! Breakfast was the normal one, but then my mother would begin the preparation for Christmas lunch. I don’t remember a turkey, but I remember stuffing and gravy and roast vegetables. Then Christmas Pudding, a round steamed fruit pudding with custard, ice cream, and brandy sauce. My mother put coins in the pudding and there was always a competition to see who could amass the most money. And every year, at the end of lunch, when we were all full to bursting, my father lit his only cigar of the year. At dinnertime, another Christmas tradition occurred. Cold ham and salads and then the bit I remember most fondly: Christmas evening desserts - Flummery, Spanish Cream, Jelly and (oh yes!) Trifle. I loved all of those and my mother made the best desserts. The day after Christmas Day (Boxing Day, so named for an old British tradition where the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. Wikipedia) we ate the leftovers and enjoyed out presents. When I moved to Australia, met and married Craig, I somehow became the family member who made the Christmas cake. This is not a popular cake in the US, but everyone loves it in my wider family. You have to soak the mixed dried fruit in either brandy or whiskey and you set that aside - at least overnight. Then you mix the cake batter itself, usually in the biggest bowl you could find. Next you call all family members to come and stir the cake batter and make a wish. Don’t ask me - I just follow the rules. The cake is then baked and when ready, your pour more liquor over the piping hot cake. Once cooled, the cake is wrapped in layers of foil, tied up in layers of brown paper and stored in a tin which you tape shut, until the Christmas Week. Then the cake is unwrapped and almond fondant is covered over it, followed by Royal Icing (store bought and you roll it out to the desired thickness), and the cake is completely covered. Last, you decorate with toy sleighs, bells etc and the cake is displayed on a cake stand for all to admire. Traditionally, it is first eaten on Christmas Eve. �In our early married years, we traveled to my in-laws house in Canberra. One memorable year the house was so crowded, Craig and I slept on the dining room floor under the table! Christmas Eve my in-laws always held a big party with carol singing and platters of food all prepared by the women under the strict supervision of my mother-in-law. Then it was cleaning up and laying out the Santa gifts for the children and then the family gifts, all under the tree and stretching along the width of the living room window, before we fell into bed. Christmas morning began early with present opening, show and tell, and then breakfast: fruit and (I think) little frankfurters and toast to keep us going. My Australian family’s Christmas dinner was, for many years, shrimp cocktails to start, followed by turkey, hot ham and all the trimmings and then Christmas Pudding. For supper we ate toasted ham sandwiches, if we were not too full. As the years rolled by it seemed foolish to eat a heavy repast in such hot weather, and so the idea of a cold seafood Christmas Dinner evolved. �Here is my sister-in-law Bernie, with this years offering: salmon, shrimp avocado and �mango platter. Yum! For a lot of the 18 years we have lived here, we have had a hot Christmas Dinner during the day, with many friends and family joining us at different times. We always had a Christmas Eve potluck party for the block and we always ended up singing around the piano. Everyone left by 9 or so, and then Craig and I would drive over to East Grand Rapids to see the lights and luminaries. On Christmas morning, neighbors often brought over breakfast treats. Then after our Christmas meal, we always went next door for our neighbors ‘bring your leftover food’ Christmas night party. This year is different. Last night Craig stood on our front porch and played Jingle Bells on his flute for all the neighbors. Children rang bells and our neighbors came out on both sides and John sang the lyrics and danced on his porch. We all wished each other Merry Christmas and then we went inside to eat our Christmas Eve Cioppino (Italian seafood soup). ��Craig and I drove to East Grand Rapids to see the lights and the luminaries. This year, Covid has made everyone appreciate making an effort and the lights at houses went up straight after Thanksgiving. And there were miles and miles of luminaries, the most I’ve ever seen. ��And decorations too. ���Its hard to see, but these are Peanuts characters - all masked up. �When we returned we talked to the reduced Canberra crew. Earlier in the afternoon we talked to Zoe who was allowed (at the eleventh hour) to join her Aunt and Uncle for Christmas Day. ��This is our last Christmas Day in the US and memorably, it is a white one. As I write, the snow has begun falling again. Later today we will cook and eat our roast lamb dinner and finish with the last of the gluten free large fruit mince pie I made. We finished the delicious gluten free Christmas cake a week ago. It is a bittersweet day, isolated because of the threat of Covid, but doing our best to celebrate anyway. So from Craig and I, to all my readers: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! I think Oliver says it best of all: ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-25_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-289 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-25 Title A name given to the resource Day 289 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/efda5a580c055e630b1fcb6f85f24810.pdf d6a4241905be2bec6a307308c8dc66c9 PDF Text Text Day 288. Christmas Eve by windoworks ��But I do appreciate the cards and treats we have received. Tonight at 6pm we are participating in the Front Porch Holiday Jingle. Those who own bells can ring them and those without, bang 2 pots together. Last night the wind woke me up. It blew in gusts around the house and made the wind chime on the front porch ring loudly. This morning it is freezing cold after an usually warm day yesterday. The temperature fell from 53F to 19F, but with the wind chill it feels like 9F (-12C). The snow is light and sparkling because its so cold. Its seems appropriate that our last Christmas in the US might be a white one. Every morning I wake up and wonder if the day will begin with good news or bad news. For the longest time even any good news has been tainted with bad. The Congress finally agreed on a defense bill but Trump is vetoing it partly because it supports the renaming of military bases from Confederate names. He is also arguing about the next stimulus bill, wanting to increase the payout to $2000 each and $4000 for a couple. At the same time he has gone on a pardon junket, I have lost count of all the infamous people he has pardoned so far. Here’s how things stand: NEWS & GUTS We’ve been inundated for weeks with reports of Donald Trump’s hurt feelings. Those inside the White House are afraid to be in the same room with the pouter-in-chief. He sulks and shouts because he lost. We get it. This is not a new phenomenon. It’s been his modus operandi for the last four years, and perhaps his whole life. Every move inside the executive branch is dictated by how Trump will react. This week CNN’s Jeremy Diamond quoted a senior Republican close to the President as saying, “We’re watching a petulant child not getting his way throw a tantrum.”That is certainly a good way to describe it, but it’s a quote from Juliette Kayyem, a national security analyst for CNN that really struck us. Wednesday night she said: “I’m so tired of talking about Trump’s feelings.” It’s so simple, yet so true. There are 328 million people in this country, but for the last four years, one man’s feelings matter more than anything or anyone else. His allies set out to make him happy at all costs and oftentimes to make sure they soothe his bruised ego. Many have chosen his feelings over the country. But some are finally jumping the ship. This week televangelist Pat Robertson split with Trump saying the president lives in “an alternate reality.” Longtime friend Gerald Rivera also decided he would no longer spare the president’s feelings and repeatedly declared the election “over.” He says his recent remarks have led Trump to stop talking to him. Over the next 28 days, we suspect Trump will stop talking to a lot more people. But, do we really care? Nope. I’m tired of Trump too. He has given up entirely on the virus, and all the while it continues to thrive in places where people have just given up on distancing or mask wearing. I understand. We all want our lives back, but the hard truth is, that life is forever changed and gone. We will get our lives back but we have to understand it will be a different life. Just as our lives before the �pandemic were the Before Times, after the pandemic will be the New Times. And new viruses will be with us forever. Remember yesterday we talked about the new mutation in Britain that was spreading faster and was more contagious? Well, here’s this to consider: Science Alert A second, possibly more infectious coronavirus variant originating from South Africa has been found in the UK, British health secretary Matt Hancock has announced.Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hancock said that scientists had identified two cases of a new coronavirus variant which, he said, is even more transmissible than another variant which is currently spreading rapidly through England. Both cases of the second variant were close contacts of people who had recently returned from South Africa, he said. "This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK," Hancock added. It is typical for viruses to mutate, and variants are not necessarily more harmful or deadly. Experts previously told Insider that it's unlikely that the mutations in the first variant will stop vaccines from working against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Those in the UK who have visited the country in the past two weeks must quarantine for two weeks. The UK has also placed immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa. Hancock also said that millions more people in England would be placed under stricter lockdown measures from Boxing Day in light of the new variants. People across most of southeast England in Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and most of Hampshire will be placed under the strictest "Tier 4" restrictions from December 26. So COVID-19 is mutating, just as the first 2 vaccines are circulating here in the US. Britain has also begun vaccinating the elderly, essential workers and those at risk. Here, it seems some young and healthy politicians pushed their way to the front of the line - and yet they don’t seem to fit any of the first dose criteria. Marco Rubio, I see you! Okay, deep breath. This next piece is scary but I think you should know this. CNN Humanity faces an unknown number of new and potentially fatal viruses emerging from Africa's tropical rainforests, according to Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976 and has been on the frontline of the hunt for new pathogens ever since. "We are now in a world where new pathogens will come out," he told CNN. "And that's what constitutes a �threat for humanity." Speaking in the DRC's capital, Kinshasa, Muyembe warned of many more zoonotic diseases -- those that jump from animals to humans -- to come. Yellow fever, various forms of influenza, rabies, brucellosis and Lyme disease are among those that pass from animals to humans, often via a vector such as a rodent or an insect. They've caused epidemics and pandemics before. HIV emerged from a type of chimpanzee and mutated into a world-wide modern plague. SARS, MERS and the Covid-19 virus known as SARS-CoV-2 are all coronaviruses that jumped to humans from unknown "reservoirs" -- the term virologists use for virus' natural hosts -- in the animal kingdom. Covid-19 is thought to have originated in China, possibly in bats. Does Muyembe think future pandemics could be worse than Covid-19, more apocalyptic? "Yes, yes, I think so," he said. Experts say the rising number of emerging viruses is largely the result of ecological destruction and wildlife trade. As their natural habitats disappear, animals like rats, bats, and insects survive where larger animals get wiped out. They're able to live alongside human beings and are frequently suspected of being the vectors that can carry new diseases to humans. Dozens of new coronaviruses have been found in bats over recent years. No one knows just how dangerous they may be to humans. Once a new virus begins circulating among humans, the consequences of a brief encounter at the edge of a forest or at a wet market could be devastating. Covid-19 has shown that. Ebola has proved it. And in most of the scientific publications there is an assumption that there will be more contagions coming as humans continue to destroy wilderness habitats. It's not an "IF" it's a "WHEN". I believe that we have to understand this and think about how we live day to day, going forward. Will we consider masks and everyday accessory item in the future? Will we begin our day by taking our temperature? Will we ever just rinse our fingertips again, instead of washing our hands for 20 seconds? Will our children take this all in their stride and see it as normal? Some of the most compliant mask wearers I’ve seen have been small children. ��For all those people who still weren’t sure. Zoom and the like have already replaced phone calls, face to face meetings, book clubs, happy hours etc. People complain that they’re tired of Zoom and yet they log on anyway. Zoom etiquette is a thing. Online shopping is a new constant. The shelves in grocery stores are sometimes inexplicably empty. Who knew everyone ate gluten free food? One week there were no cans of chopped tomatoes, only cans of tomato purée. My essential shopper does one larger shop every 2 weeks and we have cut our food wastage down to almost zero. Who ever knew you could order loaves of fresh bread on the internet? Our local butcher makes amazing take home meals every week and posts a blackboard menu of items. Within a day, some are crossed off as sold out. Yesterday there was a line outside the Cheese Lady, waiting to buy cheese for the Holidays. Luckily we ordered ours earlier last week. Yesterday Craig found a box in the basement that he said was mine. In it was all kinds of memorabilia. Zoe and Asher, I have your baby tags from when you were born. I found letters from family members who have died and letters I had forgotten about from other family members. On a dull, grey day it was a lovely trip down memory lane. Allan, if you’re reading this I have your hair in an envelope from your first haircut - and I have the hair from my own first haircut. That was a thing, then. It is an interesting experience, sorting out 18+ years of things. Now, Oliver. �That �child has so many toy cars and trucks! Flashback: we sailed into Bonifacio on July 4. Bonifacio is a town on the southern tip of the French island of Corsica. It’s known for its lively marina and medieval clifftop citadel. The 13th-century Bastion de l’Etendard houses a small museum with exhibits on the town’s history. L’Escalier du Roi d’Aragon is 187 ancient steps carved into the cliff face. To the southeast, the uninhabited Lavezzi Islands, a nature reserve, have granite boulders and sandy beaches. ― Google �There was a small tram you could catch up to the citadel, but there was also the stairs cut �into the rock. Hundreds of steps. Hundreds. �Right next to the top of the stairs there was an air conditioned restaurant that I fell into, �offering stupendous food. This is my dessert - enough chocolate to get me up and out into the street again. �Very crowded �streets Looking down to the bay below. �The street names were in French and �Italian �Narrow lanes The view from the top of the cliffs Did we catch the little tram back to the dock? No of course not. Craig found a different set of stairs to climb down. That’s all I’m going to say. There are 7 days until the end of this year. �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-24_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-288 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-24 Title A name given to the resource Day 288 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/195887227a4930085929e189cca65bbc.pdf 2f08104b6402c8595b6a010a74fdb26c PDF Text Text Day 287. by windoworks Washington Post Biden’s incoming administration has long described a “perfect storm” of four crises facing the country — the pandemic, economic distress, climate change and racial justice. It suddenly has another to add: a historic cyber intrusion into government networks that likely began months ago and could reverberate for months to come. The organized attack has affected numerous federal agencies, American companies and institutions, with national security officials working around-the-clock to assess the scope and seriousness of the breach. There are 28 days until Inauguration Day and I sometimes wonder if we’re all going to make it. Here’s a heavily edited opinion piece from Facebook by Heather Cox Richardson on Monday: In the past two days, stories in major papers have focused on the president’s deteriorating mental state.“His fragile ego has never been tested to this extent,” Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen told Kruse. “While he’s creating a false pretense of strength and fortitude, internally he is angry, depressed and manic. As each day ends, Trump knows he’s one day closer to legal and financial troubles. Accordingly, we will all see his behavior deteriorate until it progresses into a full mental breakdown.” CNN reported that senior White House officials are worried about what Trump might do in the next month as he spends more and more time with his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who is under active investigation by federal prosecutors; conspiracy lawyer Sidney Powell; disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn; Steve Bannon, who has recently been indicted for fraud; Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser; and now Patrick Byrne, the founder of the Overstock retail website. Trump is turning to this group of misfits rather than advisers like his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, or White House counsel Pat Cipollone. The new advisers are encouraging him to declare martial law or to seize state voting machines to examine them for fraud or to appoint a special counsel to investigate Joe Biden’s son Hunter. Trump has floated the idea of naming Powell as a special counsel inside the White House Counsel’s office to investigate the election. Meadows and Cipollone argue, correctly, that this is crazy. As he descends into the fever swamps, Trump has largely given up any pretense of governing. His public schedule remains empty, and his private meetings appear to focus on how he can stay in office. Today we learned that Russian hackers broke into the email system used by the leadership of the Treasury Department, but the cyberattack from Russia has gone unaddressed except to the extent the president tried to blame the attack on China (although he has made no move to retaliate against China for the attack). He has made little attempt to shepherd any sort of an economic relief bill through Congress. And, �most crucially, he is silent about the epidemic that is killing us. As of this evening, more than 18 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and at least 319,000 have died. It gets harder and harder to visualize the fantastic numbers of positive cases and rising death toll here in the US. This morning the case numbers reached 18.3M and are continuing to rise. The deaths are at 323K and also steadily rising. Washington Post At least 18,268 people in the United States died of covid-19 in the week ending Sunday, and 17,291 the week before that, and 15,215 the week before that, and more than 323,000 since the pandemic began, and more than 1.7 million worldwide in the same period. And if those numbers make your eyes glaze over before they make you weep, there's a reason. “Something happens in the brain when fatalities reach such high numbers,” our Health desk wrote, after speaking to psychologists about this numbness to death. “The casualties become like a mountain of corpses that has grown so large it becomes difficult to focus on the individual bodies.” You know I’m always trying to find ways to put the numbers into perspective for you, so, 323K is just under half the population of Kent County or also, just under half the population of Detroit. Imagine if half of the people living in Detroit had died. Now to visualize the positive case count for today in the US: New York City has approximately 8.3M people so 18.3M represents more than twice the population of New York City. But as the article says - these are not just numbers, they are people. People struggling to breathe, people in hospital beds alone, and people dying, more often alone. These daily counts are grim but we have grown inured to them. Yesterday Dr Fauci was vaccinated with the Moderna Vaccine. I looked up the vaccination schedule on the Kent County Health Department site and Craig and I, in the 65+ category seem to be at 1C in the schedule, after every medical worker and essential workers. We will wait and see. This morning there is news that the Trump administration is working with Pfizer to produce 100M more doses. At the same time, Trump is refusing to sign the relief package presented to him by Congress. He won’t sign it until it offers every American a payment of $2000. Or $4000 - whichever sounds better. And in another side story, Dominion and Smartmatic voting machine manufacturers are threatening to sue a trio of conservative networks for promoting baseless conspiracy theories about both companies. Conservative networks are scrambling to walk back their fraud claims. Oh and Bill Barr, the US Attorney-General, who leaves office today, said again that there had been no evidence of widespread fraud at all in the election. So here we are. At least 2M people traveled by air on Friday and Saturday, after most state governors had begged their citizens to stay home for the holidays. Who knows how many more people have flown interstate since Saturday and who knows what effect this will have on the case numbers and the deaths? �In the ‘what did you do during the pandemic?’ story, Craig has repainted 3 rooms in the house (there is not one room that is still the original color); repainted the outside of the house and is now packing moving boxes. So far we have 10 boxes packed and taped shut, each with a number on the side. That number corresponds to a manifest which Craig updates every evening. He has taken 20 shopping bags of books to a local secondhand book shop and has another 10 bags to deliver today. On Sunday we began the clearing out of his office at GVSU. In 2 hours we managed to take everything down off the walls and clear out 3 large drawers and 2 smaller ones. There are still 4 long shelves stuffed full of books and 3 large drawers to go. Next Sunday and perhaps another day after that? At home we have a number of large empty bookcases lurking in unexpected places, and our neighbor TJ says looking through our windows from his house, our house looks emptier by the day. On Sunday we took most of the items out of both the front and back gardens and off the walls of the back porch. Today Craig will repair any nail or screw holes left outside and inside the house. I keep thinking about items such as: what will I do with the herb and spice drawer contents or the teabag drawer? Our yard sale in the spring will be huge. Oliver, who is always entertaining. �These books have a lot of words but not many animal pictures - but Grandad would be �proud. After Craig did his hiking expedition, he came back to the ship and met me for lunch. Then we both walked into Mahon. ��The main �square ��On to Corsica tomorrow. Yesterday we drove to Whitehall along the foreshore north of Muskegon. We stopped at Duck Lake to eat our lunch. And then we drove to Fruitland Township �White Lake river channel into Lake Michigan �The White River Lighthouse. �It was nice to explore somewhere new. How is Murphy, I hear you ask. Hopefully happy and enjoying her new family. We are gradually getting used to not having a dog in the house. One more day until Christmas Day. It might be a white one. As ever, stay safe and mask up for your friends and family. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-12-23_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-287 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-12-23 Title A name given to the resource Day 287 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng