307 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0bebd852e917006e3f3f3389475a9166.pdf dabc5cf8e7c1293f2e21115860bacca6 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e50e2b9465ae6c475697db7558ed3d59.pdf d21275dc998d3a8ca067c89be2be3484 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-02-08] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 9 FEB 1944 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. Feb. 8, 1944. (Date) Hello “Precious,” Didn’t get any mail from you today but got a few letters from my buddies. I was disappointed but I can waite [sic] till they get here. Wrote you a nice long letter last night and meant every word of it. I love you as much as every star in the sky and miss you twice as much. Ain’t that a lot? I presume you a very busy working [sic] and hope you aren’t too tired to think of me just once while doing so. I do, “oodles” of times in just a day. Well “Darling,” I don’t feel like going on pass [?] so I don’t think I’ll take one. Now, if I were around “Grand Rapids,” it might be different. Two guesses of where I would go and the second one don’t count. I did my washing tonite [sic] so, I’m all set for a couple of days. If, I let it go a few days it would take twice as long. Leave it to me for saving time. “Eh”!! Has your mother answered my letter? Hope she didn’t break her arm again. Ha! Ha! Well Sugar, I will have to close again with all my love for you. Yours always, With Oodles of Kisses �“Joe” P.S. My regards to the rest of the Folks. {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 FEB 18 4 - PM 1944 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_1944-02-08 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 1944-02-08 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 8, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 8, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 18, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Anges while awaiting another letter from her, sharing how he wrote her a long letter the previous night and how he loves her as much as all the stars in the sky. 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/9628245a274e819adf772cc761187f57.pdf 17691e29c01e483c485bf9f76a1c1986 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cd108e863eb671fa8319bb1a28c2c5b3.pdf 6b900952864c544bdc89f4db8662a41b PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-02-07] [Page 1 - front] England Feb. 7, 1944. Hello “Darling,” Rec’d your V-mail letter of Jan. 25th today and was very pleased to get it. I have not written much so far this month for I didn’t know what to write. I’m fine and dandy as usual and hope you are the same “Sweets.” “I love you,” as much as ever “Darling” and still miss you. I always think of you when I have a few moments to spare. So you, see, I’m still waiting to get back and give you all of my love and hugs that I’ve got all stored up for you. I can hardly waite [sic] till the fountain pen gets here, for I need it. I’m going to give you a special hug, for that too when I see you again. I also got a V-mail from Helen today and she wants me to ask her for a package also. Think I’ll have her get me something. My brother Ollie hasn’t written as yet or else his letter hasn’t gotten here as yet. I wish you would ask me [Page 1 - back] to answer a lot of questions Honey so I can write more often. Where’s that curl and kisses? I might be tempting to bite your ears again if you don’t send me them soon. Now don’t forget? Have you made that million yet? If you haven’t young lady, how can I have a good excuse to go home to be your secretary? Ha! Ha! Well “Sugar,” I’ve got 18 months and 5 days overseas and it makes me mad, to think, that you and I have missed a lot of days, of being together. Am I right? Did I ever write and tell you how much “I loved you” and missed you? You haven’t forgotten so soon, have you? Well it didn’t hurt me a bit to mention it again, anyway. Ha! Ha! Have you ever heard the song “I’m in The Mood for Love”? I keep humming it nearly every time I think of you, “Sweets.” Ain’t I awful!! If that Postmaster don’t send me that special package I sent for a month and a half ago, I’m going to punch him in the nose if she doesn’t get here soon. I’m very anxious to see her too and I’d sure tell him off if he were here. Ha! Ha! See, what he’s done to me? [Page 2 - front] “Still in Love with You.” Now for my birthday, I really don’t want much but here goes!! Its got to be five-seven with brown eyes, dark brown hair and lives at 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. I want it to arrive on or before March 6th this year. Can you fill the order? I’ll bet you can’t. Ha! Ha! I got some writing paper from Helen’s mother-in-law today, so this is it. She’s real nice too. She also writes nice letters. Well “Darling,” how are your folks and the rest of the family? Don’t forget to give them a Hello for me. Went to church in town today or I should say yesterday and took “Communion.” I go nearly every Sunday and it’s really good to go there for it makes us feel like going to church when we were back home. Now, about that little hat you mentioned. I imagined you wearing little ones to big brimmed ones and come to the conclusion you look just as pretty to me with no hat at all and seeing you just with your hair the way I saw it last, when I was there. Disappointed, �you needn’t be, for I will love you just the same with a hat on. My, I’m surprising myself for writing so much. Very unusual, I’d say. Ha! Ha! [Page 2 - back] Must close on this side though with “oodles” of kisses, just for you from a lug like me. Write real soon and as often as you can. Yours Always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o PM, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 FEB 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_1944-02-07 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 1944-02-07 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 7, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 7, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 10, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes many pages to Agnes from England sharing how he has been overseas for 18 months and 5 days and is heavyhearted about the time they have been apart. He also writes about her being his birthday wish for the following month and how he wishes she could be with him on his special day. 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/1db2a140a23b80e21ed9b7d590a52235.pdf a5f0fce5379d590b08082c62a83e2804 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7ee0d41d80bad3f4f42344998f93ee85.pdf 0c6de4b43c908e320bfbb0a7bba40dc3 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-02-02] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 3 FEB 1944 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. Feb. 2, 1944. (Date) Hello Sweets, Got a V-mail from you yesterday dated Jan. 17th. I still miss you as much as ever “Sweets” and waiting for the day when we shall be together again. I didn’t write last nite [sic] for I had a lot of things to do. I suppose all of my mail will come in a bunch again. Better late than never. Eh! How’s your folks? Hope they are fine and don’t forget to give them a Hello, for me? Did your mother answer my letter? How does your Dad like his new job? Got another V-mail from Helen today and as usual everything is the same with her. I haven’t much to write about tonite [sic] but I hope to have more the next time. Well “Darling,” I will close, hoping to hear from you real soon. Yours always, With Lots of Love “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 FEB 11 2 - PM 1944 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_1944-02-02 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 1944-02-02 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 2, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 2, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 11, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving a message from her the previous day, inquiring about how her family are doing and how he hopes to hear from her soon. 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/fd2c8f7f73f73518b616b42e22065571.pdf ce5040be10585c069200c1db7ddbdd6d PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/07af5b3a775e135af8cc242a2fe60713.pdf 0cf254d992ced913b81f37cd140f31ea PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-30] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 2 FEB 1944 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. Jan. 30, 1944. (Date) Hello “Darling,” Went to church again today and enjoyed it very much. I’m fine as usual and hope you are the same. I love you as much as ever “Darling” and still miss you. Didn’t get any mail again today, so I hope to get some tomorrow. How is everything in general with you “Sweets”? Did you get another raise in pay? How is Venna and the rest getting along? I haven’t done much today but to sleep some when I got back from church. If, I don’t hear from someone soon, I won’t know or have anything to write. I managed to write once a day since the 8th of Jan. and hope you get all of my mail. Well “Darling” I can’t think of anything else to write so I shall close. Write real soon. Yours always, With Lots of Love “Joe” P.S. Where’s them imprints you promised? �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 9 [?] 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_1944-01-30 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 1944-01-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 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 January 30, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 9, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes with the news for the day including how he attended the church service in town and how he had managed to write once a day since the 8th of January. 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/52d37bf4157c1d2cf443db3462900876.pdf 143f9a20e1670f4164f7217643ac31f6 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/085e6ed8be371ae7b5a43d88998cfb24.pdf 45846a9ed23b5bb9e1f1ef6f619f9c80 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-29] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 1 FEB 1944 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. Jan. 29, 1944. (Date) Hello “Sweets,” Here it is Saturday nite [sic] and nothing much to do. I’d sure like to be there with you but my thoughts are anyway. I did my weekly wash this afternoon and now I’m laying around and passing time. I didn’t get any mail tonite [sic] either so I don’t know what to write. I’ve re-read a few letters of yours that I managed to save to read when I don’t hear from you. I think that I’ve answered your questions or most of them. I plan to go to church in town again tomorrow. Remember when I used to go with you? I also, often think of the times we were together and as usual wish to be with you. I have not heard from or seen Roy in ages and was wondering how he is getting along. Do you hear from Carolyn? Well, “Darling,” I will have to close again with all of my love for you. Yours always, With Loads of Kisses “Joe” �P.S. Write real soon. {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 10 2:30 AM 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_1944-01-29 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 1944-01-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 29, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 29, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 10, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a Saturday night while wishing they were together and reminiscing about their previous times going to church together in anticipation for the service in town the following morning. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Church services 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/29e21db2ab8e358a4906b613d5434225.pdf f9db53b082e1693be2d933bf457504b2 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6eeea1bccebebd7fe344fd0ba9eb2ca2.pdf 24336e6053e5b4e731b983602d318eb6 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-28] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 29 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 28, 1944. (Date) Hello “Darling,” I’m very tired tonite [sic] for some reason but I’ll write anyhow. Didn’t get any mail from you today but hope to tomorrow. I still love you “Darling” and will always miss you, till I get back. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give, them, my regards? [sic] This letter a day business is getting me down for when the end of the month rolls around I have nothing to write. Its just like me, isn’t it? Well “Sweets,” how is your work? Are you getting along O.K. with it? I still haven’t received any letter from Ollie as yet. Boy, what a lazy, lug? Isn’t he? I couldn’t set still if I had letters to answer and didn’t do it. If, I don’t get them kisses you promised me soon Young Lady, I’ll stop writing. Ha! Ha! Will close “Gorgeous” and write real, real soon. Yours always, With Loads of Love and Kisses “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 9 9:30 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_1944-01-28 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 1944-01-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 28, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 28, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 9, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes while feeling tired in the evening and notes how writing everyday leaves him with nothing more to write except the constants of how much he loves and misses her. 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/1ecb246a4c3139398894ee4bf6d71176.pdf 210447fb7618997bd22dad99a4d3d59b PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/631bc27e2009cded27ae3218d96f2fb0.pdf 9a8c0c5cfdf1eec0e1df6cab8e22a044 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-27] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 29 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 27, 1944. (Date) Hello Sugar, Just got back from a show and thought I would write my daily V-mail. The picture was an old one called “The man who wouldn’t die” with Lloyd Nolan. It’s pretty good. Most of the fellows are in bed, so it’s quite peaceful. When it’s like this, I think of you and wish I could hug you and pull your curls. Ain’t I awful, “Darling”? I like to do that especially when you take pains in fixing your hair. I’m not to blame, though for you made me, this way. [sic] Ha! Ha! I love you more than ever “Darling” and waite [sic] for your letters to come. I’m just waiting for the day when you and I can be together again. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other and at times I’m very impatient. Aren’t you? Are you getting my letters from 1832? I have written a lot to that address. Well “Sweets,” I will close and remember, this Lug [?] on this side, loves you more than what he can write. [sic] Yours Always, With Lots of Love and Kisses “Joe” �P.S. Where’s that curl?!!! {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 9 9:30 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_1944-01-27 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 1944-01-27 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 27, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 27, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 9, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes his daily V-mail to Agnes during a peaceful time at night after seeing the film "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" staring Lloyd Nolan. He also inquires if she has received his letters that were previously addressed to 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. instead of her new address at 1913 Berkley in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Nolan, Lloyd 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/f8ee379e793dd7baf0bc247b1154cf9f.pdf 2d68f4394dccaa65ad7ae7f620debf25 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f3d7827d494abc33229f8fd29769e9c3.pdf be64b471339d041576a4936ab4546780 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-26_02] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weidie 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 28 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 26, 1944. (Date) Hello “Precious,” Here I am again so don’t faint. Ha! Ha! I guess I did spoil Junior and Elaine but I didn’t think they would remember. Did you find a fountain pen to send “Sweets.” [sic] This is the third one so far and I’m getting mad. I don’t know who I will visit first when I get back but it will work out O.K. I’m saving all of my kisses for you, “Darling” and it adds more each day. I’m only giving them to two Sweethearts. One is you and the other one is my mother. Ain’t I generous? I have not heard from Ollie yet but I guess, I will later on. I need writing paper and envelopes very bad so hurry “Darling” and send some if you can. Maybe, then I could write you a nice long letter in between to tell you how much I love you and miss you. If not a V-mail will have to do!! Ha! Ha! Will close until tomorrow. Give my regards to your folks for me. I read your letters over from time to time and sometimes think they may disappear. Ha! Ha! Yours always, With Lots of Kisses “Joe” �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 6 9 AM 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_1944-01-26_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 1944-01-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 26, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 26, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 6, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes his second message to Agnes on that day and shares that he is need of writing paper, envelopes, and a new fountain pen so that he can write another long letter to her in addition to his regular V-Mail messages. 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/506e92fa2aec02d509cb79b919a0a010.pdf c0a4f6bcd1e5fb9303d9d2024369c69f PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e07b3fc2b5dc8b2a4a210fe9ef97db8.pdf d9c5a3d6fceb4770ae26847db10fba26 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-26_01] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 28 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 26, 1944. (Date) Hello “Darling,” Got your two latest letters dated Jan. 12th and 15th and was very pleased to hear from you. This darn pen doesn’t hold ink so don’t blame me for it. Well “Darling,” don’t worry about making good imprint kisses and just send them. I’m thrilled with your kisses “Sweets” and wish I were there now to get some. I love you more and more all of the time and miss you more than I could write. Sometimes I just can’t seem to waite [sic] for my returning and being together again. That was thoughtful of your mother to want to put me to work. What is that word [?] any way? Ha! Ha! From your description of your folks’ new home it must be swell and I hope to see it sometime soon. Is your mother and Gloria going to answer my letters? If not I’m going to get awful mad. Well, “Darling” will close and start another V-mail. Yours always, With Lots of Love “Joe” P.S. Write real soon. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 6 9 AM 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_1944-01-26_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 1944-01-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 26, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 26, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 6, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe describes his appreciation of Agnes' affection and the lipstick imprints he hopes she will include in her letters. He also writes about his eagerness to return home to see her and how he hopes to visit her parents' new home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Lipstick 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/b48fb3a179ad6c4a58161ba1aeb949eb.pdf c9a9dbfa43375f36f5dc1b20181a297c PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c3ac9ba6ec9e6633cb9be1553c9ad104.pdf 088536ef564b13ddbaf828cde10d7c02 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-25] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 26 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 25, 1944. (Date) Hello “Sugar,” Have written you a letter explaining why I neglected to tell [text strikethrough] you of what my mother told you. I hope that when you get this letter that you will understand. I also got the two pictures and they were swell. Your “Dad” still looks like a regular go getter. Ha! Ha! I still love you as much as ever “Darling” and think of you an awful lot. Well what have you been doing lately? Have you seen any new picture shows? I haven’t been to a movie in a long time myself. I wish I could get a furlough to go home? [sic] Boy!! I’d make a bee-line for home then on up to see you. But then, I’ll have to write, won’t I? Did you hear from my folks since you got back? I didn’t hear from Ollie as yet. He’s lazy. Will close for this time Sweets and write real soon. Give my regards to everyone. Yours Always With Lots of Love & 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 FEB 3 8:30 AM 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_1944-01-25 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 1944-01-25 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 25, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 25, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 3, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to notify Agnes of the previous letter he sent discussing his prior engagement and to share his happiness in receiving her photographs. 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/8aabbf41aeed9d39185e5118da668bbc.pdf e4030077a425e3b8da234be80a943070 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/67389d24a04d01e9a13adbbca9179199.pdf a850e28ef782cb2fe171a03ac4378c21 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-24] [Page 1 - front] England January 24, 1944. Hello Darling, Rec’d two of your letters today dated Jan. 3rd and 11th and the pictures you sent which were swell. It does seem strange to get mail late and then recent letters. I’m still very pleased that you did enjoy yourself with my folks. Their always like that anyway. [sic] So, Ollie tried to pull something on you, didn’t he? I wouldn’t put it past him to try something as a joke. I also think the world of your folks and I’m not kidding any. I also hope to meet the rest of your relatives providing, I get back home again. Sometimes, I’m over anxious too. I shan’t keep you in suspence [sic] any longer “Darling” of what my mother told you. I’m glad that you did write to me about it. I did so want to tell you about [Page 1 - back] my being engaged once but didn’t want to have to write it out. What I did intend to do was to tell you about it when I got back in person. I haven’t hid anything from you and was glad my mother told you about it. This of course was only a minor detail of what I do intend to discuss with you when I get back. I believe you know what the other part is going to be from your letters and mine. Well to start off with I was engaged to be married in nineteen-forty but the girl I went with then broke the engagement and that’s the last I saw or heard of her. She is the least of my thoughts and my only interest is you. I love you as much as ever Darling, and I hope that I haven’t hurt your feelings toward me. I thought that it would be much better to tell you in person about the broken engagement, which is the truth. I hope you believe me. I want you to trust me as much as I do you but if I caused you any harm, I hope [Page 2 - front] that you will “forgive” me. It is quite hard for me to write the questions you may have in mind and wish that I could be there to answer all of your questions but I can’t and hope you never doubt me. You have not hurt my feelings towards you, and I’m very pleased you wrote about it to me. I know you will not be able to forget about it in a hurry or what your folks may think of it but I want you to have faith in me. If you should doubt of what I have written to you it would make me feel very bad and yet, I wouldn’t blame you. I hope that we can plan the future together, if not, my thoughts will be of you and will say you’ve been swell, and true to me. I don’t intend to make it a fish story and you haven’t played second fiddle, for anyone, because I’m in Love with you and you only. But that is for you to decide and you only. I want you to think it over “thoroughly” and give me your answer. I shall patiently wait for your answer although I will be in suspense. Anyway I [Page 2 - back] �want you to be free from your doubts of me. I think the world of you, “Darling” and am waiting for this mess to be over so I can go home and prove it. I don’t care if the whole world would hear me tell you these words, “I LOVE YOU.” Just think of the song, “I don’t want to Set the World on fire” which is only little of my thoughts of you. [sic] Well, “Sweets,” I’ll change the subject for I do not want to bore you. I got a V-mail from Helen and one from my brother Johnny. They also stated that they wanted to meet you and I hope you will. I had a big filling fall out of one of my molars last nite [sic] and it sure did ache. I went to the Dentist this morning and had it redrilled and filled again. It has rained some today also and it is still very muddy out. I suppose it’s quite cold out there where you are? I’d like to know the names of your Aunt and Cousin. You didn’t mention it in your letter. Did you thank your cousins for me, for sending me Christmas cards? If you didn’t young Lady, I’m liable to nip your nose providing [Page 3 - front] I could reach you. I’d think though that I’d get greedy and give you all the hugs I wrote about. How are your folks and don’t forget to give them my regards and Hello? “Darling” have you told them about my broken engagement? I’d like you to tell them, also for they should know, too. Did your mother and Gloria get the letters I sent them? Well “Darling,” how are you making out at work? I’m still waiting for your lip-stick kisses at the close of your letters, for I do want to know what it tastes like. Ha! Ha! Ain’t I awful. Will close for this time “Sweets” and will patiently wait for you to answer real soon. I still would like that lock of your beautiful hair. Would you part with just a tiny bit of it for me. I’m still very pleased that you mentioned what my mother told you and Remember “Darling,” I still love you. [sic] Yours always With Lots of Love & Kisses Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o PM, New York, N. Y. U. S. Army Free {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 JAN 26 1944 �A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 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_1944-01-24 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 1944-01-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 24, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 24, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 26, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes multiple pages to Agnes from England related to her recent visit with his parents and the news of his prior engagement. 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/ba754751130f1a73bb2577ea73c14cac.pdf 9ad1aa49a181b8729c5e7aa34385994d PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/81ae99fc9ec94420b967a9abdaa0179d.pdf cbaf2d2e4f8276e65c9a12c732bdd46e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-23_02] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 24 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 23, 1944. (Date) Hello Darling, It has been raining all day today and is it ever muddy. I’m on Charge of Quarters today and run enough to tire a horse. Got one of your old letters dated Dec. 16th tonite. [sic] I love you more than ever, “Sweets” and think of you all of the time. I sure do remember the Saturday nites we had together and wish that I was with you right now. But I guess it will be sometime in the late future. I had a few things to write about before I started writing but forgot what it was. That’s just like me, ain’t it? Have your folks moved into your new home as yet? Don’t forget to give them my regards? Well “Darling,” I must admit my brains is running out [sic] so I shall close with all my Love to You. Yours Always With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” P.S. Write real soon. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 29 11:30 AM 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_1944-01-23_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 1944-01-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 23, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 23, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 29, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes on another rainy day while he is in "Charge of Quarters" and reminisces about the Saturday nights they once spent together. 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/f9c8467c532ed7b504c65d32f5599dbb.pdf 74f6879ee4723147cc82befe75077c9a PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/91fd8931cfe70d01f5e82185b40c5a32.pdf 2433da37575ec5e93400185d5be8d7d4 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-23_01] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 24 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 23, 1944. (Date) Hello “Precious,” Today is Sunday and the sun did shine for a while but now it is raining. Went to church in town this morning and enjoyed the services very much. Got a letter from Helen tonite [sic] and everything is fine with her. She wrote about the Christmas and New Year they had. I thought a lot of you today, “Darling” and wished many times that we could have been together, so I could squeeze you and tell you how much “I love you.” Have you sent me the popular songs that were on Hit parade? I hope you will sometime “dear,” if you didn’t. I don’t know any of the new song and to tell the truth, I haven’t heard them. [sic] No radio, is the reason. “Darling,” you don’t know how much I miss you and I’m very anxious to see you again. It’s been so long hasn’t it? Will have to close now “Sweets,” with all my Love to you. Yours always With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FEB 1 1:30 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_1944-01-23_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 1944-01-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 23, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 23, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 1, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a rainy Sunday and shares his news for the day including a recent visit to church for their Sunday service and hearing from his sister Helen about her holidays back home. He also inquires about the popular songs from the Hit parade, which he misses hearing without a radio while stationed overseas. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Hit parade (Radio program) 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/80e6e34410eb4fa3677a2445db036118.pdf 8669d08fbf22349c78305703a156df18 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/762bcdd43b7a859403926de4f0c1ff45.pdf 4bc63852e02b5ee3641d244f4d785ad8 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-21] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} JAN 22 1944 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. Jan. 21, 1944. (Date) Hello “Sugar,” Didn’t get any mail today but here I am again. Today has been a swell day even though I was on guard. I thought of you most of the time and love you as much as ever. Did I tell you about going to a swimming school a while back? I passed an instructor’s course and now can teach swimming. If you want to learn how, come over anytime and I’ll make sure that all of my time will be spent with you? [sic] You might learn to swim and you may not. It all depends on me. Ha! Ha! Are you still taking your driving lessons? I’m still getting V-mails from my folks stating how much they enjoyed your visit. They also write about Venna and hope that the both of you will visit them again. I sure wish that I could visit you right now “Sweets.” I’ll have to write though. Will close “Darling,” for now and write real soon. Yours Always With Lots of Love & 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 JAN 30 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_1944-01-21 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 1944-01-21 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 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 January 21, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 30, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe shares the good news that he passed a swimming instructor course and offers to teach Agnes to swim if only she would visit him overseas. He also writes about the V-mail letters he received from his parents and how much they enjoyed meeting Agnes. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Swimming 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/b367ed1436efe4dbd0867b172568a82f.pdf 781da591e342862b70587898cb8007ba PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fe515902a7b31a87d306233957db64af.pdf c3a03f6dbe57db129cf75bd7f9026325 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-20] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 21 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 20, 1944. (Date) Hello “Dear,” Still thinking of you which isn’t unusual and it seems that I love you more each day. Got a letter from Helen today and everything is fine with her. I’ve got your picture in front of me, at present and I’m awfully tempted to give you a big hug. You look so “Sweet,” there. Well, “Darling” I’m beginning to quiet down from all of the excitement, I had from your recent letters and the one from home. Today has been a nice day although its muddy. I imagine its quite cold back there. Eh! How are your folks? Have you moved as yet? What is your home like? Did your mother get my letter? Where’s that lock of “hair”? If, I don’t get it soon, I’ll bite your ears, via-airmail. Can’t get into them hugs of yours as yet but I’m still trying. Ha! Ha! Shall close for now and write real soon. I’m on guard today isn’t that wonderful? Ha! Ha! Yours always With Lots of Love & 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 FEB 1 1:30 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_1944-01-20 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 1944-01-20 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 20, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 20, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 1, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing how he loves her more with each passing day and how sweet she looks in the photograph she sent to 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/e33b578995b63271be250514563f704e.pdf 3f9a43fc43fe73265e77d6a950018a4a PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5f8cc73da680268c086f336435ba3ca0.pdf 2826cd60d420bb5d4207f9bb1a7e8715 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-19_02] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 [?] U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 20 [?] JAN 1944 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Jan. 19, 1944 (Date) Hello “Honey,” Here’s at man again so don’t get bored. [sic] I love you very much “Darling” and miss you as much as you do me. I wish, I could get that big hug and kiss, you, wrote about. I’d be very greedy, though and take a lot more. I also have looked at your picture and hope that I didn’t scare you to death. Ha! Ha! Helen guess your size for the housecoat so I hope it was right. I’m still waiting for the other pictures you are to send “Sweets” and hope they are on the way. I’ve written most every day so I’m no doing bad, if, I do say so. Why? I’ll let you guess. Ha! Ha! Well “Darling,” I shall close with all my love to you. Write real soon. Give your folks a Hello for me. Yours always With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” P.S. I’m still very pleased about everything. {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 29 8:30 AM 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_1944-01-19_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 1944-01-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 19, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 19, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 29, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes an additional message to Agnes that day as he awaits the receipt of her photographs and misses her as much as ever. 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/be7e9c01b1234d1cd73f83d32ea71c70.pdf afccbcd1bb576250693c0f6f79888cff PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/49a7c2184b5b4f0c5234b5aaae08265f.pdf b28ab5757de1b12999a56787f562d2b4 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-19_01] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 [?] U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 20 JAN 1944 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. Jan. 19, 1944. (Date) Hello “Sweets,” Got you V-mail letter of Jan. 6 and was pleased to get it. [sic] I got a letter from Francis and wrote that she was very pleased to have met you and said she like you very much. All of my folks feel the same way and they all hope that you will go down there again sometime. They also liked Venna, so if you ever go to visit my folks, you’ll have to take her along again. Anyway “Darling,” I’m very pleased with everything and wished many times that I had been there too. I was very surprised to hear that my other sister from Buffalo was up home for a visit too. Did you meet her too? I see where I’ll have to write another V-mail. Shall close “Sweets” and start on the other one. Don’t forget young Lady that I still miss you, very much. Yours always With Love – “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 29 8:30 AM 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_1944-01-19_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 1944-01-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 19, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 19, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 29, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing the news that his family was pleased to meet her and encouraging her to visit again one day. 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/1eaf498cc4b4ab302a986398f5e7baae.pdf 1dfdfa6b2baf2b25a78a48e2d21ff9ff PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/20d617f08495ab55f4ab3fa4f5105964.pdf ade20e10fe744c9aeac18fb9028375fa PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-17] [Page 1] England January 17, 1944. {Stationary letterhead featuring the American flag and the words “ONE FLAG ONE COUNTRY} Hello “Darling,” Rec’d your letter and the picture you sent to me. It has made me very happy and I like the picture very much. If you were here now I’d give you the biggest hugs you ever got from me, not mentioning any of the kisses, I would shower you with. I’m also in suspence [sic] to get the other ones you mentioned also. I’m also glad to hear you liked the housecoat that I had Helen to get for me and send to you. You have changed a lot in comparison with the other pictures I have of you. Anyway “Darling” it makes me want to see you all the more and I’m not kidding. [Page 2] I’ll have to cut the picture some to get it in my pocket holder. This way, I’ll always have it on me, to look at when I’m feeling lonely and blue. I also hope that you got the pictures I sent but I don’t think I changed any or as much as you’d think. You’ve got me so nervous “Darling” sending that picture that I can hardly write. Now see what you have done to me? After, all “Sweets,” I’m entitled to look at your picture while writing for its been so darn long that I saw you last that at times I’m very impatient. What do you think of that? I couldn’t very well get inside of those hugs you sent so I’m kinda disappointed. Ha! Ha! [Page 3] Helen described the housecoat she got to me so I knew the color of it but was waiting to hear when you got it. I must have read your mind again dear when you thought of getting one. Ha! Ha! By the way, how tall are you now “Sweets”? If you have grown more than 5’8”, I’ll have to cut you down to be an inch shorter than me. Ha! Ha! Aint, I mean? I suppose the coat you have on in the picture is the new one you wrote about sometime ago. Where’s that pan-cake hat? Ha! Ha! Don’t mind me “Darling” I’m trying to be funny? I’m still waiting for your letter about visiting my folks and expect it to be here within a couple of days. Your boss was very kind to let you off early to catch that train. Tell him, I’ll buy [Page 4] him a cigar when I get back. Well “Sweets,” I will close for this time with all my Love to you. Write real soon and as often as you can. Yours always, With Loads of Love & Kisses �“Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. I’ve written quite a few V-mails to you and hope you get all of them. Give my regards to your folks. ()()()()()()()()()() The hugs are small but they’ll have to do till I get back. Ha! Ha! [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army Free {Signature accent mark} {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 JAN 20 1944 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 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_1944-01-17 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 1944-01-17 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 17, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 17, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 20, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from England after receiving a new letter and photograph from her and notes how she has changed since he last saw her. 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/c5d727357704c5ffdae0776a44582142.pdf cac1a5c784e08f4f51aa85fa7b160f24 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/080aa5c56a05eb6225a931384aaf5f92.pdf ecede81900aa77b54beb135c6d31279e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-16] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 18 JAN 1944 A.S.N. 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. Jan. 16, 1944. (Date) Hello “Sweets,” Today is Sunday and what a pleasant day. Wish you were here to enjoy it with me. I hope by now that you got the 2 pictures I sent you. What do you think of them? I’m still waiting for the pictures you are going to send and I hope they are on the way. Well, “Darling” what have you been doing today? I haven’t done anything special except to think of you and that isn’t unusual with me. No mail came in but I should hear from you tomorrow. How do I know? Well, young lady, I have it all figured out. Ha! Ha! I still miss you as much as ever and hope it’s the same with you. I suppose your mother and Gloria were surprised to hear from me. Are you jealous? You shouldn’t be. Ha! Ha! Well “Sweets” I will close until tomorrow. Yours Always, With Loads of KISSES “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. Write as often as you can. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 25 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_1944-01-16 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 1944-01-16 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 16, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 16, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 25, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a pleasant Sunday overseas as he awaits another letter from her and the photographs she promised to send. 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/2c8072a630b92676177386814c786777.pdf 2e90cda1b0991924f7c503f27cc3277b PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c8560ae1e88e9ec8c5a6e5d9fbe1ae7a.pdf e08314e912cfc4596767f1f178f95cce PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-15] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 18 JAN 1944 A.S.N. 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. Jan. 15, 1944. (Date) Hello “Honey,” Everyone has gone out somewhere and I’m by my lonesome thinking of you. As, I set here memories of Saturday nites, with you, rush through my mind. [sic] I can bring back all of that in a few minutes but yet that was so long ago. I keep wishing that you were here just for a little while to give you a big hug. I still love very much “Darling” and miss you a plenty. Both of us will have to wait patiently for my return and it seems that at times I can hardly wait for that day to come. Don’t you? This reminds me of a song which was popular a while back. The song is “Wishing.” Remember it. This darn pen gets on my nerves at times so don’t criticize [?] the writing. Ha! Ha! Well “Precious” I shall close, thinking of you always. Please write real soon. Give my regards to your folks. Yours Always, With Lots of LOVE and KISSES “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 25 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_1944-01-15 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 1944-01-15 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 15, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 15, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 25, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes while reminiscing about their time together and reminding Agnes that they will need to be patient for his return back home to the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail Music--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/060fb8df47c30b8b490a277955b6bf8a.pdf ea8e02dbbcf4757739d5f96d89a62285 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cf1900a264beb9352a98b28135607281.pdf 2d3f181c5fc949210e625ab88356f1d2 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-14] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 17 JAN 1944 A.S.N. 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. Jan. 14, 1944. (Date) Hello “Darling,” Today has been a beautiful day and what a treat to have the sunshine? I feel much better today for I went to bed just after writing you a V-mail last nite. [sic] Well, “Sweets,” what have you been doing today? Write and tell me all about it. I thought of you most of the time today and couldn’t you just feel all the hugs I gave you. You say you didn’t, well my “dear,” then you will have to come over here. Have you ever heard the song “You’ll Never Know”? If you have just hum it and think of me. I love you and miss you very much “Darling” and am waiting for the day we shall be back together again. Well “Gorgeous” I will close for this time with all my love to you. Yours always, With Lots of KISSES “Joe” P.S. Write soon. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 25 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_1944-01-14 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 1944-01-14 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 14, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 14, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 25, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes as he enjoys a beautiful sunny day overseas and discusses the song "You'll Never Know" as a means to keep him in her thoughts. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail Music--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/494f46dba2474f78fe83eda0b8e25512.pdf 508fa749b68778c5f8bb913c91435b69 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5f4eeadf10ea0aad1be82f38f9e8eb56.pdf 820ac43b6e6f1ba27e71ecb41a833e0d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-13] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 14 JAN 1944 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Jan. 13, 1944. (Date) Hello “Honey,” Just got back from the show. I saw “My Heart belongs to Daddy,” which was a very good picture. I got a V-mail from home dated Dec. 27 from my sister and I guess she’s just as excited to meet you, as you were of meeting her. I have a headache tonite [sic] so don’t blame me if, I can’t write an interesting letter. I should get your letter this Monday if you wrote one after getting back from visiting my [text strikethrough] folks. I miss you very much “Darling” and love you very much. Did you get the pictures I sent you? I hope you did? How are your folks? Give them my regards. Well “Sugar” I shall have to close for now because I can not think very well with my head buzzing. Write real soon. Yours Always, With Lots of LOVE and KISSES “Joe” P.S. It always does “buzz” when I think of YOU. Ha! Ha! {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 23 12 M 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_1944-01-13 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 1944-01-13 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 13, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 13, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 23, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes while having a headache and informs her of the most recent news including the film he saw called "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail 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/d6b58fcb4db599e65f1a0f8e3e6dd54f.pdf 9b2282563f982714cf116e388ddc352e PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9a52b04791646c56874411d3c7b35763.pdf 2da29ee210ac1ea5ff763ac9f49f76fc PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-12] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 13 JAN 1944 A.S.N. 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York Jan. 12, 1944. (Date) Hello “Precious,” Just got back from the barber where I got my usual haircut. Believe it or not, it’s quite short. Ha! Ha! Well “Darling,” how was your work today? Fine, I hope. It’s the same routine day in and day out here, with me which isn’t unusual. Although, it is the same, I still miss [text strikethrough] you and think of you often. I wish you were here now. I’d sure squeeze you and I don’t think I’d let go either. How’s that? Ha! Ha! Why, don’t I hurry and come home? “EH”!! I haven’t gotten any mail in 3 days now which isn’t unusual. So hurry, up and write. Ain’t I mean “Sweets”? Shall close for this time “Darling” with all of my love to you. Don’t forget to write and I hope you sent out some pictures? Yours Always, With Loads of Kisses “Joe” P.S. Did you? �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 21 12 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_1944-01-12 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 1944-01-12 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 12, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 12, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 21, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes after returning from a visit to the barber and shares how his work days are the same day after day, but he still thinks of her often. 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/2bd8a4d80926398b58186c1654981fda.pdf 9c68a6f97b7ef1a574f23ed537c5f98d PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b9660baaa63c7128e938e1b9233e11c5.pdf fed1ad2f2ca3d348622013b7e2d5ef0b PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-01-11] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 12 JAN 1944 (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. Jan. 11, 1944. (Date) Hello “Honey,” Got a Christmas card from one of your cousin’s today. Couldn’t make out the last name although the address was 640 High St. S.W. You can thank her for me and tell her I appreciate it very much. It rained quite a lot today and we spent most of the day indoors. I love you as much as ever “Darling” and that’s a lot. I also miss you very much and hope that we will be able to see each other soon. I just can’t waite [sic] to hear from you about visiting my folks which makes me very impatient. How are your folks, these days? Give them a Hello for me. Would you be so kind as to let me know what “popular songs” are on the Hit parade, “Sweets”? Now, don’t forget? Will close for now “Darling” until tomorrow. Write as much as you can. Yours Always, With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. Did you send me the pictures, as yet? I hope so. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 19 12 M 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_1944-01-11 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 1944-01-11 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 11, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 11, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 19, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes and shares his excitement in finally hearing the news of her meeting his parents and wonders what popluar songs are on the hit parade at the time. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail Hit parade (Radio program) 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