483 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/501c78cbd215734a54ea3edf51c0c8d5.pdf 7a614f6b31fe277db343a5c04f528c7d PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/112fb37a2952dff669aacf987abdcdee.pdf 875dd85b4245eb703995436ae15fb40e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-08-24] [Page 1] England Aug. 24, 1944. Hello Darling, Didn’t receive any mail from you today and I’m a little disappointed. However, I expect to get some from you tomorrow. Well “Darling,” I thought of you all day today even though I worked plenty hard. I thought of the Honeymoon that we are planning on and that we were all alone be very happy. [sic] Gee!! “Sugar,” it’s swell to think of it and I’m very anxious to spend it when I get back, with swellest girl in the world. [sic] I still miss you [Page 2] terribly “Sweets” and love you more and more each day. I often think of the swell times we spent together and wish I could be with you again, so we could have many more. Are you getting any of my late mail? I hope so because I miss your letters very much when I don’t get them. I’m coming along fine “Darling” and expect to be on my way back to my outfit in a week. Someday I may get a break but when that will be I really don’t have the slightest idea. I went [Page 3] to a movie the other nite [sic] and saw the picture “Thousands Cheer”. It is really a good picture. Have you seen it? I also saw the picture you mention called the “Cross of Lorraine.” War pictures are boring to me though whether they are good or fair. I just came back from taking a shower and must say, I feel a lot fresher. Why if you were here now I’d take all of those hugs and kisses you wrote about and ask for more. I must feel good. Ha! Ha! I’m just in the mood to tease tonite [sic] and if I could only bite your ears right now [Page 4] everything would be wonderful. I don’t think I’d ever let up holding you close to me. What do you think of that? Did you have a good day at work? I’d love to be behind a big box somewhere in that store and when you would pass by it, I’d jump out at you. Gee!! That would be swell. Haven’t much more to write so will close with all my love to you. Always yours With Loads of Hugs & Kisses, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Got a letter from my brother Johnny last nite. [sic] Didn’t hear from him in ages. �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. K, Det. of Patients 4167 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. 514-A c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 514 AUG 2[?] 1944 A.P.O. VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 10087 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER � 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_1944-08-24 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 1944-08-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 24, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 24, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated circa August 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes with great excitement as he daydreams of their future honeymoon and as he approaches his final week of recovery in the hospital. He also mentions the most recent films he has seen including "Thousands Cheer" and "The Cross of Lorraine." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Honeymoons 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/ffb921634c4e749151b6bfed021c4d27.pdf aa36fb91cbdd54ca2e215fb39cf221e9 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4bb015113a771ce23199f85481629b59.pdf c9daef5d0c8617e930c1042d10f964e3 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-08-26] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. August 26, 1942 Hello Sweet, Rec’d both of your air-mail letters today and was glad to hear from you. Your letters as a matter of fact are the only ones I got so far. I’m still getting along fine and in good health. Hope you are the same? I had written to you about 3 days after I arrived and mail coming across or over will be kinda slow. I also wrote to my folks to let them know that I’m O.K. {“Cpl. Joe Olexa” written on bottom of page} [Page 2] I went to London for a visit and it was enjoying. [sic] It’s much different from New York although it has very many historical sights. I went to see the London tower, the big Zoo, Westminster Abbey, and a good view of the Buckingham Palace. The steering apparatus on the cars here are on the right side and they drive on the opposite side than what we do. Although London has been bombed in the past, it is cleaned up and things keep going as usual. They also have the subways which will take you most anywhere just as in New York. The English people are swell {“Cpl. Olexa” written on bottom of page} [Page 3] and have a great morale. I found it kinda hard to get used to English money at first and I now know it quite well. �I still think of you and miss you also. Maybe someday we will see each other again. Well “honey,” I haven’t much to write so I will close and in the meantime will be waiting to hear from you again. Sincerely Yours, With Lots of Love Joe P.S. Your air mail letters get here a lot faster of course. Give the folks my best regards. I guess Gloria was just trying to be sick to get out of work, don’t you [think]? You can tell her I’m a little farther away now and that she will be able to write. Ha! Ha! {“Cpl. Joe Olexa” written on bottom of page} [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE AUG 27 1942 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. PASSED BY US 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] � 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_1942-08-26 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-08-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 26, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 26, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated August 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving two of her Air Mail letters, and shares his recent travels around London to many of the famous historical sights, in addition to his overall reflections on being stationed in England. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Air mail service Great Britain 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/ace74a6789edb1d77b1d2022d561f7be.pdf c531c0d434e6b4a8449577d1edcd835c PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d5c7a128b403f0b8652868603c8b63d5.pdf 4217850fec3872c3d04a0373fc8d2a9e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-08-28] [Page 1] England Aug. 28, 1944. My Dearest “Darling,” Have been thinking of you as usual and wish I could be with you once again. I still love you as ever “Darling” and miss you terribly. I’m fine and hope it’s the same with you, “Sweets.” Well, how is everything with my wife to be? Has she been thinking of me too? If she hasn’t, I’m going to be disappointed and bite her ears, to get even. Ha! Ha! I long to be with you “Darling” and can hardly waite [sic] for the day to come when we shall be able to plan our future and live a happy and enjoyable life. [Page 2] It’s grand to have a swell girl like you back home and how fortunate I am, I must admit. I want to make you very happy ‘Darling” and I shall try my best in doing so. When I get back “Sweets,” you’ll have to help me live down the life I’ve had over here. Sometimes I get very disgusted mean and what have you. [sic] This is going to be my biggest problem and I know you shall help me to live in happiness. Won’t you “Darling”? If anything were to happen to you, I don’t know what I would do because you mean so much to me. [Page 3] But I’m not discouraged because I shall return someday. Of course, we have to be patient till that wonderful day arrives and then we shall be the happiest couple in the world. I haven’t heard from you all last week and how I miss your lovely letters. I hope to hear from you today though and that’s going to be swell. I still haven’t received your packages “Precious” and just hoping that they will reach me O.K. I sure could go for the swell cookies you make and I’m very pleased. I shall be leaving here very soon and I shall let you know when to write to me. I’d rather waite [sic] and have you letters sent to one place instead [Page 4] of them going here and there. However, I shall keep writing till I get to where I’m supposed to stay. I shall never forget you “Darling” because there is only enough room for you in my heart. Did you receive the money I’ve sent you? If you want anything it’s yours to use and I’ll mark it down as a small part of the wedding present I shall get you. So, don’t be afraid to use the money if you want to. Well “Sugar” I shall close with oceans of love to my “Precious Darling” I miss so much. Always Yours, With Loads of Hugs & Kisses “Joe” �{Signature accent mark} {Hand-drawn symbols for hugs and kisses} [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. K, Det. of Patients 4167 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. 514-A c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 514 AUG 31 1944 A.P.O. VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 10087 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] � 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_1944-08-28 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 1944-08-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 28, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 28, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 31, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to his future "wife to be" as he looks forward to their future together and while hoping that Agnes can help him to live in happiness once again after fighting in the war. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters 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/fa8c9b59d50383f403011ad1568ce172.pdf cef61786bc04aa46770acc1e9ae25a78 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7da2ffff73e801ba5bb77020fd7ad6e4.pdf 029350c9c7465b4061fb920535d2f264 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1946-08-28] [Page 1] August 28, 1946. Hello Hon, Writing to let you know everything is O.K. here and hope it’s the same with you. I’m kinda tired when I get home and go to bed early. We only worked to 4 o’clock today and I went looking for parts to fix the car. I got two parts but need another one. Well, how is the canning coming along. Got enough to last all winter? I may not work Saturday because work is slack but may work then anyhow but if I don’t I’ll breeze up there Friday night. Tomorrow, I’ll have to work on my car. [Page 2] No mail as yet for us but Nell got one from Cal. It’s been raining practically all day today. I miss your cooking at nites [sic] when I get home so that’s something ain’t it. Ha! Ha! I got a good start at “Bach-en it” anyway. I go out every nite with Blondes. [sic] Well, Darling I miss you a lot so don’t worry. I haven’t been able to get them boards for Dad because the company won’t sell them. I’ll try elsewhere to see if I can get them. How is everyone at the store. Give them my regards. I’ll bet they wanted you to start working right away. I’m not far wrong [Page 3] am I? Ha! Ha! Little Birdie told me. I’ve already made out my claim for furlough pay and will send it out tomorrow. If I figure right we’ll get around $500 dollars but I don’t know what the government is paying. How is Mother and the rest of the kids. Give them my regards. Ollie is still in the hospital and I haven’t been down to see him as yet. Maybe I’ll go Friday if I work Saturday. About the new car we weren’t lucky. But one women won two cars so it must have been the one we were supposed to get. Well, it was a good try and we may have better luck next time. Did you see about my watch? I sure [Page 4] wish it was fixed. Well, I guess I close and hit the hay. [sic] Bye for now. All my Love. Your Hubby, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Nice Letter Eh! Didn’t know I could do it. [Envelope front] �Joe Olexa 1190 Reed Pl. [?] Detroit, 2 Mich. {Postmark} DETROIT MICH. 8 AUG 29 9:30 PM 1946 Mrs. Joe Olexa c/o Ben [?] Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. � 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_1946-08-28 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 1946-08-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 28, 1946 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 28, 1946. The envelope is sent from 1190 Reed Pl., Detroit, Michigan, dated August 29, 1946. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes letting her know that all is well while he is away for work and hopes she is the same at her job. He also writes how he misses her and her cooking and gives his regards to her family back in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Furloughs 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/287304a32691c74abc7878a11c3dd03b.pdf 7d94d7cb6a165343f2c3e6d9ec178745 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/975eecd440cbb4b17ff3a57e9a08dc61.pdf 93fc81c72a62d20468c346854e73bcbc PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-08-29] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY U.S. 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. 12016893 Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster, N.Y.C. U.S. Army August 29, 1942 (Date) Hello Honey, Here I am again and still thinking of you. I’m fine as usual and hope you are the same. I have received both of your air-mail letters and was tickled to get them. They are the first that I got since I got here. How are you getting along now days, sweet? [sic] I can’t complain for things in general are O.K. for me. I still miss you sweet and think of you often. So, the kids have a paper route. Well at least they will have money for themselves. Yes, air mail is much faster and you can send it that way if you want to. I have written to all of my folks and hope they will get my letters. I told you Ollie was kinda lazy, so now I got one on you. Ha! Ha! How is Gloria and your folks? Give them my best regards and tell them I’m the same. Well, Honey, I shall close hoping to hear from you again soon. Sincerely yours, With Lots of Love Joe {V-MAIL stationery footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. SEP 7 [?] 5:30 PM 1942 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-08-29 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 1942-08-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 29, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 29, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated September 7, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes expressing his appreciation for the recent Air Mail letters he received from her while stationed in England, in addition to how much he misses and thinks of Agnes each day. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Air mail service 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/cf97c7a2470484a9109d7d93603c925c.pdf 497ed5124e262eb20baf51a794b28708 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bf4f81543bc9db18ffc03978b04f448d.pdf 8937156b965a3b32d4c634282846adf4 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-08-30] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] No. 352367 {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY U.S. 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. 12016893 Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster, N.Y.C. U.S. Army August 30, 1942 (Date) Hello Sweets, Received your third air mail letter and was very glad to hear from you again. I’m fine as usual, “sweets,” and hope you are the same. Everything is going along swell so I can’t complain. I haven’t heard from home as yet, but hope to soon. So, Gloria is going on another vacation. She’s lucky, ain’t she? What is she trying to do, “Honey,” flatter me by saying she is going to write? I’ll bet she don’t? [sic] Roy comes around quite often but I don’t know whether he writes to Carolyn or not. I still miss you sweet and think of you often. I also like the picture “Sergeant York,” anyway, I don’t go to a movie unless it is a good one. Ha! Ha! Have you visited Eileen and her folks? When you do, don’t forget to give them my regards. Well, “Honey” I shall close and hope to hear from you real soon. Give your folks my best regards. Sincerely Yours, With Lots of Love Joe �{Signature accent mark} P.S. If Gloria does write, I’ll faint. {V-MAIL stationery footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. SEP 8 11:30 PM 1942 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-08-30 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 1942-08-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 30, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 30, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated September 8, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes after receiving her third Air Mail letter, hoping for her continued well-being and his best regards for her parents back home. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Air mail service 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/0d42615654998115df71d3b2b3055e6a.pdf 0a16ea4c73a10ed54fcd07f28e77f677 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3fb1f0a3616cf39f40e98669103ac2ba.pdf 102c936564221671ea25e49743b54d4d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-30] [Page 1] Sicily August 30, 1943 Hello Darling, Haven’t heard from you in over a week and it seems like ages. I shall probably get them all together. I’m fine as usual “Sweets” and hope you are the same. I still miss you as much as ever and think of you most of the time. I got a letter from Helen the other day telling me about my mother visiting her. I suppose by now that your folks are now living in Grand Rapids. It’s only a three-hour ride by train from Detroit and I hope that, when, I get back home, we can be together more often. [sic] I haven’t seen Roy in three days and plan to go over to see him today. We are having movies every nite. [sic] Some of the pictures [Page 2] are old ones but good. Some of the pictures we saw so far are “My Favorite Wife,” “The Navy Comes Through,” “Hudson Bay,” and a few others. Tonite [sic] I think we are going to see “White Cargo.” I just came back from church services and heard a good sermon. I couldn’t sing though, for I’m hoarse from yelling too much at a ball game. Our team won so it was worth it. How are the Walsh’s and the rest? If you get to see them, don’t forget to give them my best regards. We are now having the usual training to keep us fit and in shape. Where we are going from here and when is beyond me. When, I get home, I’m going to have plenty things to talk about with you and it ain’t going to be about the war either. Just keeping you in suspence. [sic] Ha! Ha! [Page 3] I guess you are disappointed in me not going back to the States as Roy wrote to Carolyn. Whatever made him write that is beyond me? I nearly forgot to tell you that “Bob Hope” and Frances Langford were here and put on a pretty good show. Bob Hope sure gave a lot of wise cracks and jokes you could take in two ways. Well, it was a surprise to me of them coming here for it’s the first time that we got to see any radio or movie stars. It has been a long time since I left the States for overseas duty and its going on 14 months since I saw you last. Someday soon, I hope to make good the last time. Ha! Ha! That’s if you haven’t found another boyfriend. I may be very jealous you know. I’m sending you some more Italian paper [Page 4] money. One is a 5 lira [?] note and the other 2 liras [?]. Worth 7 cents in American money. I certainly surprised myself by writing a long letter and hope you didn’t faint. Will close for this time “Honey” and write real soon. Yours Always, �With Lots of Love & Kisses Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t forget to send me some more pictures. � 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_1943-08-30 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 1943-08-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 30, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 30, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in Sicily and covers numerous topics including the most recent news from their families back home in Michigan, the latest movies he has seen, and the entertaining show Bob Hope and Frances Langford put on for the troops. He also writes that he has been stationed overseas for the past fourteen months and missing Agnes every moment of their time apart. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) Motion pictures--1940-1950 Hope, Bob, 1903-2003 Langford, Frances 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/10e36137accee88f308ffbc7c883b2a3.pdf 94e2932e91f5f4d8e044c1540004d38d PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5f565f9cf06d28fcddc3c468b62991a8.pdf 9f9df2190f8aa0b07d29a171583403f1 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-08-30] [Page 1] England Aug. 30, 1944. Hello Precious, Got three of your letters last nite [sic] and was very pleased to hear from you again. Your last letter took only 6 days to reach me. I love you as much as ever “Darling” and keep longing to be with you again. Oh! Happy day when it does come? I sure will be able to collect all of those kisses and hugs I’ve missed and that’s going to be swell. Gee!! Darling, I wish you were here right now so I could hold you close to me. I don’t think that I would ever let you loose. Ain’t I awful? Ha! Ha! [Page 2] I also think of the home we are going to have “Darling” and won’t it be grand when we can live in it? I shall be very happy with you “Honey” and I can hardly waite. [sic] I hope you are getting my mail regularly again but if you don’t hear from me the letter is still on its way. I enjoy reading your lovable letters “Darling” and miss them when they are late reaching me. I did not receive that picture of you and the pup or your mother’s letter. I hope that they will reach me sometime soon. When I read about you being the Donkey, I was tickled because Ollie always cheats and I sure did grin from ear to ear. I have not seen the picture [Page 3] White Cliffs of Dover as yet but hope to soon. I’m still worried about that package of yours with the watch and pen in it. I sure could use them and will be disappointed if I don’t get them. I’ve got two kinds of ink to write with and don’t think something is wrong. Ha! Ha! I don’t know what made me write the date 1942. I must be absent-minded. Ha! Ha! But I was thinking of you when I wrote that letter so can you have your own conclusions. Well, “Darling” you can send me as many cookies as you like and promise to eat all of them. [Page 4] They’re swell and I can’t waite [sic] to have some of them when they are just warm. I did not get that card you sent me from Grand Haven. Where is that place or is it a beach? I’m as good as ever “Darling” and in good health. I am leaving here tomorrow and shall be on my way to my old outfit. Remember not to write till I tell you so. Your kisses are still grand “Darling” and I shall never get tired of them. I can’t waite [sic] to take some of the lipstick from your lips like I did a long time ago. Remember? Will close with all my love. Yours forever, Joe {Signature accent mark} �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. K, Det. of Patients 4167 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. 514-A c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 514 SEP 6 1944 A.P.O. VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 10087 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] � 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_1944-08-30 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 1944-08-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 30, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 30, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated September 6, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes as he looks forward to their future home together, in addition to receiving the package she sent with a watch and pen inside and the card from Grand Haven, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Grand Haven (Mich.) 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/c7f91c1f6e47a6e76bc05735aee36fa8.pdf d8fa83c37efe13060bf13aa2b667ee3f PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/adc9f9a8131c80245daf356f70b7da69.pdf a465a29ab78b7c43194e05efc07c4c5d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-08-07] [Page 1] England August 7, 1944. Dearest “Darling,” Have been thinking of you a lot today and sure wish I could be with you for a little while. Gosh! Darling I keep daydreaming so much of our future that I’m beginning to believe it’s true. I still miss you very much “Darling” and I can hardly waite [sic] to get back so we can be together again. My love for you “Sweets” keep going on and on and glowing brighter every day. If you were here now I could hold you in my arms for[Page 2] ever. I keep thinking of the swell times I have spent with you and when I get back, we shall better times going anywhere you may want to go. Well “Darling,” I went to town yesterday on pass and as I walked about I imagined that you were with me and what a wonderful time it was to think of you in a park with many fragrant smelling flowers and a stream filled with boats which were zig-zagging around. I’m sending you a clipping I thought was interesting and another one of “Sad Sack.” I [Page 3] still haven’t rec’d much mail from you “Darling” since the first bunch that reached me and I’m very anxious to get some more of your wonderful letters. It’s lovely out today with the sun shining so I can’t help but think of you. Gee!! “Darling,” I want to see you ever so much and keep wondering how long it shall be till I do. I’ve spent the longest two years of my life overseas and I don’t mind saying it is like ten. Well, “Darling,” what have you been doing today? Thinking of us? I hope? If you haven’t I’ll have [Page 4] to call you a real big meanie. What do you think of that? Ha! Ha! I got a letter from my best buddie who is in the Pacific and it sure was good to hear from him again. I sure would like to have him as best man when we get married and hope he is back to attend. Will have to close for now Sweets with all my love to a swell girl as you. Yours forever, With Loads of hugs and kisses {symbols} Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t forget to write real, real soon and in the meantime my thoughts will be of “you.” �[Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “K,” Det. of Patients 4167 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O.-514-A c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 514 AUG 10 1944 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 10087 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] � 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_1944-08-07 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 1944-08-07 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 7, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 7, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K,"Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 10, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while daydreaming of their future together and thinking of her on a lovely sunny day. He also writes with news regarding his good friend in the Pacific, whom he hopes to have as his best man at their wedding one day. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Sad Sack Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/82860fe109f1167d0f786df9fd26129a.pdf e71f96e168e00fed89a63b5cbc04bbfb PDF Text Text �������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/19932469feca41f377b685fa92b0c265.pdf eeeb00124f94e71b2bb2a63162034d5d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-09] [Page 1 - front] Sicily August 9, 1943 Hello Sweets, Back again with the outfit and still in good health. As I had written I was on detached service with the Navy and on the water most of the time. So you see I didn’t have much time to write. I did manage to write you a few letters around the 18th of July. I got 14 of your letters besides a lot of others. I sure did enjoy reading them. I always look forward in getting your letters. I wish that I could write more than [Page 1 - back] I do but it can’t be helped. If I had a job like Roy’s where he doesn’t do much, I’d write you just as much as he does. Oh! Well no use crying about it. He’s just fortunate. I really do miss you also and I often think of you. You shouldn’t be so doubtful of me though. Well, I wish I were there to prove it. Well, I sure got a lot of surprises reading all of the different mail. First of all is that you got your job, you’re [sic] folks moving to Michigan, Ollie waiting for introduction, Johnny [Page 2 - front] getting married and so on. I was working on the souvenir that I was going to send you yesterday and broke it. Boy! I never knew I could swear so much. It was a piece of vision glass from a German plane. I was making a letter opener out of it and the blade broke off near the handle. It was going to be a surprise but now I’ll have to wait to get me another piece. I did manage to make a good sized heart out of another piece but haven’t finished it yet. Roy sure had all the time [Page 2 - back] in the world to send Carolyn souvenirs. Its just the opposite with me. My job on detached service was to mark the beaches for the troops on the invasion. We had to swim about 900 feet from a rubber boat to the beach and mark it with a flash light [sic] till the troops landed. Our job was very successful but dangerous and when the beach was marked and we were going back in the rubber boat we were machine-gunned. The bullets flew all over but none of us were hit. We were the first ones on the beach of Sicily. Not bad Eh! [Page 3 - front] That was my job and it was completed to the “T.” The Lord was with me then and he is always. I don’t worry none for everything will turn out alright keeping my faith in God. I guess the only time I’ll get to go home is after the war. At least it looks that way. But I shan’t forget you “Sweets” and if it wasn’t for your mail, I don’t know what I’d do. If you ever get the chance to go to Detroit look up my folks and you won’t be sorry, none. They’ll sure be glad to meet you. �[Page 3 - back] Well, I’ve been overseas a year and seven days. Boy that’s a long time when a man stops to think. I also thought of you on the 4th even though I was on a ship. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my best regards. Have you visited the Walsh’s? How are they? How is Beasie and the rest? Well how is Gloria taking it since her flirt went away or did she forget about him already? Ha! Ha! As for picture I have none, haven’t taken any since the 4th I spent with you. If I’m lucky enough some day I’ll probably take some when the chance occurs. [Page 4] Was glad to hear you got so many graduation gifts. I still haven’t forgotten about it and as I say I’m going to deliver it in person. Stubborn you know? Ha! Ha! Your Mother and Dad beat me to the punch again getting you what I had in mind. Next time this happens, I’m going to start a “feud.” Well “Sweets” I shall close for this time and write soon. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE AUG 14 1943 A.P.O. 1 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. �ARMY EXAMINER � 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/. 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 1943-08-09 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 9, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 9, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 14, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes from the Mediterranean island of Sicily and describes his job while on detached service with the Navy. He also describes his excitement in receiving fourteen of Agnes' letters and the many surprises written within them including her new job and her parents move to Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) United States. Navy--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/a657b495703c436dddfd07e88ef99ef1.pdf 293418fbe9c5080fbe5cdbf6fac82f67 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/606711c004f66d5997d4baa42761c99d.pdf 0a8ba98faa05a5ac59baf92ca0297cd0 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-10] [Page 1] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. December 10, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter today and was glad to hear from you. Most of the boys went on furlough today and since there are not many here at present, we don’t have much to do. Us boys don’t take the war situation too hard and we are ready to leave when told. All we can do at present is to keep our chin up. How long we will remain in Fort Devens will be a question. I’m still undecided whether I should go home or stay here. My wish was that if I was away from home when war was declared, I wouldn’t go home. If I did go home it would be hard on myself, as well as my folks. I have no worries and one life to live so I’m going to make the best of it. [Page 2] I’ve been away from home a long time so I believe my folks will not take this situation so hard. If I do go on furlough, I’ll spend my time with a few friends that I know. Well, that’s all about my little troubles at present and I’ve won my bet with you so pay up. Ha! Ha! I knew Roy’s folks were writing to Carolyn and her mother but Roy had a hard time to have his folks write to them. I shall try to be down this Saturday providing I am not on duty or Guard. No civilians are allowed to come on the Post, since we are at war. I even have to get a special pass to leave the Post myself, so you see the Army is getting strict. So, you gave me a ring by telephone! I might believe it and I may not. Ha! Ha! Yes, I got your last letter and card while in Carolina but I was quite busy believe it or not, and didn’t have time to write. [Page 3] �{Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Punchy went home today on furlough and I believe he has graduated from smelling furniture. I have heard from my brother at College [sic] and expect a letter from home and sisters sometime this week. My, it’s too bad that Gloria and Charlie are on the outs. I’ll bet she still likes him but won’t admit it. I did hear Pres. Roosevelt’s speech Monday and most of us were sure that he would ask for a declaration of war. All of the boys have to be back by the 2nd of January and I believe we will do a lot of training. How are your marks in school? I hope they’re all zero’s, just to be mean. I am trying to make this letter a little longer but you know, I’m running out of brains again. [Page 4] Will close and write when you can. Give my regards to the folks. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} Just thought of a few riddles. Can you answer them? P.S. 1. How far can a man go into the woods? 2. If a man had a hay field with 3 ⅓ hay stacks in one corner and 4 16/17 hay stacks in the other corner? How many hay stacks would he have if he put them all together? 3. If a lot of trees are a forest! What is a single tree? 4. A man had a fox, a goose and a bushel of corn. He came to a river and had to take them across by a boat one at a time. How did he do this without the fox eating the goose or the goose eating the corn? [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER DEC 11 11:00 AM 1941 �MASS. {Postmark} - partially illegible FORT [DEVENS] STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � 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_1941-12-10 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 1941-12-10 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 10, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 10, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 11, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while most of "the boys" are out on furlough, questioning how long they will be stationed at Fort Devens, and wondering about a potential declaration of war during President Roosevelt's recent speech. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) United States. President (1933-1945 : Roosevelt) 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/a7abaf9d4946c4c5d2799af4e092ed7a.pdf 5dda7271c0097b1353cc80bc01e6429f PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/284a5898e73bb7d2863a1a21824f3e76.pdf 01d4b6828f1ba610672e12e2de67f2c3 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-12] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 14 DEC 1943 From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Dec. 12, 1943. (Date) England Hello “Darling,” Wish I would get some mail from you pretty soon. I guess the mail is being held up for Christmas. I still miss you as much as ever and love you more and more, each day. I’m just longing for the day, when we shall be together again. [sic] When that will be is beyond me but I hope it will be soon. Couldn’t keep up that one letter a day, for I rattled my brains too much. Ha! Ha! That’s a quick way to go crazy, though. Ha! Ha! I’m lucky to have saved some of your latest letters and have read them about 10 times a piece, to keep up what morale and patience [?] I do have. How are your folks? Give them a Hello for me? Will close and write real soon. 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 NO. 1 DEC 24 12 - PM 1943 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_1943-12-12 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 1943-12-12 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 12, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 12, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 24, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes from England while hoping to receive another letter from her during the holiday season. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail England 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/9bece06d772e9ff4791b17dc79426eca.pdf cd6f3710a7a396c7b2d058c6c02f4368 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fa274ab5794e852de9dc1b09430ff5da.pdf 37d5aeac9693dffeba4c4d4b52fe0c73 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-13] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 18 [?] DEC 1943 From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Dec. 13, 1943. (Date) Hello “Sweets,” No mail as yet from you and hope some gets here soon. I’m fine as usual and love you as much as ever. I’m going to send you something in the near future and hope it turns out O.K. I hope this will keep you in suspence [sic], “Sweets.” Ha! Ha! “Ain’t I a meanie”? Haven’t had any mail lately and my morale is in the dumps. Wish you were here to bring it up for me. I’ll give you a big hug anway. oooo oooooo. “How’s at”? Ha! Ha! [sic] How are your folks and the rest? Give them my regards. Well, “Darling” I will close for this time and hope to hear from you real soon. Yours Always, With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. WRITE SOON. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DEC 27 8 AM 1943 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_1943-12-13 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 1943-12-13 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 13, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 13, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 27, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes letting her know he misses her and her letters and confides that his morale has been down while stationed overseas. 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/7fdccc32c5be6ec8adf0b05db1ca2d33.pdf 0fc8e45e7d165cca21fdd9c0e945b905 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/845543e35474c99068ae684b7baf8392.pdf 488ee55ecc576aa71007e074d33e5999 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-14] [Page 1] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. Dec. 14, 1941 Dear Agnes, I am so sorry that I could not get away from the Post. I didn’t get my pass and I sure was mad. We are on an alert every second day for Sentry duty on the outside, if we are called. Roy must have a horseshoe in his pocket to get a pass. This Friday and Saturday, I am to go out on the firing range but if I get back early enough, I will try to make it up to your place. You probably have the impression by now that I don’t want to go up. If you have, you’re wrong, for I’m not mad. All furloughs have been cancelled for the present. [Page 2] I’m getting a lot of tough breaks nowdays [sic], so I just grin and bear it. I have heard from home and they said that they would like to see me for Xmas. If I don’t get my furlough they will be disappointed. I’m expecting most anything to happen nowdays. [sic] Have you figured out the riddles yet? Well, I shall close and I am sorry that I couldn’t come. The old saying is, you can’t depend on soldiers. Write to me soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. If there are no more furloughs in the future, I shall come down to your place for Christmas. Am I invited? �[Envelope front] {Postmark} - partially illegible AYER DEC. [?] [?] MASS. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � 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_1941-12-14 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 1941-12-14 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 14, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 14, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes during a period of being on alert for sentry duty and a series of "tough breaks" while all furloughs are being cancelled, but still holding onto hope that he can visit his family or Agnes for the Christmas holiday. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Guard duty 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/4cec6f28668b0b21790db6c4f64f3fe2.pdf 3c08ffcd64efa2d34531ee83bae7f504 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/93bffbcbb3292bfcbfc669fa44aab6bd.pdf b928e15b092a034d304b71a6b6a9ab5d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-16] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date stamp} 18 DEC 1943 From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Dec. 16, 1943. (Date) Hello “Sweets,” Still haven’t heard from you and my patientance [sic] is nearly exhausted. But I’m waiting for the Christmas rush so I shall hang on. Ha! Ha! I still miss you and think of you always. I’m getting a couple of packages now and then so I’m not doing so bad. I guess you are wondering of what I am sending you, Eh! “Sweets”!! I’m still a meanie so you’ll just have to waite [sic] till I send it. Ha! Ha! I’ve got an awful chest cold and I wish you were here to take care of me. Boy! Wouldn’t that just be lucky? No, I don’t think so you may catch it too! Ha! Ha! Well “Darling” I shall close with all my love to you. Yours always With Loads of Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} �P.S. Give my regards to your folks. {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 4 8 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_1943-12-16 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 1943-12-16 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 16, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 16, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 4, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes while sick with a chest cold and his patience tested after not hearing from her in a while. 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/5aeb4612f1933610b56016613fdc3251.pdf 882214d71bec3c236f0be5a8cd01ae6a PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1cb90c246b0646a6ad2ae49eff8aa5e1.pdf b26ea613416a3a871b606f547a8e1359 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-12-16] [Page 1 - front] December 16, 1944. Belgium “My Dearest Darling,” I’m really sorry for not writing as often as I should and hope I am forgiven. Nevertheless, my thoughts are always of you “Darling” and I still miss you terribly. If I could only be with you for a while it would be paradise and then I could squeeze you as much as I want to. I don’t want you to worry about me “Darling” for I’m still safe and well. I still think of my dream castles with you inside and how happy I shall be when they come true. Anyway, my blues and loneliness seem to fly away when I pretend to be with you. At times, I’m very impatient about us not being together but God will bring us together again if it’s his will, so I have much to look forward to. Especially when I have you to love. We shall still have to be patient as in the past and trust in the Lord who will make us happy in the days to come and eternity. My love for you “Darling” shall never die and I’m very anxious to start on our future. My first wish when I return is to make you Mrs. Olexa providing you give me the green light, which I know you will. [Page 1 - back] I shall be very happy then and may we live in peace and enjoy our prosperous future together. It’s wonderful to think of you and our little home we are going to have. I can picture you now with a bright-colored apron and your hair resting on your shoulders the way you have it. Gee! If I don’t hurry back, I’m liable to get homesick but can I help it if you bite big chunks into my heart. I still look at your picture and you seem to be prettier every day. See! What you’ve done to me? But I love you for it and nothing shall ever take it away from me. Well Darling, how is everything getting along with you? Still working as hard as ever? I wish I could get some of your lovely letters which hasn’t caught up with me as yet and miss terribly. [sic] I also hope that your packages will arrive too, so I’ve got my fingers crossed. Your wonderful cookies would be swell right now, but I sure will have a big appetite when they do get here. I thought of you so much on your birthday that I just couldn’t be still. Gee! Darling, I never wished so much in my life as I did that day of being with you and it was fortunate for me that I have your pictures, for I might have screamed. Getting bad, ain’t I? [Page 2 - front] If I could write as much as I think, the mailman would be pretty mad at me carrying so much mail and I wish I could disappoint him. Helen is doing all of my Christmas shopping this year and all I have to do is ride the back seat and waite [sic] to hear whether the gifts are suitable. I’m living in luxury, I guess, not running everywhere to find the gifts and is fun. [sic] Maybe I’m not fortunate after all. Did Helen ever tell you of the Teddy Bear I got her. I must have traveled in 100 stores to find the one I wanted. I had to buy a new pair of shoes on credit after that, but it was fun. Well to get off of the subject I write of something else for a while. [sic] How is your mother and the baby? And the rest of the family? Don’t forget to give them my best regards and �a Merry Christmas. I want you to have one too “Darling” and the only way it can be is to think of me and I shall do the same. I don’t want much, do I? I’m still in the hospital and I’m to have an operation for Hemorrhoid. After my operation, I’m supposed to be reclassified and do noncombatant duty. One can never tell what the Army will do, so I [Page 2 - back] won’t believe it till it happens. Anyway, I have something to look forward to. Did you get the vacation you wrote about and where did you go to spend it? I hope you had an enjoyable time. I also hope that you will like the gift I’m getting you so I can’t waite [sic] for Christmas to find out. Well, “Darling” I must close with all my love to you. Yours forever, With Loads of Hugs & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} � 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_1944-12-16 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 1944-12-16 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 16, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 16, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while located in Belgium and asks for her forgiveness for not writing as often in recent weeks, sharing the news that he is being treated in the hospital and will be reclassified for "non-combatant duty" upon his return. 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/82656a3f014450d49d9129f054acff49.pdf d09bee0503658b7dbc1d11fec8ff7b1c PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/512f17a0c72c24cc3ad265f877316378.pdf 7a582bd30a111be23430fa64ca9abc8c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-17] [Page 1 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. December 17, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your note and two letters that you sent. I had just begun to answer your first letter when I got your last one. So, I’m writing a new one. By your first letter I sure was undecided whether I should, if I had the chance, to come up. I might have been afraid to lose my neck if I did. I was plenty sore myself when Roy got his pass and I didn’t. I don’t know how he does it but I guess a little handshaking does the trick. I don’t handshake is probably why I don’t get along. [sic] Anyway, I’m not like that and if I can’t get one without handshaking I don’t want it. [Page 1 - back] We were on the alert last Saturday and Sunday. Every three days we are supposed to go on the alert. This Friday and Saturday we fire on the range and by the time we get in and clean our rifles, it is quite late. I shall try to make it Saturday nite [sic], if it isn’t too late. I hope I’m not put on K.P. for Sunday and if they do, I may blow my top. Us boys, who haven’t had a furlough yet, might as well stop thinking of getting one. This also makes me mad for I deserve one just as much as the rest. They might break they’re [sic] heart and give us a pass for Christmas but at present, I have my doubts for that too. I haven’t been off of the Post since we came back from North Carolina, believe it or not. We even have to sign our name in the orderly room to go to a show on the Post, so they will know where we are at if they need us. [Page 2 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry The two shows I liked best were “Swamp Water” and “Sundown.” Gene Tierney was in Sundown and she’s a gal that would make any man’s heart go pitter-patter. Most of the time we are kept busy doing something. �I got a letter and a gift from one of my sisters. Well, I sure was surprised. She sent me stationary and a lovely box and stamps. She said another package would follow. She wants me to spend a few days with her providing I get my furlough. Her husband and I used to go to school together. I also heard from my two brothers and they also want me to visit them. Well, to visit the four of you I’d have about 2800 miles to cover in a round trip. My folks don’t worry so much about me for they know that I have been away from home long enough to take care of myself. So, you couldn’t figure out the answers to the riddles? My! My! I thought you were smarter than that. They are easy. That bet we made was 5 dollars, so I think you’re in debt. However, I’ll settle for a home made cake providing I see you make it. Don’t you think that I’m being fair? I have a few items in mind in the line of a Christmas present and each one I think would make a nice present, so I’m undecided on which one you’ll like the best. I haven’t forgotten the things you sent to me, so my present will make it even. Now, just because I’m getting you a present, I don’t want you to figure on getting me one. If you do, I’ll get mad. Roy has Carolyn’s present already. He told me Carolyn was mad at him again! If I cannot make it Saturday nite [sic] up to Ashburnham, I’ll try [text strikethrough] Sunday, that is if I don’t have to do duty. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} Answer when you can. P.S. Excuse the writing, for a fellow just made me do it. [arrow pointing to text strikethrough] [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER DEC 18 4:00 PM 1941 MASS. {Postmark} FORT DEVENS STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. �[Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � 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_1941-12-17 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 1941-12-17 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 17, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 17, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 18, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while his hopes of receiving a furlough or a pass for the Christmas season are diminishing. He also writes of the recent movies he has seen, including "Swamp Water" and "Sundown" featuring Gene Tierney, and his hope for visiting Agnes in Ashburnham that weekend. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Motion pictures--1940-1950 Tierney, Gene 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/7b7516f474f3095e752f86e4695f5bcf.pdf cd3c0439c53b4746fd63d6eaa535d3ba PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d7ba6d1d8adb1ff4b5cfc35f5f2bce74.pdf d4f47f27d83c2c997fba421d4c50216b PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-18] [Page 1] England Dec. 18, 1943. Hello “Darling,” Was thinking of the weekends I used to spend with you and wished many a times that I was there again. I still love you as much as ever, “Sweets” and miss you very very much. I keep wishing that I was there long enough to give you a big hug. I might be a little greedy and take more. You wouldn’t want me to do that would you “Sweets.” I shan’t keep you in suspence [sic] any longer “Darling” for I got the pictures I had taken and am sending you two of them. I was lucky to have 12 of them made and have sent them out. Anyway it will give you a idea of what this man looks like who has [Page 2] been writing to you all of this time. Ha! Ha! Don’t forget to write and let me know when you get them. I still haven’t heard from you in a long while but hope to very soon. If a [?] stole your heart, I’ll envy him a plenty. Ha! Ha! How are your folks and the rest? Don’t forget to give them my regards and Hello. Christmas is next week and I sure wish that I could spend it with you but Uncle Sam said no so I’ll waite. [sic] When, I do young “Lady,” I’m making up for last time. What do you think of that?!! Will close “Sweets” and write real, real soon. Yours Always, With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. I hope the pictures didn’t scare you. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o PM. New York, N. Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 DEC 21 [?] 1943 A.P.O. �VIA AIR MAIL PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Lt. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave., S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. � 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_1943-12-18 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 1943-12-18 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 18, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 18, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 21, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from England during the week before Christmas and wishes he was back home with her in the United States. He also notifies Agnes of the photographs he had taken and his plans to send two of them to her in the near future. 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/f4c3eee554693459c9c677c84cd36d45.pdf 88b8d797ab34d7c6c2304d4c0136b2c9 PDF Text Text ������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e9e31ac75f2df97e587a81886b1611cf.pdf d2c2e84ac4d215033d1d3ff32d02a74e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-23] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Dec. 23, 1942 North Africa Dear Agnes, Rec’d your two air mail letters dated Nove. 27 and Dec. 1 and was glad to hear from you. I have not any of your letters from Oct. 9 to your last two which I just got. [sic] Maybe they got sunk [?] or are still or are still on the way. I’m fine and safe as usual and hope you are the same. I suppose you were very surprised to get my other letter saying I was located in Africa. It gets cold here too believe it or not and I’m not kidding. [Page 2] Most of the people back home know more than I do about Africa for we get news here occasionally. I rec’d two Christmas cards from my folks at home and a long letter from Helen. Everything out this way is O.K. and about the same. How is everything with you? Fine I hope. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my regards. I shall try to write more often, but if there is a lapse in my mail don’t forget to be patient. Roy isn’t with us and I haven’t seen him in a coon’s age. [Page 3] A year ago today I was getting into Buffalo on furlough. Boy a year is a long time and the miles are many. Just two more days till Christmas and I haven’t even sent a card or went shopping. Oh! Well, I must be a slipping. I must have been a bad boy for he’s skipping me this year. Ha! Ha! Before I forget, I wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’ve done well so far for I quit smoking. I haven’t had a cigarette in my mouth for 8 weeks. It sure makes me feel good to think. [Page 4] I will not crave for a smoke when I can’t get any. So, you won’t have to send me any. I should be congratulated. Ha! Ha! �I miss you as much as ever, even if I don’t write much about it and I still think of you often. My sister, Helen, sent me a diary and I don’t know whether I can keep one up but I’ll try. I got a package from my folks with a pipe tobacco and cigarettes in it. I don’t smoke, so some of the boys will enjoy smoking them. I miss them basketball games and shows at [Page 5] at Cushing this year. Well, don’t forget to have a good time while you are young. “But be good.” I’ve been in North Africa ever since the invasion. How is my Chick-a-dee, Gloria, these days? Is she dead? She must be for I ain’t heard from her in a poodle’s age. Give the Walsh’s my regards the next time you see them. No, I have not met the Harmon fellow as yet but may someday. My folks sent me a nice card, military at that, and I’ve put it away for duration. Does Ollie still write to you? I can imagine. Ha! Ha! [Page 6] I haven’t heard from him either. Well, Honey, I shall close and will be thinking of you, till I hear from you again. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I might as well wish you a Happy Birthday, too, even though I am late. Anyway, I thought of you on that day. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} �U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 26 1942 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-23 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 1942-12-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 23, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 23, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 26, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving two of her Air Mail letters while stationed in North Africa and sharing the news of his safety, while wishing their loved ones a "Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" back home in the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Air mail service 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/7ee949f4e8d69f3ac444fb5f2c717783.pdf a386f4e372c6ec8c1013ae7cc167ae57 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/178858a4430f6c86d1aa6dbcc66166c3.pdf d26e9d2396159c1db68b29aef4880a8f PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-24] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Dec. 24, 1942 North Africa Dear Agnes, Rec’d 5 of your letters today and even though they are marked Oct. I sure did enjoy reading them. I also got that note that Mrs. Harmon gave you and I have sent it on to him. We are not stationed with his Battalion. I also got Beasie’s letter and it sure surprised me to get one from her. I still miss you “Honey” and I’m always thinking of you. I suppose my letters are far apart and I shall try to write more often. Most of the time I have a good reason for the delay. [Page 2] I hope you are patient in hearing from me “Honey” for I am. There are some reasons I have that I can’t write about for the delay in my letters. I’m safe and well as usual and hope you are the same. I sure do enjoy reading of what you did and do. If you can, I’d like to have some more recent pictures of yourself providing you have some. I have not received your package as yet, but when I do, that sweater will come in handy. It gets quite cold here also and I don’t mean maybe. [Page 3] A fellow here rec’d word that in the paper it stated that the first shipment of the Christmas packages to England got sunk. I hope your package wasn’t on that ship for I know you must have worked a plenty to make that sweater. Tonite [sic], which is Christmas Eve, our platoon has to go on Guard. Well, all of us has to take the bad with the good. How is your Dad getting along with drilling the men at Cushing? How is your mother and [the] rest getting along? Hope they are all well. I think I’ll give Gloria the air and have [Page 4] Beasie as my girl. Ha! Ha! At least she writes. Tomorrow is Christmas and I haven’t even sent a card. I’ll think of you though and someday I may [be] back to see you on a Christmas. Well, “Sweets,” I shall close with all my love to you. Yours, Joe {Signature accent mark} �P.S. Don’t forget to write real soon. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 27 1942 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-24 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 1942-12-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 24, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 24, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon receiving five of her letters that were written back in October and his enjoyment in reading them despite the delay. He also reassures her about the continued delay in their correspondence and how his platoon will be spending Christmas Eve on Guard Duty. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North United States. Army--Guard duty 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/5785b46d59f1fbd8105bb2940d09dfba.pdf e9ec92f10afe3f6768a4f0570fa67234 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/247c5de93a18096bb617cd4823df8e5d.pdf e0c59ecf1e4b990ac5ea97fafd1210b3 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-25] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Dec. 25, 1942 French North Africa Dear Agnes, Thought I would write you another letter since I’m in the writing mood. Today is Christmas, but without any snow it does not seem so here, although it is a bit cold. I hope Santa brought all the things you wanted this year. I’m thankful to be alive and that makes it the best Christmas I ever had. I’ve spent the day being in charge of a Guard Detail and in between writing a few letters. I went to the church service we had here and the Chaplain sure did give a [Page 2] swell sermon. He even had a beautiful altar made up of palm branches, candles, some white cloth, a cross, and ration boxes to make the altar. It sure was pretty. For our Christmas dinner, we had beef, mashed potatoes, carrots & peas, dates, rice pudding, coffee, a little wine, and bread. Not bad. Eh! I forgot to mention tomatoes and they were really delicious. The boys are about the same so there’s nothing new. Claypool said to give Gloria all his love. Little “Margie” was wounded in battle. He is coming along fine from what I heard of [Page 3] him last. Is there much snow out your way? Wish I was there to go sliding [sic] or go to the show up at Cushing. Even to a basketball game to see the other team win. Ha! Ha! So you must be getting up in the world, working for the principal. Well, that makes me think you are a teacher’s pet. Ha! Ha! Gee! “Honey,” I’ve run out of brains again, so I shall close, write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I still miss you and always think of you. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) �Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 27 1942 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-25 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 1942-12-25 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 25, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 25, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on Christmas Day while stationed overseas in North Africa and expresses the holiday's special meaning to him that year while experiencing profound gratitude for his life. He continues to write while focusing on positive news such as the swell sermon he attended and the delicious holiday dinner. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North 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/ee7f87fef8ee4c67191a6b5c43c4b442.pdf c13c1a8d305f08c9c5251d0fb702e32a PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fd166897fd34d23bdc14fc9b81c1a6c3.pdf 7a3b8074110d2075cc4d75e1eab8cd79 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1944-12-28] [Page 1] France Dec. 28, 1944. “My Darling,” I hope that you haven’t thought I’ve forgotten you with my letters so few. Well, “Darling” I’ve been on the move so much is the reason and when I get settled, I’ll give you my address so you can right direct. [sic] I’m still in the hospital and have not been operated on as yet, but it’s nothing serious so you need not worry. I had a pretty good Christmas and thanked God that I’m still alive. I also thought of you Darling, wondering what you were doing and whether you enjoyed this Christmas. Of course, I think of you every day and someday my wishes will come true. I still miss you as much as ever Darling and long to be with you. I’m getting very impatient waiting to knip [sic] your noose and bite your ears. Boy I’d enjoy that very much and just think I could squeeze you half to death and not even notice it. Getting to be a meanie, ain’t I? Well, what did Santa bring you this year? I’ll bet your one big wish did [Page 2] not come true about me being with you, for I was just as disappointed. I even had an extra-large sock hung on my bed hoping to see you there. Instead, I found a note saying, “Sorry, Santa’s gone to war”. I’m going to get mad at him one of these days because I’ve missed 4 Christmas’ already. How are your folks and the baby? Hope there fine. [sic] How is the work? I shall be very disappointed if I don’t hear of you not thinking of me once in a while during your lunch. I haven’t as yet received any mail and I’m pretty darn lonesome without your lovely letters “Darling.” Hope when it does reach me that I’ll have a bushelful just from you. I don’t want much, do I? Will close “Darling” and remember, I will love you always. Yours forever With Loads of Hugs & Kisses {symbols} “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. I’m sending a couple more clippings of “Sad Sack.” [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster, New York, N. Y. {Postmark} �U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 30 1944 165 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 46065 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] � 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_1944-12-28 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 1944-12-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 28, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 28, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 30, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while in a hospital in France, awaiting his operation and reassuring her for the reason behind his recent lack of communication. He also writes asking Agnes if she had an enjoyable Christmas and wondering what Santa brought her this year. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Christmas Sad Sack Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/33ad2fa427b9a0412b4f05626d3808d7.pdf 0b44a12800b047d22c0c84d02e39a7c8 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ab5ca8ee175b46ce96657d979f3eb9a0.pdf 20bbe1df3ceae6b29c37fd5ede0e34c4 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-29_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} 30 DEC 1943 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. Dec. 29, 1943. (Date) Hello “Darling,” Got six of your latest letters and one from your mother which pleased me very much. In fact its been over 2 ½ weeks since I heard from you. I won’t be able to answer all of your questions on one V-mail so will try to answer them as I go along. I still think of you and love you very very much. I don’t know whether you’ll like the idea of getting grease on you but you’d better keep your promise of not growling. Ha! Ha! No I didn’t come home as you wanted me to in your prayers but “God” did protect and bring me back to safety. Someday, I shall go back and I’m very thankful to be in good health. So young Lady just think back awhile and then you will be able to say I have plenty to be thankful for. Did you find a pen set? If you didn’t don’t feel bad for I know they are scarce. Will close for this time “Darling” and write 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 JAN 10 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_1943-12-29_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 1943-12-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 29, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 29, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 10, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving six of her latest letters and hearing from her for the first time in over two and a half weeks. He also expresses his gratitude for being in good health and for being brought back to safety while stationed overseas. 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/344b5d6423e756029c9bf028e4668c5c.pdf 16063809debb650334e822cbbb64b3ea PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/715ce9bfa2390460782f106343e46858.pdf 945b25ba2d46a95917632f5d80c83d0c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-29_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} 30 DEC 1943 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. Dec. 29, 1943. (Date) Hello “Sweets,” This is letter number II same day and hour. Yes, “Sweets” I’m really waiting with patienance [sic] for the pictures you are going to send me. But hurry for its running out. The surprise I was writing about is on its way. Well, I shan’t keep you in suspence [sic] any longer for it’s a picture of myself. It isn’t too good but it will pass and I can’t be choosey these days. I also had Helen get you two presents for me. I hope you like them. Anyway it was the best thing I could think of since your Ma & Pa beat me to the draw on the others. Ha! Ha! Yes, I’m going to have a hard time figuring out who I’m going to see and how long but I’ll worry about that later on. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my regards? Will close and write soon. 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 JAN 10 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_1943-12-29_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 1943-12-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 29, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 29, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 10, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes his second message to Agnes on that day, reminding her to send pictures and sharing the news of a surprise photograph that is headed her way. 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