10 24 297 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a53da039ac5f5e311002185112e61fc8.pdf 6e9c4415ec95f9a02eeda4a9d24810e5 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cb96a7302917012688e2f051f089bcc7.pdf 2c89064e3557fdba34bc554521d18972 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-31] [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} 3 JAN 1944 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Dec. 31, 1943. (Date) Hello “Gorgeous,” Rec’d your letter of Dec. 12th and was glad to hear from you. Yes I got a letter from your mother and Gloria. I also answered their letters so don’t be jealous. “Darling,” I love you only and wish for the day when we can be together. I am so anxious to talk to you and see you that sometimes, I think, that can’t waite. [sic] Well “Sweets” when that day comes, I’ll surely bend [?] your ears. I’m so disappointed in you not knowing how to cook, so young lady you’d better learn before I get back. I shall be very pleased “Darling” if you go to see my folks. I know that they will like you and if I know them you’ll surely like them. Well “precious,” will close with all my love to you. Write real soon and give my regards to your folks. Yours always With Loads of LOVE Joe {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 JAN 12 9 - PM 1944 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-31 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 1943-12-31 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 31, 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 31, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 12, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe expresses his appreciation of Agnes' most recent message and the letter he received from her mother. He also encourages Agnes to visit his family if possible and to explore learning how to cook in her free time. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail Cooking 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/8ea331a91765ceed509c435389795f31.pdf 65bb1328dce311a933a34bfdfd054718 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ba1a3b7a9a3272d9cdc936638fd78533.pdf 49e7743533856fea386e13d43c204f4a PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-30_02] [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} 31 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. 30, 1943 (Date) Hello “Precious,” Writing a second V-mail for I haven’t much to do tonite also. [sic] I wished though that you were here, so I could give you a big big hug. “How’s that”? I’m still very anxious to see you too for it has been so long that we saw each other, isn’t it? [sic] I’m going to write you that letter I mentioned yesterday for the things I want you to send “Sweets.” I hope that it won’t trouble you none. I also think of the good times we had together and someday we shall continue them. I saw your S.W.A.K.s but won’t return them until later. Ha! Ha! Give my regards to your folks for me? Don’t forget to send some pictures if you haven’t done so already. Well “Gorgeous” I shall close with all my “love to you.” Yours always With Loads of KISSES “Joe” P.S. “Write” �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE JAN 12 12 PM 1944 No. 3 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-30_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 1943-12-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 30, 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 30, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 12, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a second message to Agnes that day and expresses how he wishes they could see each other again. 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/4baecea9a968533dec6187067fbc4fb4.pdf d507425f5439215335938c95e1cfb4bb PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b3392e6b05cfacc4945e84808eb8e609.pdf 1d8b37877f3921f360ea6089f0212e40 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-30_01] [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} 31 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. 30, 1943. (Date) Hello “Sugar,” Didn’t get any mail tonite [sic] so thought to write and keep my promise. My arm was kinda sore this morning for writing so much last nite. [sic] Ha! Ha! I love you as much as ever, “Sweets” and hope it’s the same with you. Tomorrow nite is “New Years Eve” and how I wish that I could be there with you. I shall be, in thoughts. I’m waiting for that big day when you and I can be together again. We shall celebrate, I hope. I have some “wine” and I’m lucky to have, that. [sic] My favorite drink too. Have you heard from Helen lately? I asked my sister Francis and Ollie to write to you so you can expect to hear from them. Will close “Darling” and write real soon. Yours always With Loads of LOVE “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 JAN 12 9 - PM 1944 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-30_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 1943-12-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 30, 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 30, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated January 12, 1944. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing his excitement for New Year's Eve the following day and how he wishes he could be with her to celebrate the holiday. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail New Year 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/4b82b9167224f6ce8173b8b9274a3224.pdf fe4869f6b2cec80c46e4672941e8e85b PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1740a594ca217692803dc06bb6c5fab4.pdf e4ce02930e9e984af8ac0ce778607033 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-29_05] [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 Honey, This is number five and I should be able to finish most of the things I want to write. Are you being bored? Ha! Ha! No your letters are not censored as yet. I’m not suspicious of you “Darling” and why should I be? I love you more, more always, so don’t worry for its something just to write about. Can you fill out my last request? Ha! Ha! I intend to send you another request for things that I would like to have sent to me. Did you have a Good Christmas? I did and went to the Christmas services. It was grand too. Heard from Helen and Home, so all is well with them. Well, I shall close till some other time, “Sweets.” Could write more but will write tomorrow. Write real soon. I have a bottle of wine to celebrate New Years with. Boy! Oh!! Boy! Yours always, With Lots of LOVE “Joe” P.S. WRITE REAL SOON �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE 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_05 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 fifth and final letter of the day to Agnes where he reassures her of his feelings and wonders if she had a good Christmas with her family 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 V-Mail Christmas New Year 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/919a22d159a000925a1782221bf06309.pdf 6bdc023dee4808aed15b42f3aa8d1147 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/01991687b639b48a5a61da3ad0ee0f26.pdf 62e0d96176e009896799ad813f9e1756 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-29_04] [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, Number four already and wished I had started a letter. I’m even surprising myself these days. Ha! Ha! Of all of the kisses you sent me & not an imprint could I see. [sic] Is there a ration of lipstick back there now days, “young Lady.” From now on there better be an imprint at the close of your letters or else. Ha! Ha! My ain’t I terrible!! I’m also very disappointed to hear you can’t cook. I like a good meal so you’d better learn how. Please, don’t use me to sample your toast or cooking, for I might be in a grave yard [sic] sooner than I think. Ha! Ha! My sister, Helen, tried me out on her first batch of cookies and I believe their [sic] in my stomach yet. Ha! Ha! I’m really getting mean, now so, I shall close with all my love to you. Yours always With Loads of 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_04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 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 fourth message to Agnes in one day where he affectionately teases her regarding the lack of lipstick imprints on her letters and encourages her to refine her cooking skills while he is away. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail Lipstick Cooking 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/40b630b932ea43a81a0721dded6eee3d.pdf 0c132323861c173aa5694e82b0b11640 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/30297753e3ba0df070b0cd1aef5733ec.pdf 4f85062c485562556e6263e521e119f5 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-29_03] [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 “Sugar,” Letter number 3 and still going strong. Boy, what ambition? Ha! Ha! I was very surprised to hear from your Mother and Gloria. In fact, I had a great shock. Ha! Ha! I plan to answer their letters tonite also. [sic] I’m not in Sicily as you may know and have no Italian girl friends for they don’t speak English and they stay in. So, don’t worry your pretty head, “Sweets.” I like to roller skate too but I’m not good at Rink skating. I’m used to the street. Ha! Ha! My cold is much better and I’m on the road to recovery. Young Lady, my threats will be carried out and it will be your ears I’m going to chew. What do you think of that? Waite [sic] and see and don’t say I didn’t warn you. If I were to buy a bedroom suite, it won’t be twin Beds [sic], for I don’t like them. This is my opinion. I’ve heard plenty people who had them complain. Will close & write soon. Yours Always With LOVE & Kisses “Joe” �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS Dec. 29, 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_1943-12-29_03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 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 December 29, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe is sill going strong as he writes his third letter to Agnes on the same day and shares his surprise in receiving a letter from her mother in addition to his appreciation of roller skating. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-Mail Roller skating 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 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/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/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/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/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/365dee0a0496378bfe73b7a3d84b32ff.pdf 4efd148e0567b50b7e5641e9a53fc98d PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e5ea0fb2a4fdf8b1f870d5ddd6dd16e0.pdf 2c9c87be587474bd0f8bebed6bff97cc PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-07] [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} 9 DEC 1943 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. 7, 1943. (Date) Hello Darling, Thought of you all day today and wished many times that I could be there to celebrate your birthday with you. I still love you as much as ever and miss you plenty. I hope by now that you are getting all of the mail I have written. Maybe, it will cram your mail box. [sic] I got a Christmas card from one of your cousins which is Bert Sal. [?] I was very surprised to get it and don’t forget to thank her for me. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my regards and Hello. Well “Darling” I will close and write real soon. Yours always With Lots of Love “Joe” {Signature accent mark} {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 DEC 19 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_1943-12-07 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 1943-12-07 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 7, 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 7, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 19, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes letting her know that he has been thinking of her all day and wishing he was with her to celebrate her birthday back home in Michigan. 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/c7b79c4afc6f2e60227e9d6fa7443ed7.pdf 566422d01e6be480bc469de6970adef0 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b51b02922cb47a8c61999cc1cfc2abfa.pdf 6cdc16438d14b7cc9cabe79e8be62586 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-05] [Page 1] Dec. 5, 1943 {Stationary letterhead featuring the American flag and the words “ONE FLAG ONE COUNTRY”} Hello Darling, I was just thinking that its quite odd to write letters since I wrote all V-mails. Went to church this morning and will go to the Communion Services next Sunday. I wrote a V-mail to you yesterday wishing you a “Happy Birthday.” I’m thanking you again for the packages. I shall always keep the Testament and I manage to read 2 chapters a day in it. I have my old one to [Page 2] a fellow who wanted one. I still miss you as much as ever “Darling” and “Love” “you” more and more each day. Some day we shall be back together again and what a day that will be. Has my brother Ollie written to you since you went to Grand Rapids? Could your Dad glue the heart I sent into that small base so it would stand up on a sofa or desk? Please let me know. Helen got the doilies I sent her and was very [Page 3] Pleased with them. I sent you one and hoping to hear that you got it also. I haven’t rec’d a letter from you in over a week. “Young Lady,” if I don’t get one soon, I’ll scream loud enough for you to hear me. I really mean it. Ha! Ha! I’m still waiting for the pictures you promised to send. So, “Darling” why don’t you take a few and send them to me? If I were in the states I wouldn’t worry none for, I could be able to see you and so forth. “But I ain’t there.” [Page 4] I’m putting a request for some thing I want in this letter. Can you fill the order? Ha! Ha! How are your folks these days? Don’t forget to give them my regards and Hello. Did you have a Good Thanksgiving? I did. Well Darling I shall close for this time with All my Love to you. [sic] Yours always With Loads of Kisses Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Does the writing on my V-mails appear clear and easy to read? �[Supplemental Note] December 5, 1943 Postmaster: Subject-Request Please Rush, described item below. My girlfriend, Height 5 feet 7 inches, Brown Eyes, dark Brown Hair, Weight 128 with sunny disposition. [sic] Reason – Haven’t seen her in sixteen months and I’m very anxious to give her a real Big “Hug.” Yours truly Joseph P. Olexa Co. “L,” 26th INF. A.P.O.-1 P.S. Don’t Disappoint me. [sic] [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. New York, N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 DEC 9 1943 A.P.O. VIA AIR-MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 20639 U.S. �ARMY EXAMINER Lt. P. Eagan [?] � 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_1943-12-05 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 1943-12-05 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 5, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 5, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 9, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes a full-length message to Agnes after writing many V-Mail letters in recent days. At this time, he is awaiting another letter from Agnes and beginning to worry about her after not hearing from her for a week. 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/39b063a140208d2b64ebde662a56a744.pdf 347095ff56392edbed28d73ef86baa54 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5f1f8ccbb122cb38494666c72d346fc8.pdf 09fc09e88248d5df7342c3f397f64687 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-12-04] [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} 7 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. 4, 1943. (Date) Hello Darling, Rec’d your two packages today so you don’t have to worry any more. If, you were here now I’d hug you to death for sending them. The one you sent in Aug. got “banged up” a bit and the tooth powder got all over everything. The candy was stale but the rest of the things are alright. Your other package came in good condition. I shan’t be able to send you a birthday card again this year, “Sweets” so, I’ll wish you a “Happy Birthday” now and hope you have a “Hundred” more. If, I were there on that day, I’d make sure, [sic] you’d get all the hugs you deserve and a little more. Ha! Ha! I still miss you as much as ever “Darling” and “love you” “very much.” Don’t forget to read the above sentence over again, you might have forgotten already. Ha! Ha! Yours always With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” P.S. Write real Soon. [sic] �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 DEC 18 4 - 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_1943-12-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-12-04 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 4, 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 4, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 18, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes with great excitement upon receiving the two packages she sent to him and wishes her a "Happy Birthday" 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/32733eb7b8a2c61317f045e1106ae421.pdf 0d3bbda1196951ecab1845aeb5a49f5b PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e974777018252de079f9e6a5d31f66ef.pdf 3b7ea601bedfb9cea3984e97a499f6c5 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-30] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Nove. 30, 1943 (Date) {Holiday V-Mail stationary with cartoon illustration} The illustration says “GREETINGS from BRITAIN” across the top and features a group of servicepeople wearing uniforms while gathered for a holiday celebration overseas. In addition to the group gathered in the background, two people are seen seated and eating a turkey dinner while two others open presents in the lower left corner. The illustration extends across the piece of stationary and includes Joe’s handwritten closing remarks in the lower right corner framed with a piece of illustrated holiday greenery: “Always yours” Joe {Signature accent mark} {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS �{Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 DEC 12 4 - 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_1943-11-30 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 1943-11-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 30, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 30, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 12, 1943. In the letter, Joe sends a holiday greeting to Agnes on V-Mail stationary with the words "Greetings from Britain" across the illustration and "Always yours" as his closing signature. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail 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/a7bee22ec804997fd4e4b3f9205318ba.pdf 2c9de41a5a7596db3b854452c1b3bb4c PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a6a93ca415f20c182bfdc5183f27728f.pdf 9cc9523d1b0393f26c08f523f17615ed PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-28_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} 1 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. Nove. 28, 1943. (Date) Hello “Darling,” Thought of you a lot today so here I am again. I really miss you very much and love you more and more each day. I am now somewhere in England and it’s good to be in a place where people understand your own language. I’m charge of quarters today, so I have a little spare time. This morning, I ran like a race horse going on errands. I got a package from Helen and a V-mail dated Nove. 15. As yet I have not rec’d any of your packages and your letters for the last week. You’re slipping “Darling” or am I too anxious? Ha! Ha! Will close with all my love to you. Yours Always With Lots of Kisses “Joe” 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 NO. 1 DEC 11 11 - AM 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_1943-11-28_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 1943-11-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 28, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 28, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 11, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes from an undisclosed location in England and expresses his appreciation for being stationed in the country. 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/0e582459e2407f43f905c38f4d7b5288.pdf d3102d4472622205b3e331a2d415be19 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7610e33feb74a2f57e7955b195396ae0.pdf 008852cadd6288b191f3b9d1cc6ec9de PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-28] [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} 1 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. Nove. 28, 1943. (Date) Hello Sweets, Got two of your air mail letters dated Nove. 1st and 9th and it sure made my morale go up. The card you sent was lovely and here’s hoping you mean every word of it. Do you? Ha! Ha! I feel sorry for Vinna and her husband and hope they have plenty of courage. I sure was glad to hear that you got the Hankies. I got a letter from Ollie and one from Helen today and everything is fine with them. Well “Darling,” I wish you would send me some more pictures. My patience is running low and I might cuss a bit. Ha! Ha! Don’t worry your pretty head about what you will say or how you’ll act if you were to see me. I’d give you the biggest bear hug you ever had and sweep you right off of your feet. What do you think of that? Will close “Sweets” and in the meantime be thinking of you. Yours Always With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} �P.S. WRITE REAL SOON {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 DEC 11 11 - AM 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_1943-11-28_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 1943-11-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 28, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 28, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 11, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes with boosted morale after receiving two of her letters and offers to sweep her off of her feet when he sees her once again. 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/5ac212ee490a255581b01bf46ffe62d2.pdf 57d46bdd91bbcd392c37068f19e8f295 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57172e63601687d58c53e08650d9d9eb.pdf 20d5e17c9e97f55a7ae896d8ffe9ce0c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-26] [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} 1 DEC 1943 From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Nove. 26, 1943. (Date) Hello Darling, Writing again today and hope this letter finds you in the best of health. I still haven’t gotten any mail from you and I hope to soon. I miss you as much as ever and love you more each day. I got a package today from Helen with some of the things I asked her to send. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a swell dinner. Last year at this time I had a can of Hash, so, I have plenty to be thankful for. [sic] I hope you had a good one. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my regards and hello? Boy I’d give anything to be home and to see you just for a little while. Anyway it’s good to think about it. Ain’t I right? Well “Darling” I shall close for this time. Yours Always With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” �P.S. Write real soon {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 DEC 11 5:30 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_1943-11-26 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 1943-11-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 26, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 26, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 11, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes on the day after Thanksgiving hoping she is in good health and that she enjoyed the holiday spent with family. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Thanksgiving Day--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/f03c28a93ed2ff69801793d712f48de1.pdf 256a48da962d44ccd8bfa87cf815bc84 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/efc4dfb8c41e501329109bca30b24404.pdf 6976d985ca3724a5cd08eaf92518a465 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-23] [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. 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. Nove. 23, 1943. (Date) Hello Dear, I’m slipping for it’s two days since I wrote last. If I don’t get a letter from you soon I think, I’ll write one to my self. I still miss you as much as ever “Darling” which isn’t new. It’s rainning quite hard out tonite which isn’t unusual. [sic] I have not rec’d your packages as yet “Sweets.” Maybe that bottle of vanishing cream you put in there by mistake made them disappear. Ha! Ha! Ain’t I mean “Darling”? Anyway, it doesn’t hinder me from Loving you one bit. Ha! Ha! Tonite would be a good nite to give you a big hug and I think, I will. [sic] My, how disappointed I was!! The stove pipe couldn’t take it. Ha! Ha! Will close “Sweets” with all my Love to you. Write real soon. Yours Always, With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. You’d better hurry and send some pictures. {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 DEC 14 10 - 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_1943-11-23 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 1943-11-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 23, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 23, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 14, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes on a rainy day to let her know he misses her and hopes to receive a letter from her soon. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ebc03c290fedc7febb6a2223110e07fc.pdf bc7945440191fece06821a61e913e1b0 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c0ebae8b1729310ccdf98b239e78f4cd.pdf 8114158120b2314e43c5b862a23282ae PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-20] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Nove. 20, 1943. (Date) Hello Honey, Just a few lines to let you know that I’m still thinking of you. I’m fine as usual and hope you are the same. I got one package today and was disappointed because it was not from you. Today is Saturday and how I wish that I could be able to spend the week end with you. [sic] Anyway, “Darling,” some day we shall be. This makes the third day that I haven’t got a letter from you and it seems like ages. You’re slipping “young lady” and I hope no one special is taking up your time. Ha! Ha! If, you want to know how much I love you, just play the Broken Record about 10 times then you’ll know. Well, “Darling” I haven’t much more to write so I shall close. Give my regards to the rest of your folks. Yours Always, With Lots of Love “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. WRITE REAL SOON {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE NO. 1 NOV 30 6 - 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_1943-11-20 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-11-20 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 20, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 20, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated November 30, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a few lines to let Agnes know that he is fine and still thinking of her as usual. He also hasn't received a letter from her in the past three days and encourages her to write soon. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f4b6e069bb1f8af04c7eb95745661f6.pdf a25fb84d880abd0c48c904f948ccea14 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a3396e870434a20bdde3cf5f0b3421b3.pdf d3d4200d6ee856392781d36446471cbd PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-19] [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. Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Nove. 19, 1943. (Date) Hello Darling, Here I am again today and it’s the second day that I didn’t get any mail. I got too much at one time I suppose. I’m fine as usual “Sweets,” and hope you are the same. I’ve got a chest cold that beats all colds I did have. If I breathe hard my chest sure does ache. You should be here to doctor me up “Sweets” and then I might get better sooner. Ha! Ha! I sure wish that I could be home for this Christmas but I’m not that lucky. I still love you and think of you as much as ever “Darling.” I sure hope that we could see each other just for a little while. Maybe then I could squeeze you or chew your ears like I said I would. Ha! Ha! This writing once a day is getting to be a brainbuster, so I shall close for today. Write real soon. Yours Always, With Lots of Love & Kisses “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t forget to be good? {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. NOV 30 5 PM 1943 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_1943-11-19 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 1943-11-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 19, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 19, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated November 30, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes to let her know he is doing okay despite his chest cold and how he wishes he could see her soon, especially around the holidays. 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/3cd16b5e0a1bba252f195728f99b28c5.pdf ac8b392b79787189a4c12537b72389e4 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7c4715dad0b924e80597eb37f8de9395.pdf 26f77a8d0964e37d2fc7ffbe9cf020af PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-18] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date Stamp} 24 NOV 1943 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Nove. 18, 1943. (Date) Hello Honey, Didn’t get any mail from you today but hope to get one tomorrow. I got a V-mail from Helen and everything is fine with her. I hope that your packages will reach me soon. Anyway, I’ve got my fingers crossed. I’ve found out today “Sweets” that fountain pens are scarce back there and that the ones they do have are high priced. Well “Sugar” if you can’t find an inexpensive set, don’t get any other. I still love you as much as ever and think of you most of the time. I have not seen Roy in a long while but I may sometime. He is not near us, so I can’t go to visit him. Well, how are you making out working at the store? Fine, I hope. Will close for now “Sweets” and write real soon. What new songs have come out on the Hit Parade lately? Don’t forget to tell me? Yours Always, With Lots of Love “Joe” {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. DEC 4 9 AM 1943 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_1943-11-18 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 1943-11-18 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 18, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 18, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 4, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes as he awaits another letter from her and wonders how she is doing at her new job. 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/62b6f6ba5a3dfadbd5fae065cbcc0688.pdf 1c4aeb5dc9abdd25086af33090a6af67 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3ced32fb7fb41ebf56f922b51a51346c.pdf 498c4465421655c8d99c57369528d16a PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-11-16] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] No. 31512 {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 20639 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1832 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. {Date Stamp} 21 NOV 1943 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. - New York, N.Y. Nove. 16, 1943. (Date) Hello Sweets, Rec’d another old letter of yours dated Oct. 10. I’m beginning to get them now so it will keep one contented. I’m fine as usual and hope you are the same “Sweets.” We make some coffee now and then and I’ve thought more than once of the time you made some for me. Are you a good cook? When I get the chance to see you I’m going to take it easy so don’t depend on me for help with the cooking. Ain’t I mean, though? Yes! Flies sure do get on my nerves when they buzz around and I sure do get after them when they don’t leave me alone. I have a quick temper but you don’t have to worry about that “Sweets.” I usually blow a lot of steam just to get it out. Ha! Ha! Well “Darling” I shall close and give my regards to your folks. Yours Always, With Lots of Love Joe P.S. WRITE REAL SOON. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DEC 5 3 PM 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_1943-11-16 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 1943-11-16 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 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 November 16, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated December 5, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes sharing how he is reminded of her whenever he makes coffee and how he looks forward to her cooking when he returns home to the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail 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