1
12
297
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[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-04-17]
[Page 1]
North Africa
April 17, 1943
Dear Agnes,
Writing a few lines since I have some spare time at the moment. I’m still the same and in good
health. Hope that this letter finds you the same. I hope that after this campaign [I] will be able to
go back to the states for a rest. It was a good rumor once but it’s torn to pieces now. How is
everyone over there nowdays? [sic] Don’t forget to give them my best regards. Roy came up to
see me the other day and we had a pretty good chat together. The next day I went down to visit
him
[Page 2]
and ate supper down there with him. It was a good ways back to our company so he took me
back in a “Jeep.” He also showed me Carolyn’s graduation picture. It was a good picture of her.
We got paid the other day for the first time in two months. I sent the money to my sister for safe
keeping, for I can’t spend it over here. I suppose by now that spring is in full swing over there. It
is getting a lot hotter over here too. I would like to be over there for Easter but that’s out
[Page 3]
with the distance too great.
Well “sweets,” I haven’t much to write which isn’t unusual so I shall close. Write when you can
and in the meantime I shall be thinking of you.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. Give the Walsh’s my regards when you see them.
[Envelope front]
Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1
�℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark} - partially illegible
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
APR
2 [?]
1943
A.P.O.
Via Air Mail
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
PASSED BY
US
11147
ARMY EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
1st Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-04-17
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-04-17
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 17, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 17, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated April 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa and in good health, sharing the news of their recent payday and how he wishes he could return home for Easter.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Easter
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>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
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[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-04-13]
[Page 1]
North Africa
April 13, 1943
Dear Agnes,
Rec’d three of your latest letters of March 11, 16, and 19. I’m the same as usual and getting
along as fine as can be. You state that my letters are far in between. Well, I have written every
time I had the chance. I hope by now that you got most of them. Did you receive the French
money and pictures I sent to you? I hope you did and if not let me know as soon as you can. I’ll
send you some more if you didn’t.
[Page 2]
I got a letter from Helen, my brother Johnny, and a newspaper. I sure was glad to hear from
them. So, you were surprised when Helen sent you that clipping. It’s all in a day's work and just
a hint that it isn’t a picnic over here the way some people around there think. I don’t want people
to worry about me, so that is the reason I don’t mention things about myself in letters. When I
get back, I may try to answer some of your questions. I have written to you over
[Page 3]
a week ago and hope you get that letter too. I haven’t answered Beasie’s letter as yet but will
when I have the time. Now for a little sad news. I’ve been reduced back down to the grade of
Corporal for some unknown reason. It’s temporarily and I’ll probably get my promotion back
again. I haven’t done anything wrong or holding out on information. When I find out the reason,
I’ll let you know. Claypool and Tuck, the Lover, I used to write about are now missing in action.
I don’t know whether they are captured or dead.
[Page 4]
Anyway, I am hoping that they are still well and alive. They were in my squad at the time and I
sure miss them. I used to go out with them in the States and over here. Well, it’s the results of
war, so we all have to take the breaks on the chin. Give the folks my regards and Hello. I still
miss you as much as ever Sweets and hope that we will see each other sometime in the near
future.
Will close and write when you can.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
�{Signature accent mark}
[Envelope front]
Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark} - partially illegible
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
[?]
A.P.O.
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
PASSED BY
US
11147
ARMY EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-04-13
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
1943-04-13
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 13, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 13, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated April 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa and after receiving three of her letters written back in March, sharing the downhearted news of his returning to being a "Corporal" and the squad members who are missing in action.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
United States. Army Promotions
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>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
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Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-03-11]
[Page 1]
North Africa
March 11, 1943
{Stationary letterhead featuring a “V” with stars and stripes in red, white, and blue}
Dear Agnes,
Rec’d your letter with the two snapshots of yourself and I will say that they were good ones. I
haven’t as yet gotten the others you mentioned in the letter. I had to stare a long time at the
picture with Richard on it for, at first, I thought he was a neighbor boy. He sure did grow and the
haircut made a great change in him. I got some old mail today from Helen and a friend of mine.
Well “Sweets,” I’m still in good health and hope you are the same. I still miss you and think of
you often. You haven’t changed much in your pictures, to my estimation. Claypool is all smiles
nowdays [sic] since Gloria wrote to him. He says that he’s going to write her a long letter. I sure
was surprised to get that letter from her also. What does she think of the picture I sent her? Ha!
Ha! Boy, I’ll bet she put up a lot of steam around the place. I have not seen Roy in
[Page 2]
a couple of weeks. If I find the time I may go down to see him. He still writes to Carolyn. I got a
lovely valentine card from my mother and Dad. As yet my brother Ollie has not written but my
sister claims he did. Maybe I’ll hear from him sometime soon. How are your folks and the
Walsh’s? Don’t forget to give them my regards and a hello. I got a picture from Helen with my
little nephew and niece. They sure did grow since I saw them last. Well “Honey” I shall close for
I haven’t much to write. Same excuse as usual. Ha! Ha! Write real soon.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. I’ll let you know when I receive your other pictures.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
�{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
MAR
16
1943
A.P.O.
Free
{Signature accent mark}
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
PASSED BY
US
11102
ARMY EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-03-11
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-03-11
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 11, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated March 11, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated March 16, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa and after receiving the latest snapshots she mailed to him, noting how she hasn't changed much in her pictures, and hoping she remains in good health and spirits.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
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[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-03-02]
[Page 1]
North Africa
March 2, 1943
Dear Agnes,
Rec’d four of your letters today and the latest one was Feb. 6. I was very surprised to get a letter
from Gloria. I nearly fell over from the surprise. I also got the small miniature you sent but the
painting or tinting job was a poor one. The picture itself is a very good one. I haven’t gotten the
other pictures you sent but I guess they’ll catch up to me soon. I’m the same as usual, Honey,
and hope you are the same. I still think of you often and miss you. Yes, I got your Valentine and
Christmas card and they were swell.
[Page 2]
I also got a nice card from my mother and Dad. I heard from my buddies for the first time since I
came to Africa. They’re still in the States, where I’d like to be. Did you get the French money I
sent you? I hope you will. I saw Roy the other day for the first time since I left England. He’s a
Staff Sergeant now, in other words he’s a mess [?] sergeant. Carolyn writes to him often. From
his talk I get that the Wenneburgs [?] announced their engagement in the papers. What do you
think of that or did you know that already. Roy is the same as ever
[Page 3]
although he didn’t stay long for a good pow-wow. He asked about you and your folks. Claypool
got Gloria’s letter and Valentine. Boy, he was sure happy and surprised to hear from her. Well,
“sweets,” I got my hair cut very short for the hot weather is just around the corner. Another
reason is that if I go around like this, they might send me back to the states. Ha! Ha! I said
(might). Sending you two postcards, one of an Arab man and the other an Arab woman. If I can,
I’ll try to get a lot more to send. How are the Walsh’s these days? Don’t forget to give them my
regards.
[Page 4]
Don’t forget to give my regards to your folks also. We are now back resting and for how long, is
still a question. I don’t believe I’ll be able to catch up with your Dad in rank so I guess he’s got
[text strikethrough] me up a tree. Ha! Ha! Well “Honey,” news is scarce so I shall close. Write
real soon for I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
�[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
MAR
11
1943
A.P.O.
Free
{Signature accent mark}
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
PASSED BY
US
11147
ARMY EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-03-02
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
1943-03-02
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 2, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated March 2, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated March 11, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa, sharing the news of his happiness in receiving her Valentine and Christmas card, and his recent haircut in anticipation of warmer weather.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4fc99f5e8759a5975e64f5b5bdbaf34d.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
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[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-02-09]
[Page 1]
North Africa
Feb. 9, 1943
Dear Agnes,
Got your letter dated Jan. 13 and was pleased to hear from you. I’m the same, and hope all of
you are in the best of health. I also got a letter from Helen. I have not as yet heard from my folks
but hope to any day now. Well “Honey,” how are things in general with you? Fine, I hope. How
are your folks and the Walsh’s? Don’t forget to give them my best regards. I nearly forgot about
my little sweetie, Beasie, so tell her I’m still a kicking for her. [sic] I’m still mad at Gloria. Ha!
Ha!
[Page 2]
I hope you receive my other letter with the French money in it. I’m sending you another bill
which is worth a dollar in our money. I suppose it’s as old as can be back there, “Eh!” It’s been
quite chilly here but later on I’m liable to roast. I have a few postcards that I bought as souvenirs
to show the one’s I know, when I get back to the States. If I ever get to a place where I can get
some good things or articles, I’ll buy it and then send it away. Until then, I’ll move along doing
[Page 3]
my part. I have a lot of faith and from past experiences, I sure thank the Lord that I am alive and
well. How has your Dad made out drilling the boys at Cushing? I’d like to be there to hear his
voice boom around the gym. Ha! Ha! I can picture myself leaning on the rail, looking down on
the boys taking and executing his commands. I hear that no more packages are allowed to be sent
overseas. Why they did this, is a question beyond me. I know that all of us will miss them.
We’ve gone through a lot of hardships, so it won’t make any difference with
[Page 4]
something else. We barter or buy eggs, dates, Arab pastry, and so forth around here from the
Arabs. The Germans sure did take and bleed the people of things they had and needed.
Well “Honey,” I shall close and in the meantime, will be thinking of you.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. I still miss you as much as ever and think of you often.
�Don’t forget to send me those pictures of yourself.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
FEB
13
1943
P.M.
A.P.O.
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
PASSED BY
US
11102
ARMY EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-02-09
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
1943-02-09
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 9, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 9, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated February 13, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa, hoping she will soon receive the French money he sent to her, and the recent news regarding the delivery of packages overseas.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ea5be601e0e52319f324646a1afbd369.pdf
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Text
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PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-02-04]
[Page 1]
North Africa
Feb. 4, 1943
Dear Agnes,
Rec’d four of your letters dated Jan. and tickled to hear from you. I’m the same as usual Sweet
and hope you are the same. I still miss you as much as ever and it’s seven months today that I
saw you last. I’m waiting patiently for them pictures and hope they get here real soon. I got
another letter from Helen today and everything is fine with her. I suppose by now that she has
written to you telling you about her having
[Page 2]
a little farm. How’s the weather out there? If it’s bad, I’ll send you a barrel of sunshine providing
you have a barrel. I got Helen’s other package today. Most of them have caught up with me, so I
guess most of you will stop wondering or worrying whether I got them or not. It’s too bad that
your mother & Dad beat me to the punch in getting you a birthstone ring. Since you got it, I’ll
rattle my brain and think of something else. I’m putting your Dad on a week's K.P. for that. I
really liked the Valentine that you sent to me and some
[Page 3]
day I may show my appreciation with a few bear hugs. Give your folks my regard and hello. I’m
still a plugging along doing my part. [sic] I’m sending you a French 20 franc note and 5 Franc
note, it’s the best I could get for a souvenir so far. The 20 Franc note is worth 25¢ and the 5
Franc note about 7¢. Later if I can get them, I’ll send you some with a different value. How are
the Walsh’s? Fine I hope and don’t forget to give them my hello. I haven’t forgotten the 2 short
chats I had with them either. I haven’t heard from my brother Ollie or Johnny
[Page 4]
in a long while. Well, Sweets, I shall come to a close. Will be waiting to hear from you. Don’t
forget the pictures.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. (A surprise) I’m writing with Ink. Ha! Ha!
Tell Richard to be a good boy and not to wear curls.
�[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
FEB 15
1943
7 [?] P.M.
Air-Mail
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
PASSED BY
BASE
1107
US
ARMY
EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-02-04
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
1943-02-04
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 4, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 4, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated February 15, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa and after receiving four of her letters written back in January, while also sharing how much he misses her after seven months apart.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3744cf1fb5f5769ed2a5a6c9c6890a2c.pdf
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Text
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PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-29]
[Page 1 - front]
North Africa
Jan. 29, 1943
Dear Agnes,
I was most certainly surprised to get your packages and their contents last nite. [sic] Everything
got her in good shape, so you don’t have to worry anymore. My morale came up a 100% and if
you were here, I’d give you a big bear hug. I still miss you as much as ever and someday I’ll be
back again. I’m very tickled and grateful in getting the packages you sent to me. They are the
only ones I got so far and I hope to get the ones from the folks soon. I also got your two V-mail
letters dated Dec. 21 & 22. I’m fine and well as
[Page 1 - back]
usual and hope you are the same “sweets.” How are you folks and the Walsh’s, nowdays? [sic]
Don’t forget to give them my regards and a hello. I finally did hear from Ollie and I nearly had a
fit. It was the first time since I left the Gap. Maybe, by now, the Army may have him a drilling.
Ha! Ha! Roy is not with us so I wouldn’t know where he is. The last I saw of him was in
England. Hope you got my other letters and don’t forget to send me some pictures of yourself. It
won’t be long now till I have in six months overseas. How time does fly.
[Page 2 - front]
I’d like to tell you where we are and what we are doing, but for military reasons I can’t. I’m not
going around the U.S.O. Clubs, etc., either. I forgot to mention that I got a lot of gum from my
brother at college. I want you to thank Mary G. for the gift she sent. I’ll sure have a lot of use for
the other things that you sent me. Helen is back on the farm and the way she writes, it must be
swell for her. How’s my little gal “Beasie.” Haven’t heard from her in a long while. She don’t
even tell me about school or her work. I’m still mad at Gloria, yet. Ha! Ha! Is there much snow
in Ash. this year?
[Page 2 - back]
I’ll bet there’s a lot of sliding [sic] and skiing going on there right now. Well, “Honey,” I haven’t
anything more to write so I shall close and write real soon.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
�P.S. Thanks for the 2 packages and I shall remember it till I get back to the States. Remember to
send me those pictures and I hope they are on the way already.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
FEB 11
1943
P.M.
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
U.S.A.
PASSED BY
BASE
1107
US
ARMY
EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-01-29
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-01-29
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 29, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 29, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated February 11, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon receiving her packages the previous night, sharing his gratitude for the great boost in morale and the V-mails she wrote to him back in December.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
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>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/be759e876f1a73300e135c8717b7fed3.pdf
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Text
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ff1c03407a7e81e33b68089d3fa483ac
PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-19]
[Page 1]
North Africa
Jan. 19, 1943
In a “Fox Hole”
Dear Agnes,
I received your letter of Jan. 4 and was glad to hear from you. I also got a lot of your letters
written in Oct. and Nove. Last but not the least, the telegram. I suppose and hope that you are
getting what few letters I write from here. Don’t go a worrying for when I have the chance, I’ll
write. I have not gotten your packages and I hope that they will catch up with me sometime. As a
matter of fact, I haven’t gotten the packages my folks
[Page 2]
sent to me either. I’m well and safe as usual and hope that you are the same. Everything is
coming along fine. How are your folks, the Walsh’s, and the rest of the family? Don’t forget to
tell them I said, Hello.
I also received a letter from my sister, Helen, and have answered it already. I also have written to
my folks at home. Your Dad sure pulled a good one on me by getting a Master Sergeants rating.
I think he did a lot of handshaking to get it. I’ll just have to plug along now as a buck sergeant
[Page 3]
for it’s a stiff climb to get up even with him. Just for meanness, I’ll work more. Ha! Ha!
Roy isn’t with us and I haven’t seen him since we left England. Carolyn hasn’t written to me at
all, so she just wanted to make some gossip.
I still miss you, “Honey,” and think of you often. I’m not very affectionate in my letters now and
hope you will understand. How is my girl “Beasie”? Don’t forget to tell her to write?
What are you going to do with all that money you’re making? After a while you may turn into a
penny-pincher. Ha! Ha!
[Page 4]
I don’t think that I’ll be able to answer all of your letters but will write when time permits. Don’t
forget to send me some of your latest snapshots. I’ll be looking for them from now on. Well
“sweets,” I shall close and write real soon.
Yours,
�With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. Excuse the writing.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
JAN
24
1943
P.M.
A.P.O.
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
U.S.A.
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-01-19
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
1943-01-19
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 19, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 19, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated January 24, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from inside a "fox hole" in North Africa and after receiving letters from her dating back to October. He also forewarns that he may not be able to answer each of her letters, but reassures that he will write to her whenever time permits.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2599d584d30ea9faf9b92e49065a5e1.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
���
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5be1ddf56fc0fff356e29a910a455263.pdf
8594609237338181e655e0ee53275dcd
PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-03]
[Page 1]
January 3, 1943
North Africa
Dear Agnes,
Rec’d your V-mail letter dated Nove. 16th and was glad to hear from you. I’m fine and well as
usual and hope you are the same. I suppose by now that you know that I am in North Africa. My
folks sure were surprised to get my letter stating that I am here. How is your Dad making out
with drilling the boys at College? I sure chuckled some about him giving me instructions for a
promotion. You can tell him, I may be one of his superiors someday and then give him a lot of
orders. Ha! Ha! How is the rest of the family getting along?
[Page 2]
I received a couple of letters from home and one from Helen while she was visiting at home. Has
Ollie written to you? Ha! Ha! I’ll bet not. I’ve been overseas 5 months now and to me, it really
seems like it was yesterday. Well “Honey,” I shall close and in the meantime be thinking of you.
Write real soon.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. I still miss you and think of you often.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
JAN
7
A.M.
1943
A.P.O.
�Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
U.S.A.
PASSED BY
US
11102
ARMY EXAMINER
Robert Ostwald
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-01-03
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
1943-01-03
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 3, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 3, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated January 7, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa, noting his family's surprise in hearing that news, and his own feelings after five months of being stationed overseas.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57011fe7e60ad63d71d9665d219e7be0.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
����
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PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-01]
[Page 1]
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y.
January 1, 1943
North Africa
Dear Agnes,
Writing to let you know that I am still well and safe. Last year at this time I was up at your house
and my furlough ended the same nite. [sic] I have not received any of your latest mail as yet and
hope to soon. I still didn’t get that package you sent but it may turn up sometime. Well, Honey,
how have you been? I’m about the same as usual which is nothing new. This New Year’s Eve
was a quiet one and it was just another nite [sic] to me. Did you go to a dance?
[Page 2]
How are your folks these fine days? Don’t forget to give them my regards? Do you go down to
see the Walsh’s? When you do, tell them I’m getting along fine. I still think of you often,
“Honey,” and miss you as much as ever. I have carried the pictures we took the 4th of July and
they sure went through a lot. They keep a growling for reinforcements, so you’d better send me a
few recent snapshots of yourself soon. How’s my Chick-a-dee Beatrice getting along these days?
I gave Gloria the air for not writing and at least Beatrice does write once in a blue moon. Ha! Ha!
Claypool says to give all of his love and regards to Gloria.
[Page 3]
He also is expecting the “Purple Heart” for cutting his finger while opening a can of beans in a
fox hole under heavy artillery fire. Ha! Ha! The rest of the boys are about the same and as crazy
as ever. Well, “Sweets,” I shall close and don’t forget to write all about yourself. Write real soon.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. Don’t forget to send the pictures.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y.
�U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
JAN
2
1943
A.P.O.
Free
{Signature accent mark}
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
U.S.A.
PASSED BY
US
09327
ARMY EXAMINER
[?]
Censored by Robert Ostwald [?]
2nd Lt. Inf.
�
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_1943-01-01
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
1943-01-01
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 1, 1943
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 1, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated January 2, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes reassuring her of his health and safety while stationed overseas in North Africa and reminiscing about being on furlough and visiting her house the previous year. He also writes about how he carries their 4th of July photographs with him everywhere and how he is in need of photograph reinforcements.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5785b46d59f1fbd8105bb2940d09dfba.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
����
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PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-25]
[Page 1]
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry
A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C.
Dec. 25, 1942
French North Africa
Dear Agnes,
Thought I would write you another letter since I’m in the writing mood. Today is Christmas, but
without any snow it does not seem so here, although it is a bit cold. I hope Santa brought all the
things you wanted this year. I’m thankful to be alive and that makes it the best Christmas I ever
had. I’ve spent the day being in charge of a Guard Detail and in between writing a few letters. I
went to the church service we had here and the Chaplain sure did give a
[Page 2]
swell sermon. He even had a beautiful altar made up of palm branches, candles, some white
cloth, a cross, and ration boxes to make the altar. It sure was pretty. For our Christmas dinner, we
had beef, mashed potatoes, carrots & peas, dates, rice pudding, coffee, a little wine, and bread.
Not bad. Eh! I forgot to mention tomatoes and they were really delicious.
The boys are about the same so there’s nothing new. Claypool said to give Gloria all his love.
Little “Margie” was wounded in battle. He is coming along fine from what I heard of
[Page 3]
him last. Is there much snow out your way? Wish I was there to go sliding [sic] or go to the show
up at Cushing. Even to a basketball game to see the other team win. Ha! Ha! So you must be
getting up in the world, working for the principal. Well, that makes me think you are a teacher’s
pet. Ha! Ha! Gee! “Honey,” I’ve run out of brains again, so I shall close, write real soon.
Yours,
With Lots of Love
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
P.S. I still miss you and always think of you.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
�Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
DEC
27
1942
A.P.O.
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
U.S.A.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Joe Olexa letters
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Van Der Weide, Agnes
Description
An account of the resource
Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943.
While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
World War II
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941/1946
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-93
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-25
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-12-25
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 25, 1942
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 25, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on Christmas Day while stationed overseas in North Africa and expresses the holiday's special meaning to him that year while experiencing profound gratitude for his life. He continues to write while focusing on positive news such as the swell sermon he attended and the delicious holiday dinner.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7ee949f4e8d69f3ac444fb5f2c717783.pdf
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Text
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PDF Text
Text
[RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-24]
[Page 1]
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry
A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C.
Dec. 24, 1942
North Africa
Dear Agnes,
Rec’d 5 of your letters today and even though they are marked Oct. I sure did enjoy reading
them. I also got that note that Mrs. Harmon gave you and I have sent it on to him. We are not
stationed with his Battalion. I also got Beasie’s letter and it sure surprised me to get one from
her. I still miss you “Honey” and I’m always thinking of you. I suppose my letters are far apart
and I shall try to write more often. Most of the time I have a good reason for the delay.
[Page 2]
I hope you are patient in hearing from me “Honey” for I am. There are some reasons I have that I
can’t write about for the delay in my letters. I’m safe and well as usual and hope you are the
same. I sure do enjoy reading of what you did and do. If you can, I’d like to have some more
recent pictures of yourself providing you have some. I have not received your package as yet, but
when I do, that sweater will come in handy. It gets quite cold here also and I don’t mean maybe.
[Page 3]
A fellow here rec’d word that in the paper it stated that the first shipment of the Christmas
packages to England got sunk. I hope your package wasn’t on that ship for I know you must have
worked a plenty to make that sweater. Tonite [sic], which is Christmas Eve, our platoon has to go
on Guard. Well, all of us has to take the bad with the good. How is your Dad getting along with
drilling the men at Cushing? How is your mother and [the] rest getting along? Hope they are all
well. I think I’ll give Gloria the air and have
[Page 4]
Beasie as my girl. Ha! Ha! At least she writes. Tomorrow is Christmas and I haven’t even sent a
card. I’ll think of you though and someday I may [be] back to see you on a Christmas.
Well, “Sweets,” I shall close with all my love to you.
Yours,
Joe
{Signature accent mark}
�P.S. Don’t forget to write real soon.
[Envelope front]
Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893)
Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1
℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y.
U.S. Army
{Postmark}
U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
DEC
27
1942
A.P.O.
U.S. POSTAGE
6¢
VIA AIR MAIL
Miss Agnes Van Der Weide
11 Main Street
Ashburnham, Mass.
U.S.A.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Joe Olexa letters
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Van Der Weide, Agnes
Description
An account of the resource
Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943.
While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
World War II
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941/1946
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-93
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-24
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Olexa, Joseph P.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-12-24
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 24, 1942
Description
An account of the resource
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 24, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon receiving five of her letters that were written back in October and his enjoyment in reading them despite the delay. He also reassures her about the continued delay in their correspondence and how his platoon will be spending Christmas Eve on Guard Duty.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Africa, North
United States. Army--Guard duty
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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