Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 22, 1942
United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th
World War, 1939-1945
Soldiers -- Michigan
Correspondence
Camp Blanding (Fla.)
Military maneuvers
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 22, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Camp Blanding, Florida, dated April 23, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after two days of K.P. duty and discusses the recent movies he had seen, the training activities planned for the days ahead, and the rumor regarding their trip to Georgia for a 20-day manuever.
Olexa, Joseph P.
Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
In Copyright
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 22, 1944
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 22, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 22, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes as he anxiously awaits Agnes and her parents' response to his proposal, daydreaming about their future together and sharing the news of his brother Ollie's engagement.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 23, 1944
Love letters
Motion pictures--1940-1950
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 23, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 26, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a lovely Sunday, wishing they could attend the morning church service together and sharing how he starts and ends every day looking at her picture while saying "Good morning, Darling" and "Pleasant dreams, Sweets."
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 27, 1942
Furloughs
Fort Devens (Mass.)
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 27, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Camp Blanding, Florida, dated April 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes discussing the letters he received that week and the reasons why he is undecided in taking a furlough at that time. He also writes of his recent promotion to "Corporal" by his Company Commander and the news of the First Division's return to Fort Devens.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 27, 1944
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 27, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 28, 1944. In the letter, Joe describes how he thinks of Agnes constantly with the springtime beauty of the English countryside and eagerly awaits her response to his engagement proposal. Joe also writes of the recent movies he had seen including "Dangerous Blondes" and "Headline News."
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 27, 1945
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 27, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 29, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after two and a half weeks of not hearing from her and experiencing low morale as a result. He also writes while dreaming of their future together and how he is counting down the days until they are together again.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 29, 1944
Handwritten letter with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 29, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes of his excitement in receiving two letters from Agnes, re-reading them over and over again as he awaits her response to his proposal. Joe also writes of the recent movies he had seen including "North Star" and "Lost Angel."
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 29, 1945
Weddings--Planning
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 29, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 2, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a beautiful day in England, wishing they were together again and dreaming of their wedding day and future happiness. He also writes describing the natural beauty of their potential honeymoon at the lake and his hopes for his future "Best Man."
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 3, 1944
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 3, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 7, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after being pleased to receive her latest letter and writing her a long letter the day before. He continues to describe his appreciation for her lipstick imprints and his happiness as they make plans for the future.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 30, 1944
Gable, Clark, 1901-1960
Russell, Rosalind
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 30, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 2, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after writing to his mother, whose birthday is a few days away, and shares the news of his engagement proposal to Agnes. Joe also writes of the recent movie he had seen called "They Met in Bombay" starring Clark Gable and Rosiland Russell.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 5, 1942
Jacksonville (Fla.)
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 5, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Camp Blanding, Florida, dated April 6, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while he continues to undergo hard training at Camp Blanding and has lost ten pounds to show for it. He also writes about their escaping the southern heat by swimming in their downtime, the upcoming parade in Jacksonville, Florida for "Army Day," and the recent film he had seen.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 6, 1944
Holland (Mich.)
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 6, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 13, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes with excitement after Agnes' letters from March had finally arrived and imagines going on a date to visit the tulips in Holland, Michigan with her one day.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 8, 1945
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 8, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 11, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing his feelings of homesickness while in England and holding onto her letters and photographs to keep him company.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 9, 1944
Easter
Church services
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 9, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 12, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on Easter Sunday after attending the church service that morning and looks forward to the day when they can go to church together once again. He also writes of the recent double feature films he saw in town and how Agnes is always with him in spirit.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 10, 1942
Great Britain
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 10, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated August 11, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon arriving in England, sharing the news of his enjoyable voyage, the censorship of their letters moving forward, and the slight change of address with all of the mail continuing to be routed through New York City.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 10, 1943
Sicily (Italy)
Grand Rapids (Mich.)
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 10, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 15, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from Sicily and shares his surprise regarding his brother Johnny getting married and his appreciation for her upcoming move to Grand Rapids, Michigan with its proximity to his family living in Detroit.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 11, 1944
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 11, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 14, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sending along his latest hospital address and a request to the Postmaster allowing Anges to send him a package of personal care items. He also continues their discussion on wedding plans and the selection of their Best Man and Maid of Honor. As a side note, Joe accidentally dates this letter as "1942" instead of "1944," which he later mentions in his letter, dated August 28, 1944, and suggests thoughts of Agnes were the cause of his absent-mindedness.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 12, 1943
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 12, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 18, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from Sicily and describes his impression while residing there including the warm weather, mountainous landscapes, and an abundanace of sunshine.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 14, 1944
Sad Sack
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 14, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 25, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after a few days have passed, daydreaming about spending their summer days together while going swimming and taking walks in the countryside.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 15, 1943
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 15, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 1943. In the letter, Joe writes on a Sunday in Sicily hoping that Agnes is safe and well back in the United States and wishes her luck in finding a good job upon her move to Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also discusses his recent activities including attending a church service and watching a film called "Eyes in the Night."
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 18, 1944
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 18, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 20, 1944. In the letter, Joe surprises himself by writing eight pages to Agnes, covering various topics such as their wedding plans, his impressions of the photographs she sent to him and how she has changed since he's been stationed overseas.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 20, 1943
Orchards
Almond industry--Italy
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 20, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 24, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from an almond orchard in Sicily and hopes to hear more from his family regarding his two sisters who are in the hospital.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 20, 1944
Honeymoons
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 20, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. "K," Det. of Patients, 4167 U.S. Hospital Plant, A.P.O.-514-A, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 23, 1944. In the letter, Joe expresses his appreciation for Agnes and her willingness to live wherever his work may take them upon returning back home to the United States, emphasizing his intentions to live as close to her family as possible. He also writes about his hopes for learning his new trade at school in Detroit or Grand Rapids and his dreams of their future honeymoon together.
Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 23, 1941
Detroit (Mich.)
Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 23, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry of Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In the letter, Joe expresses his surprise in learning Agnes is also from Michigan and writes about his family in Detroit. He also looks forward to the day when they finally meet and he hopes to continue their friendship and correspondence after Agnes returns to school.