737 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ef9e3123b4f848f9e35f782825da4796.mp4 551191b43d257773b84ba2de7a4ee8ad https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f6839eada357761a18d548fee34d4dbd.pdf ffa0df2f89e68baf63d84f23079191e2 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Notes Length: 58:00 Charles H. Ohanesian WWII Veteran 2nd Armored Div., 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, October 1942 to May 1945 Introduction (00:06) Family and childhood (00:21) • Parents were Armenian Christians that fled the Turkish genocide and settled in Grand Rapids. • Grew up poor with three sisters and a brother in a mostly Polish, German, and Dutch area of Grand Rapids. Pre-enlistment (2:54) • Graduated with honors from Union High School in 1942.Wanted to pursue archaeology at U of M. Wanted to get educated, not get out of service. Father wouldn’t pay, so he rebelled and forged his parents’ signatures to enlist early. Enlistment and Training (4:36) • Went to Kalamazoo to be sworn in and ended up being sworn in twice, once as an enlistee and once as a draftee, by standing in one too many lines. Then went to Fort Custer in Battle Creek where he was told he was a draftee due to a mix-up (6:02) • Most new soldiers sent by train to Camp Walters near Dallas, TX. There Ohanesian underwent basic training as well as two weeks of first aid training on his own time. (6:44) • Was then sent to Pennsylvania for three weeks or so. (7:57) • Afterwards sent to Camp Patrick Henry in VA for four or five days. Camp Henry was surrounded by wire and patrolled by soldiers with machineguns in case and soldiers tried to escape to avoid going overseas. (8:10) • From Camp Henry Ohanesian shipped out on convoy bound for Africa as a replacement. He was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division, 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, Company H. When the division was later divided into Combat Commands A & B, he served with CCB. (8:57) At 18 Ohanesian was the �youngest man both in his squad and his company and was assigned to carry a bazooka. �Weapon Anecdotes (10:05) • Ohanesian talks about firing the M-1 Garand left-handed and being assigned a Springfield 1903 rifle with a grenade launcher, since he couldn’t throw hand grenades as far as the other men. He also talked about dismounting from moving tanks in combat as well as manning a machine gun on a half-track. North Africa (12:47) • Ohanesian tells of the entire division being assembled for an address by General Patton in the heat of the desert while wearing the wrong uniforms. Patton referred to the men as “bastards,” and the men in turn hated and feared him, though Ohanesian mentions that later he understood that Patton was a genius. Ohanesian also mentions other places in North Africa that he saw. Sicily (14:56) • Landed on July 10, 1943. Believed they were going to mainland Italy. Spent 4 months in Sicily, 2 of those in combat. • Ohanesian describes how his unit was strafed by German aircraft while attacking a town, and how he carried a wounded man from his squad back to the rear for treatment and how he didn’t want the citation he was offered since he “was just doing his job.” (15:23) • Detailed description of his sergeant, himself, and two others engaging a hidden 88 mm gun that was shelling his company about five miles outside Palermo, using a bazooka and inadvertently causing a rockslide which covered the opening the gun was firing from. (17:18) • Ohanesian tells of an encounter approximately two miles away from Palermo in which he captured a group of enemy troops. After he and his sergeant disarmed the prisoners he brought them back to a lieutenant who wanted to know why he hadn’t killed them. Ohanesian brought the prisoners down the road to MPs. The next day he was in Palermo (20:21) • Ohanesian talks about the race for Messina and Patton’s hatred of Montgomery. Ohanesian’s company wasn’t chosen since it had been in heavy fighting and arrived later. Also mentions that it was believed that British soldiers stopped fighting at 4:00pm everyday for tea. (24:30) �• After fighting ended in Sicily, Ohanesian remained for two months. When they reboarded ships they believed they were going to Italy. Actually went though the Mediterranean. Ohanesian describes experience at Gibraltar. After Gibraltar, they sailed west, and Ohanesian believed that they were headed back to the U.S. to refit. About 300 miles from Newfoundland, the convoy made a turn at night and headed to Liverpool, England. (25:19) Normandy (27:02) • When they arrived in Britain, they were housed in British barracks and underwent more training and many forced marches. On June 3rd, 1944 they sailed in a convoy they believed was bound for Calais. After the convoy turned south, one of ships behind his hit a mine and exploded. Ohanesian believed his ship would be next since the area was heavily mined. • Ohanesian’s unit landed on Omaha Beach on June 7th, 1944. Onboard ship they had been told that allied forced had advanced five miles inland, which wasn’t true. The sailor piloting the landing craft tried to have the men get out in neckdeep water, at which point the officer in charge of the men pulled his service pistol and threatened the sailor, who took the craft further in to knee-deep water where they disembarked. The unit was force-marched halfway up the beach where they were shelled and spent the night. The next day the division’s tanks were unloaded and they resumed their advance. (28:09) • When the British attacked Caen Ohanesian’s unit occupied the British positions. Ohanesian tells of being on night patrol and how terrifying it was as well as describing an incident where they were almost discovered by a German patrol which they let pass. Three days later they moved out. (29:58) • Ohanesian tells of himself, a sergeant from a different platoon, and two others capturing an enemy finance officer, who was carrying approximately $2,000,000. The four men decided to keep the money with the sergeant carrying it all himself to split up after the war, over Ohanesian’s objections. Ohanesian believes that one of the other men killed the paymaster rather than turn him in as a prisoner. Ohanesian never received any of the money. (32:10) • Ohanesian talks about being wounded while in bocage country when his company was surronded. 20 tanks from the division arrived but they adavanced too and took casulties. Ohanesian suffered shrapnel wounds to the leg on August 3, 1944. Doctors told him that he had to stay off his feet for a week, but he convinced them to left him go back to his unit. (34:23) • Two days later an officer had a sergeant take Ohanesian and a few men to draw fire from the enemy while the rest of the men dug in. They advanced along with three tanks and got to the last hedgerow. Ohanesian describes being seriously �wounded along with most of the men and lying for hours while the tanks shelled the Germans, and machine-gunned a soldier about to kill him. • Ohanesian was brought back to the rear where he “went a little berserk” and threatened the doctor with his rifle not to touch him. He was then taken to field hospital where he again threatened a nurse and was eventually knocked out, waking up on a plane bound for England. Going Home (41:02) • Towards the end of November 1944, Ohanesian was told he was going to be sent home. He describes his trip home by sea on a hospital ship and an incident with a German U-Boat where the submarine surfaced and the officers and sailors waved at the men onboard the hospital ship. • Arriving at Charleston, SC, they were met by a crowd of hundreds. Ohanesian describes his feelings on arriving home. Had choice of hospitals in Battle Creek, San Diego, or Tampa for surgery. Left by train on December 19, 1944 for Percy Jones hospital in Battle Creek, MI. Ohanesian tells how he convinced doctor to let him leave the hospital to spend Christmas with his family and hitching rides from Battle Creek to Grand Rapids, and his family and neighborhood reaction to his return, including having his picture taken for the Grand Rapids Press. (43:03) After the War (48:15) • Ohanesian shares his feelings on the United States. • After his discharge, Ohanesian couldn’t afford to be married and attend U of M, so he used the G.I. Bill to learn about upholstery and clocks, which were tow of the few things available in Grand Rapids. He worked for the City of Grand Rapids for 5 years with parking meters and was an upholsterer for 78. Also bought and sold real estate, and tells of the state’s attempt to buy his land at Wilson and 28th for the new expressway (I-196). Also discusses the importance of education. (49:58) � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. 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 OhanesianC Title A name given to the resource Ohanesian, Charles H. (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ohanesian, Charles H. Description An account of the resource Charles Ohanesian is a WW II veteran who served in the U.S. Army with the 2nd Armored Division from 1942 until being seriously wounded in 1944, arriving in North Africa after the German surrender there, and participating in the campaigns in Sicily and Normandy. In this account, Ohanesian discusses rebelling against his parents by forging their signatures to enlist early, training in the U.S, combat experiences in Sicily and Normandy, and his life after the war. Ohanesian also recounts aspects of war often not talked about on the Allied side, such as the confusion of the Normandy invasion, the execution of prisoners, and keeping of contraband. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Veterans Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-06-28 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/15cd0cbe42109960fcb270e4e4d2f32d.pdf 08e1867834acb831bc45557c7854390f PDF Text Text After the shutdown of Grand Valley for the safety of staff and students due to COVID-19, the transition to online classes was pretty seamless for me. In fact, I did much better having the classes online that I was doing with in person lectures. It has been a struggle for me though since I am a parent to a kindergartener, and I had to juggle helping him with him online work while doing my own and working in the healthcare field. As far as my work goes, we have cut down on the amount of staff we have in the office. I work as a registrar for Spectrum. The family practice in my building has switched to mostly video visits and is only taking sick visit patients in office that they would not be able to diagnose over a video chat. We haven’t had issues with PPE in registration, though we are not currently allowed to wear homemade masks, they have to be medical masks. We have to be screened before every shift for symptoms before we are allowed to show up to work. Those of us on my team who had high enough seniority got to stay in our office with an adjusted schedule, while others were either redeployed to register in the Emergency Department or work in other departments. As far as shopping has gone, my mom is the one who does that. Somehow, she always managed to find all of the products that we needed. We’ve never had to worry about running out of cleaning products or toilet paper, which given the hoarding of the toilet paper has been a miracle in itself. � 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 COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives 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 COVID-19_2020-04-26_OhmanCourtney Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ohman, Courtney Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-26 Title A name given to the resource My life during COVID-19 Description An account of the resource Journal from GVSU student Courtney Ohman during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. 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 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/db01a97f12238a707096cad276964310.pdf 38001dcb94513fba86252434f1f969ff PDF Text Text A11thentic OjibHJa.v ·In(/ ian Ever~ 8:30 --- 1 ··---- -- SATURDAY Evening . . Ju y Pentona Park & ugust ~ i;-. )..,. w(s'f vS·l c110T.•L ,CALL l ''Scenic Outdoor Amphitheatre'' �Ojitwa'I 3nJian J.Jerilage Council 4th Avenue Community Services Center Box 549 Iron River, Michigan 49935 107 Phone 265-9994 or 265-5228 July 8, 1980 GEORGE Mc GESHICK Sr. Chairman To Whom It May Concern, MICHAEL Mc GESHICK Vice-Chairman The Ojibway Indian Heritage Council would like to inform you of what we are doing. DOROTHY EHLINGER Treasure We are running an Authentic Ojibway Indian Pow-wow. Which we are holding every Saturday night 1 durning the months of July and Augest. All Pow-wow's start at dusk. TERRI SARRKI Secretary GEORGE Mc GESHICK Jr. Council Member Everyone is welcome to come and patticipation in our dancing and drumming. Would you please post this flyer in your office. We would appreciate any help you can give us in announcing our Pow-wow. Thank you for your cooperation. to see you all there. EVELYN BENTER Council Member Sincerely, DOROTHY MAKI Council Member JI, A1 A/J ~1c· it. Y1? ";'::;e~Geshick Sr. Chairperson COLLEEN McGESHICK Council Member GMc,CMc {!IJICJ We hope �COME AND SEE An AtJthentic OJIBWE INDIAN POW-WOW Ceremonial Dance Bowl PENTQGA PARK on Beaa.,tiful CHJCAVGON LAKE Where...,. 10 Miles East of IRON RIVER On COUNTY HWY 424 (IRON COUNTY, MICHIGAN) Enioy Yourself In The "Scenic Outdoor •h ,, Located on the lake front. Amp h It eatre The original site of an OJIBWE Indian Village. -SEE0R1G1NAL Dances and Ceremonial Dress Dances Include FEATHER FRIENDSHIP RAIN When-Every WEDNESDAY NIGHT at 8:30 P.M. throughout JULYandAUGUST 111h IRON ff, 0-0JIBWE INPIANS of COUNTY OJIBWE INDIAN HERITAGE COUNCIL MICHIGAN Src,,;'f! 'f! PE.N TOGA PARK Is The Site Of An Ancient Historic OJIBWE Ancestral Burial Ground DEMONSTRATIONS of Cultural Tradition and Survival Skills of the OJIBWE I ND/ANS ADMISSION ADULT $1.50 CHILDREN ON DISPLAY & FOR SALE Authentic Indian JeUJelrq and BeadUJorh .75 � 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 Native American Publication Collection Subject The topic of the resource Native Americans Indians of North America Anthropology Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals Michigan Description An account of the resource Selected digital surrogates of published and unpublished materials from the Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection dealing with different aspects of human culture and anthropology, with an emphasis on Native American people, events, organizations, and activities in Michigan. Includes newsletters, event programs, flyers, posters and other printed materials. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gillis, Edward V. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American Publication Collection (RHC-14)</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-02-21 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Gi-gikinomaage-min Project (Kutsche Office of Local History) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-14 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1958-2000 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives 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. Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection, RHC-14</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/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-14_authentic-pow-wow_1980-07 Title A name given to the resource Authentic Ojibway Indian Pow Wow, July 1980 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980-07 Description An account of the resource Authentic Ojibway Indian Pow Wow flyer, Iron River MI, July-August 1980, collected by Edward Gillis included as part of his Native American publication collection. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ojibway Indian Heritage Council Subject The topic of the resource Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals Indians of North America Michigan Michigan -- Grand Rapids Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f3dbccc7c6efb60e5d7df43684b53b79.mp4 6aaf3b939bf4ee136c8a662effa72689 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0ee5db9ac461ce5de8348f596bc510a6.pdf ce74aed867347c6c7e837302f5a1f273 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee’s Name: Andrew M. Olah Length of interview (00:10:10) (00:00) Background Born March 4, 1944 (00:01) Served in the army during World War II (00:06) Had basic training in Tacoma, WA and served in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany as a sergeant. (00:11) Was drafted while living in Muskegon, MI. (00:29) Went to Fort Custer, MI with thousands of other men before being sent to Tacoma, WA for basic training. Recalls that it was very scary and nerve-wracking. (01:05) (01:27) Service in World War II Recalls that “war is hell” and that three years of shooting wasn’t very fun. (01:31) Leaving the United States for the first time to head overseas was his most memorable experience. Recalls seeing countries that he never would’ve seen without the service. (01:47) Saw a lot of combat, but his unit was usually behind the lines. (02:11) Was selected by the government for special duty to help plan for the Invasion of Normandy two months before the invasion. (08:22) Rejoined his unit. Describes his experience with the invasion. (09:18) Overall, there weren’t many casualties in his unit. But during the Battle of the Bulge they were close enough where several men were injured. (02:22) Was never in any combat because his job primarily dealt with taking care of records. (02:43) Wrote several letters to keep in touch with his family. (02:55) Recalls that the food was all right. (03:07) Describes some of the pranks that they pulled and his relationship with the officers. (03:23) (04:49) Post-Service Was released from service after the war ended in Germany in November 1945. (04:52) Instead of continuing his education, he got married six months after returning home and went to work. (05:25) Made several friends from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virgina. (05:37) Joined the VFW. (05:50) Upon returning home, he took two weeks off and then got his old job back. (05:57) Experience in the service fostered a distaste for war in general and respect for those who serve their country. Says that he would be proud to serve his country again, but doesn’t approve of the actions taken in Korean War, Vietnam War, or the War in Iraq. (06:16) His experience in office work while in the service helped him later with his job Coppergrass Sales, where he worked for 33 years. (06:54) Describes his involvement with the VFW. (07:28) Has attended several reuinions in Philadelphia, Illinois, Virginia, and Detroit. (07:49) �Interview Ends (08:22) � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. 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 OlahA Title A name given to the resource Olah, Andrew M. (Interview outline and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olah, Andrew M. Description An account of the resource Andrew M. Olah was born on March 4, 1924 and grew up in Muskegon, MI. After being drafted, Andrew served as a sergeant for the U.S. Army. He served in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany. During his service, Andrew was selected by the government for special duty to help plan for the Invasion of Normandy. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Kaylee (Interviewer) Poliski, Jeni (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-05-27 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/47777eebe6a6099fe8b1c5379d011b75.pdf 7ba43bfdb03f65d6ba616bb0419e59ef PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/670502f041ca05783ab9586c2656e2d8.pdf 42ef26722baebdf44e2f4a1f0e4b51d6 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-07-25] [Page 1] {26th Infantry letterhead} Co. “L,” U.S. Army Transport Hunter Liggett – Carib Force c/o Postmaster New York, N.Y. July 25, 1941 Dear Anges, Since we have not met and were not introduced, I shall make this letter, a letter of introduction. I am twenty-two years old, five foot-seven inches tall, have brown hair, blue eyes and weigh one hundred and sixty pounds. In other words I am husky and not fat. As, for my looks, mother nature had been good to me, so, I can pass as being good looking, although, I do not like to brag. My personality is good and have no bad habits. I do smoke cigarettes which is a habit most men have. I am Polish, speak good English and my home is in Detroit, Michigan. [Page 2] I have traveled quite a lot into every state including Mexico and Canada. Most of my traveling was done before I enlisted in the Army. I have been in the Army eight months and have two years four months to serve. Army life is tough but I like it and I’m not fooling. This is my first ocean voyage and I do enjoy it. We have just sailed from Charleston, South Carolina, where we had a day’s leave, while getting some supplies. We are supposed to go to Puerto Rico from here on a maneuver. When we will go back to Fort Devens is a question for orders do change quite often. I have no pictures of myself at present to send you but when I get back, I’ll have some reprints made. I hope, though, that you can send me one of yourself. �What is your favorite past time and hobby? [Page 3] {26th Infantry letterhead} My hobby is collecting anything of interest to me. I like to write letters and swim. My favorite sport is football and I have played a lot, while, in High School. I hope that we can scrape up a friendship and at some-time, in the future, see each other in person. Forgot to tell you, at times I am very quiet and other times quite talkative. I got your address from Roy and hope you are not offended or bored with this letter. You probably had quite a surprise, to receive this letter but the old saying is ‘Surprises come in small packages.” Will close, hoping to hear from you and carrying on the friendship. A friend, Joe Alexa [Envelope front] Miss Anges Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. {Postmark} NORFOLK JUL 28 1:30 PM 1941 VA. {Postage Stamp} UNITED STATES POSTAGE 3 CENTS 3 [Envelope back] Joe Alexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry �U.S. Army Transport Hunter Liggett- Carib Force c/o Postmaster New York, N.Y. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-07-25 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 25, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 25, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, U.S. Army Transport, Hunter Liggett-Carib Force, dated July 28, 1941. In the letter, Joe introduces himself to Agnes for the first time, describing his looks and personality and expresses hope for a future friendship with Agnes. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Detroit (Mich.) Travel Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ad6cb2e1dc0ec7dbc5a285c7ac65867d.pdf 7c9a4285961e4d4e5e36ba45607cb10f PDF Text Text �������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cc9d6204b9dbac00088eb88467ba15b4.pdf 563227e8b435e2f175efffd38d668e51 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-08-23] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. August 23, 1941. Dear Agnes, I am very sorry for not writing to you sooner and hope that I am forgiven. I did not have the time to write while on the ship for we had a five day maneuver on land and different jobs on the ship when we got back. We got into Brooklyn, Friday the 15th and came to camp. The next day all of us got an eight day furlough and most of [Page 2] us went home. I just got back, so I thought I would write, while I have the time. I am prompt in answering my letters and do not delay them only when I haven’t the time. You are a very good writer and your letter was interesting. I was surprised to hear that you were from Michigan, too, so we did surprise each other. I enjoyed being home for it was the first time in three years. My folks were really surprised [Page 3] to see me, for, I didn’t let them know I was coming. Detroit didn’t change much, only for a few more buildings. I have 4 brothers and 5 sisters. Four sisters and two brothers are married. My youngest sister is 18 and my youngest brother is 21. In otherwords, our family has grown and most of us are away from home. My pictures should be here of the reprints I sent and I shall send you one in the [Page 4] next letter. I am however, still looking forward, in meeting, you, in person, soon. [sic] That’s if you would care to meet me. What have you been doing for excitement lately? Do you still go to Whalom? Roy, at present is home but he will be back Sunday nite. �I do not like the South although I have been down there quite a few times. The people, they are very hospitable but I [Page 5] still like the North the best. You probably will go back to school soon and I hope that we can keep our correspondence and friendship, without interfering with your work. I do not know how to dance very good, for my work and traveling has kept me away from it. I know, I am missing a lot fun and it’s my own fault. I usually go swimming and will miss it when colder [Page 6] weather comes. Will close hoping to hear from you real soon and I promise that your future letters will be answered without delay. As Ever, Your Friend Joe {signature accent mark} P.S. I hope you are not mad and write when you can. [Envelope front] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 359 Central Street Winchendon, Mass. [Envelope back] Joe Alexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-08-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 23, 1941 Description An account of the resource 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. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) Detroit (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/db848d0bc18575a613cca5492e083239.pdf e1e18b9a797b7979a817213f2849d72d PDF Text Text �������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e1538481f25cf1249b5c750a0b04f8da.pdf 68c0d1b8ba6aad01817aeb31dce9549c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-01] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass Sept. 1, 1941. Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter and was very glad to here from you. I had thought that you were mad and wouldn’t answer. I am sending you two pictures of myself which will give you an idea of what I look like. Since you sent me your pictures, I believe that I saw you at Whalom. I may be wrong but I have a good memory. Yes, I had a good time when I went home. [Page 2] I surprised them all and you could have knocked them over with a feather. While I was there my other brother came so the 5 brothers got together for the first time in 13 years. I call it a dream for always one had been away for some reason. When, I left, my father said to me, When are you coming back Joe? In another 3 years? All I said was maybe. Reason is that I have been away from home of the time since I was fourteen. [Page 3] My traveling started in 1932 which took seven months. My older brother and I saved our money for one summer which took us there and back. We worked on the way in wheat fields and other odd jobs. We had our own tent and a camp stove which folded up like a suit case, to do our cooking with. We went all through the west, going to the historic places for souvenirs. This trip also took us into Canada and Mexico. Some of the places I went to on that trip are the Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon, Redwood forests of Cal. [Page 4] Boulder Dam, Hollywood and many other places too numerous to mention. There are quite a few places in Texas too which I managed to see. I sure worked hard to get my school work up and passed my exams at the end of the year. �I had a lot of trouble over this for they wanted to keep me back but I finally won for I passed my exams the following summer and that proved to them that I wasn’t just another fellow who just laid around. I wasn’t satisfied with the trip in 32 so I went again in 35. I still remember this trip for [Page 5] my buddy and I had a junk of a car that gave us a lot of trouble. We went up to North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, and to Canada working in the wheat fields. I came back a month after school started so it was easy to catch up on my school work. In 1936 I finally graduated and no more school. That summer my buddy and I went down south although I didn’t like that part of the country, we worked picking cotton. After 2 months down there I got [Page 6] sick of the south so I came home and worked at odd jobs till I got into the C.C.C. This was 1937 and I went west again to Idaho. I was there a year and a half before I thought of coming home. The climate and scenery grew under my skin and I hated to leave there but I did. We were in the mountains and as for company, we had deer, bears, coyotes and mountain lions. I had a rating as a leader for a year which paid 45 dollars a month. [Page 7] On leave while there I went to Seattle, Washington and to the noted Penelton [text strikethrough] {Rodeao} Rodeo in Oregon. Although I visited these two places in 1932, I enjoyed it more. I was home for only a week after getting back from Idaho and got a job with a construction company. I am a cement finisher by trade but I don’t like it. My father and brothers are Tool and Die makers, which pays from a $1.30 hour to $1.60 an hr. My dad gets $1.60 an hour and my older brothers $1.50 & my youngest brother $1.30 [Page 8] I traveled all over with this company repairing big buildings and smoke stacks. �We worked in Richmond, & Norfolk, Va. New York State, Ohio, Penn, Mass. and Connecticut [?]. I was in Endicott, N.Y. working when I enlisted in the Army and I’m still a traveling. It would take a book to talk about the places I’ve been, but its just an outline of what I wrote. This letter maybe boring you so I shall close. Are you going to be home this Sunday? Write and let me know and if you will be home, let me know what time to see you. [?], Joe � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-09-01 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 1, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 1, 1941. The letter is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry of Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In the letter, Joe writes of his surprise visit home to see his family in Detroit and his prior travels across the western United States and North America while working various jobs in the years prior to enlisting in the Army. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) Travel National parks and reserves--United States Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/183a6374f25e859d32ca2cb93342620b.pdf a263a4d1175f7302949f686e989de1d3 PDF Text Text ��������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/08c7170723f0a9ebc6178681673c0702.pdf e1743e81259aa5c90c0509a684f743fd PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-05-20] [Page 1] {Postmark} ASHBURNHAM, MASS. SEP. 4 7:30 A 1943 REC’D North Africa May 20, 1943. Dear Agnes, Rec’d five of your letters of April and was very pleased to get them. I’m as fine as usual and hope you are the same. I still miss you and think of you often. Well the war in Africa is over and I wished it was the whole thing. There are Rumors of us going back to the states but things around here don’t look that way. I’ve got my hopes anyway. We are now back to the place we took when we first landed here. How long we shall be here to rest [Page 2] {Duplicate Postmark} is beyond me. I’m sorry that I can’t be there for your graduation so we’ll have to take things as they come. Roy is about a ¼ of a mile down the road from us and we take turns visiting each other. He’s still a Staff Sergeant. He told me to give you his regards and hello. I have received a lot of letters from Helen and a few from home. Ollie as yet, hasn’t written. I read in the paper the other day stating that the people could send packages to soldiers in Africa not to exceed 5 pounds without the [Page 3] consent of the Company Commander. All a person has to do is to show the letter and envelope with the postmark on it to the postmaster. So, if you want to send anything to me you can although don’t go thru too much trouble. Claypool is still missing in action and I presume he is a prisoner in Rome. The other fellow, I called The Lover was with him and he got killed. He’s buried in Gafsa. I sure miss them a lot. I have not seen the Harmon boy at all but I recognized his face when I got the clipping. I knew him [Page 4] {Duplicate Postmark} by sight. You ought to be a good driver by the time I get back so if you make a lot of mistakes while I’m riding with you, I’ll double my life insurance. Ha! Ha! How are your folks and the �Walsh’s? Don’t forget to give them my best regards. I didn’t have much time to write while we were fighting so I hope to write more often. Oh! Yes, I had your pictures in my folder and had it in a Barracks bag. While it was being kicked around oil got in it and ruined all of my pictures. It sure made me mad so now I’ll have to ask for more. I really did like the one you sent of the close up [Page 5] with you wearing a white Blouse and Black shirt. Don’t forget to send one to me. I have not as yet received the Easter egg Helen sent to me. I hope it gets here soon. I spent Easter Sunday in a fox hole with shells bursting all around and that wasn’t any pleasure for some hit awful close. I’ve had many a close shaves over here and I thank God that I’m alive. What does Gloria think of her boy friend I sent her from Africa? Did he seem to be darker than what he was when he left there? Ha! Ha! She didn’t let me know. I’m sending you [Page 6] a German picture I found of some Germans and the 20 M. M. ack-ack [?] gun. I have only a few more which I intend to keep. At least I hope to return with what few souvenirs I have. How is Eileen getting along now days? I never got around to answer her two cents worth in your letter one time. Don’t forget to give her my regards and Hello. We just had mail call and I got 3 letters and 2 V-mails. Two of the letters were from you and the other from a buddy of mine. The two Vmails were from Helen. How is my girl Beasie these [Page 7] days? I don’t know whether I answered her letter or not and if I didn’t why hasn’t she put the bug in my ear. I went to Oran for a visit and it’s still the same from what it was in November. My buddy’s brother was torpedoed in the North Atlantic while crossing on a ship and is now missing. He states that they found some lifeboats, frozen from the cold weather but his brother wasn’t in it. His mother sure did take it hard but it’s the results of war so we’ve all got to take a lot on the [Page 8] chin. Well sweets I managed to get to the 8th page which I think is a record letter writing from Africa. I’m really surprised at myself. I haven’t the slightest idea of what to get you for your graduation but I won’t worry till I get back to deliver it in person. It may be late but it’s better late than never. Will close sweets and I shall be thinking of you. Yours With Lots of Love Joe {signature accent mark} [Envelope front] �Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry H.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY [“POSTAL SERVICE” missing due to top right corner of envelope being torn] 1 MAY 23 1943 A.P.O. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-05-20 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 20, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 20, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 23, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa and reaches a personal record for longest letter that reaches eight pages in length. In those pages, he covers various subjects such as the war in Africa ending and how he spent Easter Sunday in a fox hole. 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> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a8c1cd5549c74948fcf1d8e74f71cd00.pdf 4bfd5f1b2378d182cb5378f282ce84c7 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d6a7ed2b8ad74620dd6d5df0c2e0bcf9.pdf e2ad7eedd855a9fa1bae9f67e17c3c08 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-05-22] [Page 1] North Africa May 22, 1943. Dear Agnes, Just a few lines to let you know that I’m thinking of you and often. I’ve still got my fingers crossed of going back to the states for a rest. Things don’t look so good on the subject but I’ve got my hopes. Well, Honey, what have you been doing? I have been to Oran and expect to go again. I’m trying to get you a good souvenir but as yet I’ve had no luck. We aren’t doing much but resting at present and [Page 2] what’s in store for us to do is a military secret, even I don’t know. I have sent you a small German picture in my other letter. Hope you get it. I saw a couple of movies so far. One is The Great Mrs. Holliday and the other I can’t remember the name. Don Ameche and Joan Bennet starred in it. I go over to see Roy now and then for it isn’t very far from here. He’s kinda lazy about coming over to see me though. I guess he is going [?] today. [Page 3] I’m undecided as yet whether to go or not. We got paid yesterday so there’s going to be a lot of doggies in town. How are your folks and the rest? Don’t forget to give them my cheerie “hello.” You’ll have to excuse the pencil for I was just too lazy to fill my pen. Ain’t I awful? I got two Vmails from my brother Johnny. I hear from him quite often now. I expect to hear from home soon and may at mail call this morning. [Page 4] Well “sweets,” I haven’t much more to write about so I shall close. Write real soon. Yours With Lots of Love Joe {signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army �{Postmark} U.S. ARMY [ “POSTAL SERVICE” missing due to top right corner of envelope being torn] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-05-22 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 22, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 22, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa and discusses the most recent movies he has seen including "The Amazing Mrs. Holliday" and another starring Don Ameche and Joan Bennett. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Motion pictures--1940-1950 Ameche, Don Bennett, Joan, 1910-1990 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/035ab2fa7cd97075eabae127214e8d8a.pdf f8497fbfec6b237733fc972cc47617a6 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3db5bbb270ee45f7e5274f5e36c8fece.pdf c1f1d2748050d9c3ae10b72ce7cc33d9 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-05-24] [Page 1] North Africa May 24, 1943. Hello Sweets, Here I am again with another batch of scribbling. I haven’t rec’d any mail at all for four days now. We are now starting on our drills and so forth, so now we’ll be busy. I still haven’t lost hope of going home so don’t forget to keep your fingers crossed. I got the Easter egg my sister Helen sent to me. I must admit it sure did taste good. I plan to write later on and let her know I got it. Ray came over to see me yesterday and [Page 2] I nearly fell over from surprise. We went to the show which was held in the field. The name of it was “The Sea Hawk.” The nite [sic] before I was fortunate enough to see two pictures. The first one was “The Flying Tigers” and the second “A Major and a Minor.” They all were swell pictures. How is the weather over there? We sure do sweat here. I’d hate to think of the coming months. The mosquitoes bother us at nite and they buzz like dive bombers. So it isn’t so bad? I just wrote to my folks [Page 3] and I hope to receive some mail from them soon. What have you been doing which may be of interest lately? I still miss you as much as ever. I hope that when we do get back that we go to Devens. Don’t you? I hear that the WAAC’s are stationed there now. How is your dad making out with the Home Guard? I suppose he is wondering how I lived through this campaign. Well I did and I sure thank the Lord for his protection. I had many a narrow shaves and I don’t like [Page 4] to boast. Well “Honey,” I shall close and don’t forget to give my regards to everyone. How’s my gal Beasie? I’ll sure get mad at her if she don’t hurry up and write. Write real soon. Yours With Lots of Love Joe {Signature Accent Mark} �P.S. Don’t forget about the pictures I asked for. [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 MAY 27 1943 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-05-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 24, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 24, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 27, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa and discusses the most recent movies he has seen including ''The Flying Tigers" and "The Major and the Minor." He also expresses gratitude for living through his current campaign overseas and his hope to return to Fort Devens in the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Motion pictures--1940-1950 Flying Tigers (Motion picture) Fort Devens (Mass.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/38d97d9677af1c2341c6cd6f2d0ccda1.pdf e7462d0216eb759b86a710b33c8e1832 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1ce2abb84eef45dc27bd92c699eec21a.pdf ce654bde70a9c6af84adf3790c27f454 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-07-18] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From (12016893) Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster N.Y.C. July 18, 1943 (Date) Dear Agnes, I have been on special duty for the last two months and am sorry that I couldn’t write sooner. I am now waiting to go back to the outfit and you ought to know where they are by now. I got quite a few of your letters and the graduation pictures you sent. They were swell and I must say that you have changed. I still miss you as much as ever and think of you often. I guess it will be a long time before we get to go back home, so we’ll just have to make the best of it. I’ll write you a long letter when the time will permit. Give your folks and the Walsh’s [?] my best regards. Will close and I shall be thinking of you. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS �{Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. JUL 30 10 AM 1943 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 18, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 18, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 30, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe informs Agnes that he has been on special duty for two months and that it will be quite a while before he is able to return home to the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5b1045c0d5d1d89cecdf21dff8c6a257.pdf 1a4b2e56b1575fa733c1e4a5c96a39c8 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/85431e6fafd5cc0fb6ef8d48a063294b.pdf e58362788038ba1525e93eec10a9a9db PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-07-19] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From (12016893) Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster N.Y.C. July 19, 1943 (Date) Dear Agnes, Thought I’d drop you another V-mail today since I haven’t much to do at present. I’m still waiting to go back to the outfit. When [?] I do, I hope that I’ll have a lot of mail from you. I still miss you “Sweets” and think of you most of the time. I also thought of you on the Fourth and remembered the good time we had together last year. How time does fly or didn’t it. [sic] How is Eileen [?] and her folks now days? I sure would have liked to have been at your graduation [?] that was the impossible. I thought sure [?] we were going home after the African Campaign and I’m not the only one that’s disappointed. Will close for this time. Give your folks my best regards. Write soon “Sweets” and I [?] to write a long letter later on. Yours always Joe {Signature accent mark} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE �OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. JUL 30 10 AM 1943 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-07-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 19, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 19, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 30, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe reminisces about the Fourth of July he spent together with Agnes and how he wishes he could have attended her graduation. He also mentions how he thought he would return home after the African Campaign and his resulting feeling of disappointment. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Fourth of July Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/942f1f5a8b6ea65b59269a39fa08ec61.pdf c3d68b25ab4ae6c4242e0dd50ed576f4 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/be2a59d09b6f5f4c4617e77d2cfdbe69.pdf 93466e5787c0bf5da61826079133984a PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-07-21] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From 12016893 Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster N.Y.C. July 21, 1943 (Date) Dear Agnes, Haven’t as yet been shipped out, so here I am again with another letter. Went on pass [?] yesterday afternoon and walked my legs off about the town. [sic] Just got through writing to Helen and a letter to my folks yesterday. Going to see a movie tonite but don’t know the name of it. So, you had my writing annalized. [sic] Of all things, I’m surprised. Yes, that Lieut. is feminine so that makes the teacher correct. I still miss you as much as ever “Sweets” and I do think of you often. I still will say that the pictures you sent are swell. Don’t mind the flattery? Ha! Ha! Well “Sweets,” I shall close and don’t forget to write often. Give the folks my regards. Must say your Dad is getting to be a bit of a gigglo. [sic] Ha! Ha! Yours always Joe {Signature accent mark} {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE �OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. JUL 31 9 AM 1943 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-07-21 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 21, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 21, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 31, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a friendly message to Agnes appreciating the photographs she sent to him and sharing what he had been up to while awaiting being deployed once again. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/21fc25247302a9f6d41e1e64191cbc70.pdf 3d52c63d7ef78b16ff87a86e93d2f073 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3f1d95d1a38a5c3a2c78db322794f158.pdf a73e7b5611f469a6c57bdb350b68f210 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-07-21_02] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From (12016893) Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster N.Y.C. July 21, 1943 (Date) Dear Agnes, Have been thinking of you so I thought to drop you another V-mail. I’m fine as usual and I hope this letter finds you the same. I still don’t know when I’m going to get back to the outfit but it may be soon. I miss you, “Sweets,” even though I may not show it at times. Someday, I hope that we shall be back together again. I suppose by now that you are working steady? I still hope you make a million. Ha! Ha! I saw a movie last nite called “A Thrilling Night.” It was boring at first but turned out alright. It was about a couple on their Honeymoon and got mixed up with Gangsters. [sic] Well “Sweets” I shall close this boring letter. Write soon. “Yours always,” Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. How is my Beasie getting along {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 �c/o Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 512 JUL 23 1943 A.P.O. V-MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. V-Mail Service provides the most expeditious dispatch and reduces the weight of mail to and from personnel of our Armed Forces outside the continental United States. When addressed to points where micro-film equipment is operated, a miniature photographic negative of the message will be made and sent by the most expeditious transportation available for reproduction and delivery. The original message will be destroyed after the reproduction has been delivered. Messages addressed to or from points where micro-film equipment is not operated will be transmitted in their original form by the most expeditious means available. INSTRUCTIONS (1) Write the entire message plainly on the other side within marginal lines. (2) PRINT the name and address in the two panels provided. Addresses to members of the Armed Forces should include rank or rating of the addressee, unit to which attached, and APO or Naval address. (3) Fold, seal, and deposit in any post-office letter drop or street letter box. (4) Enclosures must not be placed in this envelope and a separate V-Mail letter must be sent if you desire to write more than one sheet. (5) V-Mail letters may be sent free of postage by members of the Armed Forces. When sent by others, postage must be prepaid at domestic rates (3c ordinary mail, 6c if air mail is desired). � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-07-21 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 21, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 21, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated July 23, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes about how greatly he misses Agnes and his wishing they will be together again someday, in addition to the film he saw the previous night called, "One Thrilling Night." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Motion pictures--1940-1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d3ba72e806d6786bb3422291f37497e5.pdf 059fcf492f41b96d0bf558ef0fd73819 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/31cd3f645ac7effcf580bf109241496c.pdf 67879adfcff9215e4e36d929384abb20 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-07-23] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] No. 746 {CENSOR’S STAMP} To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From (12016893) Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster N.Y.C. July 23, 1943 (Date) Dear Agnes, Writing again today just in case you didn’t get the other 4 V-Mail letters I had written. I’ve really got a little ambition and am I surprised. I am to leave to get back with the outfit, so if there is a big space between letters, don’t go a worrying any over me. I still miss you and can’t wait till the day we shall see each other again. How is everyone over there? Fine I hope. How is Gloria and her boy friend? Has he gone to the Army or is he still waiting? Have you seen the Walsh’s lately? Don’t forget to give them my regards when you do. Will close “Sweets” for I have much to write. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] �WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. AUG 1 9 AM 1943 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-07-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, July 23, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated July 23, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 1, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes his fifth recent V-Mail to Agnes to ensure she hears from him and to let her know there may be a gap of time before he is able to write again. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/82860fe109f1167d0f786df9fd26129a.pdf e71f96e168e00fed89a63b5cbc04bbfb PDF Text Text �������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/19932469feca41f377b685fa92b0c265.pdf eeeb00124f94e71b2bb2a63162034d5d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-09] [Page 1 - front] Sicily August 9, 1943 Hello Sweets, Back again with the outfit and still in good health. As I had written I was on detached service with the Navy and on the water most of the time. So you see I didn’t have much time to write. I did manage to write you a few letters around the 18th of July. I got 14 of your letters besides a lot of others. I sure did enjoy reading them. I always look forward in getting your letters. I wish that I could write more than [Page 1 - back] I do but it can’t be helped. If I had a job like Roy’s where he doesn’t do much, I’d write you just as much as he does. Oh! Well no use crying about it. He’s just fortunate. I really do miss you also and I often think of you. You shouldn’t be so doubtful of me though. Well, I wish I were there to prove it. Well, I sure got a lot of surprises reading all of the different mail. First of all is that you got your job, you’re [sic] folks moving to Michigan, Ollie waiting for introduction, Johnny [Page 2 - front] getting married and so on. I was working on the souvenir that I was going to send you yesterday and broke it. Boy! I never knew I could swear so much. It was a piece of vision glass from a German plane. I was making a letter opener out of it and the blade broke off near the handle. It was going to be a surprise but now I’ll have to wait to get me another piece. I did manage to make a good sized heart out of another piece but haven’t finished it yet. Roy sure had all the time [Page 2 - back] in the world to send Carolyn souvenirs. Its just the opposite with me. My job on detached service was to mark the beaches for the troops on the invasion. We had to swim about 900 feet from a rubber boat to the beach and mark it with a flash light [sic] till the troops landed. Our job was very successful but dangerous and when the beach was marked and we were going back in the rubber boat we were machine-gunned. The bullets flew all over but none of us were hit. We were the first ones on the beach of Sicily. Not bad Eh! [Page 3 - front] That was my job and it was completed to the “T.” The Lord was with me then and he is always. I don’t worry none for everything will turn out alright keeping my faith in God. I guess the only time I’ll get to go home is after the war. At least it looks that way. But I shan’t forget you “Sweets” and if it wasn’t for your mail, I don’t know what I’d do. If you ever get the chance to go to Detroit look up my folks and you won’t be sorry, none. They’ll sure be glad to meet you. �[Page 3 - back] Well, I’ve been overseas a year and seven days. Boy that’s a long time when a man stops to think. I also thought of you on the 4th even though I was on a ship. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my best regards. Have you visited the Walsh’s? How are they? How is Beasie and the rest? Well how is Gloria taking it since her flirt went away or did she forget about him already? Ha! Ha! As for picture I have none, haven’t taken any since the 4th I spent with you. If I’m lucky enough some day I’ll probably take some when the chance occurs. [Page 4] Was glad to hear you got so many graduation gifts. I still haven’t forgotten about it and as I say I’m going to deliver it in person. Stubborn you know? Ha! Ha! Your Mother and Dad beat me to the punch again getting you what I had in mind. Next time this happens, I’m going to start a “feud.” Well “Sweets” I shall close for this time and write soon. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE AUG 14 1943 A.P.O. 1 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. �ARMY EXAMINER � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-08-09 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 9, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 9, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated August 14, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes from the Mediterranean island of Sicily and describes his job while on detached service with the Navy. He also describes his excitement in receiving fourteen of Agnes' letters and the many surprises written within them including her new job and her parents move to Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) United States. Navy--1940-1950. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d6240dc9b10f87d0d54f5ea732e5457.pdf 11172fc467565b5092a2bd4a415c90d5 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/baa3603eb9e3ba32a726c965ce3b43f1.pdf a86538ccbf487bc3edc163e47b96f011 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-10] [Page 1 - front] Sicily August 10, 1943 Dear Agnes, Writing a few lines again to-day [sic] since I have the time and was thinking of you. I still can’t get over the surprise of my brother Johnny getting married. This is the second day back with the Company and I must say that there are a lot of new faces. Its plenty hot here and if a man can’t get a good sun-tan within a week over here, he just plain lazy. I got a card from my brother Ollie and that also was [Page 1 - back] a great surprise. I wonder if he was inducted? I’ve written a few V-mails today answering other letters I got. I hope that when you move to Grand Rapids that you will be able to find a good job like the one you have now. What do you intend to do with your first earned million? Ha! Ha! Has [sic] your folks left or are they busy packing? Anyway I can sure visit you when going home and its not over 5 hours out of Detroit by train. We don’t have to worry about [Page 2 - front] where we will be stationed when we get to the States for that’s a long way off. How ever I’ll surely get to the place, where you are at. [sic] I have not seen Roy as yet and many not for a long time. I don’t know where he is, at the moment. I suppose Carolyn just can’t wait till Roy gets back so that they can get married. It’s a great life if you don’t weaken, from what I hear. I wonder if she can cook? Or is Roy going to do the cooking. Ha! Ha! I’ve always said that a good cook makes the best wife for a man who [Page 2 - back] really likes to eat when working. I’m a man who likes to eat and have some meat on my ribs. Well, so much for that. How is Gloria making out, since her boy friend went into the service? Tell her to cheer up for better days are coming. Ha! Ha! Well “Sweets,” I shall close for this time and shall be thinking of you. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t work too hard at your new job. [Envelope front] �AMERICAN RED CROSS Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL [“SERVICE” missing due to top right corner of envelope being torn] 1 AUG 15 1943 A.P.O. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-08-10 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 10, 1943 Description An account of the resource 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. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) Grand Rapids (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2fdabb8641f12ba01ae4665e5c78a7a2.pdf ee74042f1663d51af849cae7a1c2a235 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5b36ecd7e1316ba197bba25328694fd4.pdf 57c8e45c3989321011c7c4afee822621 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-12] [Page 1 - front] Sicily August 12, 1943 Hello “Sweets,” Thought to drop you another letter, letting you know that I’m still safe and well. I still miss you and think of you in my spare moments. How are you making out with your new job. Do you still like it? I guess by the time you get this letter your folks will be in Grand Rapids. I’m still surprised of hearing about my brother getting married. I got a letter the other day from my oldest brother saying that one of my older sisters [Page 1 - back] and the youngest one are in the hospital and have had an operation. Boy! What unexpected events which seem to happen. How is everyone over there? How is Eileen and her folks? When and if you see them, don’t forget to give them my regards? Today is my fourth day back with the Company. We are now having a rest. Sicily has plenty of wine, citrus fruits, watermelons, and plenty of sunshine. It really gets hot here and it is very mountainous. I just received a package my mother sent me with [Page 2 - front] a pocket book [sic] and some hard candy. Well, at present it hits the spot. I had asked for a pocket book for I sure did need it. I can put a lot of pictures in it also. The regimental band just drove in and now we’ll have a little jazz music to brighten us up a bit. What are the most popular songs and bands back now days? The last one I got a chance to hear was “When the Lights gone on again All over the World.” [sic] From what I hear my brother Ollie has been inducted into the Army. Well, I only [Page 2 - back] can wish him luck and hope he stays out of what I had gone through. Haven’t anything else to write, so I shall close “Sweets.” Write real soon. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] AMERICAN RED CROSS Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) �Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL [“SERVICE” missing due to top right corner of envelope being torn] AUG 18 1943 A.P.O. 1 Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-08-12 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 12, 1943 Description An account of the resource 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. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) Music--1940-1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9c82b875c36860c432b44cf93fd8b08c.pdf 7ba7443ed44d9d01219361ae6206a456 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e3f4bec5849cc7ebab3e3935e1d5ed1b.pdf 8aefabff14a3eb73093230c40e32b918 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-15] [Page 1 - front] Sicily August 15, 1943 Hello Sweets, Today is Sunday and nothing much to do, so I’m back again by writing. I’m still safe and well hope you are the same. [sic] How are your folks? Have they moved to Grand Rapids as yet? I still miss you as much as ever “Honey,” and hope some day soon that we can be together again. I guess the kids are all excited about moving too. Well, they will have to make new friends. I haven’t received any mail in four days now and that is very unusual. [Page 1 - back] I always keep saying, well I get a couple letters today. [sic] Went to the church services this morning and hear a good sermon. We had a movie last night called Eyes in the Night, with Edward Arnold. It sure was a good picture and if you get the chance don’t hesitate to see it. Today is a very nice day and I’ve already though of being there with you. Don’t forget when you have some other pictures taken, to send them on to me. I haven’t seen Roy as yet and don’t know when I shall. We’ll see each other sometime [Page 2 - front] though. How long do you plan to work where you are now? I wish you luck to get a good job in Grand Rapids. Still wondering of what you are going to do with that first million. Don’t keep me in suspense and tell me? Still doubtful, Eh! “Sweets.” I don’t blame you, but it makes my morale go down. How do I know, well my dear, I hear your thoughts? Oh! You forgot about that didn’t you. Next time, think when I’m not around. Ha! Ha! Well Sugar, I haven’t much to write so I shall close [Page 2 - back] and will be anxiously waiting to hear from you soon. Yours always With Loads of Love & Kisses Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Give your folks my regards. Sending a Italian Lira [sic] worth 1 cent in our money. [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 �c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY [“POSTAL SERVICE” missing due to top right corner of envelope being torn] 1 [?] AUG 1[?] 1943 A.P.O. [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. 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/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-08-15 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 15, 1943 Description An account of the resource 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." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) Motion pictures--1940-1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d876c122b97a3d310afd06915f02374a.pdf 5cfdbf455047bdb2e481e4f2191528e0 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d5719b1f0a344097dae5667a2e54d05.pdf 3baaf47a21d273d87e799f2ff8a08706 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-08-20] [Page 1 - front] Sicily August 20, 1943 Hello Sweets, Rec’d your letter of July 24 and was glad to hear from you. It’s the first letter I received in 6 days. I’m fine as usual “Sweets” and hope you are the same. Was glad to hear that you got the German picture I sent. We are back to the rear now and when this campaign is over God only knows where we will go next. How are your folks, these days? Probably busy packing. Haven’t seen Roy as yet but will look him up when I get the chance. He’s got some [Page 1 - back] of my pictures that I let him keep for me. We are in an almond orchard [?] and I’ve eaten almonds so much that they ought to be coming out of my ears. I hope by now that you have received all of the mail I sent you in the past month. I am to be cited for the work I had done in this invasion. What do you think of that? I did my job and am well satisfied. Yes, it has been a long time “Sweets,” since we’ve seen each other but some day, we shall be together. I miss you very much “Sweets” and think of you often. How is Gloria [Page 2 - front] making out since her boy friend went away? Or did she forget him already? Ha! Ha! As for the package you mentioned in your letter, if you did send it, I have not received it as yet. Don’t forget to send me that picture I wanted. It wasn’t a coincidence about your mother and I agreeing about the picture, for it is a good one. I haven’t heard from Helen or home and am anxiously waiting to hear more about my two other sisters who are in the hospital. It is quite hot out today and right now big drops of sweat are rolling down my [Page 2 - back] face and back. Well “Sweets,” I shall close for this time. Write real soon. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 �c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL [“SERVICE” missing due to top right corner of envelope being torn] AUG 24 1943 A.P.O. 1 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. 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/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-08-20 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 20, 1943 Description An account of the resource 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. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) Orchards Almond industry--Italy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a4dfabb48ab71efeae9aae445d12d750.pdf 2d2ff69d2f723ffa133706f339c2ff04 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/feb21ccd973ce0ae64eb421560cf0a8d.pdf ce784360d6ce5ed9c8e0fa058b4b7c3d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-09-01] [Page 1] Sicily Sept 1, 1943 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your July 30 letter today as was pleased to get it. [sic] It’s the first letter I got in two weeks. I was sure surprised to hear that you were picking out some civilian clothes for me. Where did you get my sizes. Why go through all of that trouble, just for me? Was over to see Roy day before yesterday and he’s about the same. Didn’t have much to say. That nite [sic] we went to the movies together. We saw “Ice-capade Revue.” That picture bored me too much. Last nite I saw “Mexican Spitfire at Sea” with Leon Errol, boy I sure did get a kick out of that one. I don’t know what the picture will be tonite. [sic] Took another shot in the arm today and [Page 2] later on I shall be nothing but holes. We also got vaccinated for small pox which make the eighteenth time in the Army. Have you heard from Helen lately? I suppose your folks have already gone to Grand Rapids? When you write to them don’t forget to give them my best regards. I am sending you a few souvenirs and hope you get it. This letter may beat the pkg. so you can expect it. In the package are 5 coins a horse shoe, with a coin that has an eagle on it. [sic] This coin may fall out for I had no glue, so have your father do it for you. I made the horse shoe from a German “Stuka Dive” bomber and the coin is Italian. The heart with its little base is from a German Pursuit plane, called the Messerschmitt-109. The other was supposed to be the letter opener that I was making for you and [Page 3] broke before it was finished. Your father can glue the heart so it will stand up to put on a dresser. I hope that you will like them. I have sent you a letter two days ago with some Italian paper money in it and I would like to know whether or not you have received it. Well “Sweets” I miss you too and let’s keep our fingers crossed in hopes that them rumors you hear will come true. Ha! Ha! However we’ll just have to be patient. Is Gloria staying with you? Has she found her another boy friend? Ha! Ha! You mentioned in one of your letters awhile back that you were going to send me a package. If you have, I haven’t received it as yet. I hope to get a lot of mail soon for it has been coming in kinda slow. Well, young lady if I don’t get them [Page 4] pictures I asked for I may get mad, so don’t forget to send them. Will close, Sweet, and write real soon. Yours always With Lots of Love & Kisses Joe �{Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. U. S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE SEP 2 1943 A.P.O. 1 U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY 11147 U.S. Lt. Robert Ostwald [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-09-01 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 1, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 1, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated September 2, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from Sicily and expresses his happiness in receiving his first letter in two weeks. He also describes his recent visit to see two films called "Ice-Capades Review" and "Mexican Spitfire at Sea." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Sicily (Italy) Motion pictures--1940-1950 Errol, Leon, 1881-1951 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1c9b3796a339242fe770a4d57c717ca2.pdf 387d589ff49111a0514569a80154b27e PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/de072e2bc485f22fb780ab89ae984596.pdf 58ca2549841a0fe609e077e0926a75f1 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-09-06] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 11147 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster New York, N.Y. Sept 6, 1943 (Date) Hello Honey, Dropping a few lines to let you know that I am thinking of you at the moment. I’m fine as usual and hope you are the same. I’ve only received one letter from you in 3 weeks. Now young lady if you don’t get on the ball and write more often, I big Chief will get mad which will be very bad. Injun war ain’t no good. [sic] Saw Roy yesterday and he is about the same. He also hasn’t heard from Carolyn in a long time. I got 2 V-mail letters from Helen last nite. [sic] She said my little nephew is coming along fine after his two operations. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my regards and Hello. How’s my little gal, Beasie now days? [sic] If she don’t drop me a letter soon she won’t be my girl friend anymore. Well “Sweets” I shall close and in the meantime be thinking of you. Write real soon. Yours always With Lots of Love & Kisses Joe {Signature accent mark} {V-MAIL stationary footer} �[V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. SEP 18 11:30 PM 1943 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-09-06 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 6, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 6, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated September 18, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes encouraging her to write more often since only receiving one letter from her in the past three weeks. He also inquires about how her family are doing in Michigan and informs her of the news he received regarding his young nephew. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/812261236403a77ba9feef9177d70f1f.pdf 14fda09ddf575740952d36230cf89c42 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/be241e738c13e281f833a34baeea9576.pdf ca7e43164756d67ba803dc4127e6d5de PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-09-14] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY 11147 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER L.T.K. Bleau To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. New York, N.Y. Sept 14, 1943. (Date) Sicily Dear Agnes, Rec’d three of your air mail letters and was very pleased to hear from you. I’m fine as usual “sweets” and hope you are the same. How does your folks like their new environment? Don’t forget to give them my regards. Have sent you another package with 5 souvenir handkerchiefs of different colors and hope you will like them. I still miss you as much as ever and also think of you often in my spare time. Haven’t seen Roy in over a week. I don’t think he has had the time to get any souvenirs for Carolyn. Anway the handkerchiefs are very nice. Well “Honey” I shall close and write real soon. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe P.S. Bought my mother a nice bed spread. �{V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 c/o PM - New York, N.Y. V-MAIL {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 SEP 16 1943 A.P.O. {Postmark] ASHBURNHAM SEP 28 11:30 A 1943 MASS. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide [text strikethrough] {11 Main Street} [text strikethrough] {Ashburnham, Mass.} 1832 Berkeley St. S.W. Grand Rapids (9) Mich. V-Mail Service provides the most expeditious dispatch and reduces the weight of mail to and from personnel of our Armed Forces outside the continental United States. When addressed to points where micro-film equipment is operated, a miniature photographic negative of the message will be made and sent by the most expeditious transportation available for reproduction and delivery. The original message will be destroyed after the reproduction has been delivered. Messages addressed to or from points where micro-film equipment is not operated will be transmitted in their original form by the most expeditious means available. INSTRUCTIONS (1) Write the entire message plainly on the other side within marginal lines. �(2) PRINT the name and address in the two panels provided. Addresses to members of the Armed Forces should include rank or rating of the addressee, unit to which attached, and APO or Naval address. (3) Fold, seal, and deposit in any post-office letter drop or street letter box. (4) Enclosures must not be placed in this envelope and a separate V-Mail letter must be sent if you desire to write more than one sheet. (5) V-Mail letters may be sent free of postage by members of the Armed Forces. When sent by others, postage must be prepaid at domestic rates (3c ordinary mail, 6c if air mail is desired). � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-09-14 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 14, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 14, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated September 16, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe writes a brief message to Agnes from Sicily inquiring about her family in Michigan and sharing news of the five souvenir handkerchiefs he packaged and sent to her with love. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/168f520330c7f069e3f8fc1602a7b397.pdf 8c63c57200733765cf0420b6aae6f0f4 PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8becc612f7db5de8d964058c0950cfea.pdf e2c0f51faaaab01a54959d7dd738bf87 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-09-15] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] {CENSOR’S STAMP} L.T.K. Bleau PASSED BY 11147 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER To Miss Agnes Van Der Weide [text strikethrough] {11 Main Street} [text strikethrough] {Ashburnham, Mass.} From 12016893 Sgt. Joseph Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o PM. New York, N.Y. Sept 15, 1943 (Date) Dear Agnes, Rec’d your air mail letter and was very glad to hear from you. I’m fine as usual, “Sweets” and hope you are the same. Well the two packages I sent are on the way and here’s hoping you get them. I sent my mother a big bed spread and Helen some of the hankies I sent to you. I still miss you as much as ever “Sweets” and am hoping that we shall get to see each other soon. We still are having the usual training to keep us fit. If we didn’t, we might get lazy. Was glad to hear that your folks arrived in Mich safely. [sic] Will close “Honey” and write soon. Yours always With Lots of Love Joe P.S. Give your folks my regards. {V-MAIL stationary footer} [V-mail envelope] �WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. OCT 4 6-AM 1943 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX 1832 Berkley St. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9, Mich. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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 1943-09-15 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 15, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 15, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated October 4, 1943. In the V-Mail letter, Joe is happy to hear Agnes' family made it safely to Michigan and he shares news of the packages he sent back home to Agnes, his mother, and sister Helen. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives