745 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7a3811e2e425f1db210654a2a48bd624.pdf d2f52fe245c0f3a68b8cb44277c30490 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/74ca78f74bcb4006db85e1a3ce41f548.pdf d3f41668aef8966505cdcadd8a912b0e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1945-04-27] [Page 1] England April 27, 1945. “My Dearest Darling,” Dropping you a few lines to let you know my thoughts are of you and my morale very low. Why? Because it’s two and a half weeks since I heard from you last. I keep hoping that I shall hear from you in the near future. I shall miss you as much as ever “Sweets” and love you more as times goes by. I really count the days “Darling” till I shall be able to hold you tight in my arms once again. I shall be the happiest man on Earth when that day comes because I can stand about 3 years of hugs and kisses I’ve missed. Gee! That’s an awful long time when one stops to think about it. Someday “Darling” we shall be together again if it’s God’s will and [Page 2] how fortunate I am to have a girlfriend like you. Gosh! “Sweets” every day I think of the cozy little home we shall have and live like other people. It gets me so homesick for you when I do and almost scream. I got it bad ain’t I? [sic] Wish I could bite your ears right now and squeeze you as hard as I used to. Golly that would be swell, but I’ll probably squeeze my pillow tonite [sic] as a substitute. Well, my love I shall close and write real soon. Loads of Love & Kisses Your Future Husband, Joe {Signature accent mark} PS. Enclosing another clipping. Give my best of wishes to Everyone? [sic] [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.) 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.) A.P.O.-551 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 551 APR 29 1945 �A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 56591 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1945-04-27 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 1945-04-27 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 27, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 27, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated April 29, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after two and a half weeks of not hearing from her and experiencing low morale as a result. He also writes while dreaming of their future together and how he is counting down the days until they are together again. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/816b6d5ea5ab6143be3a24757ba7d7f3.pdf 3c77e91d1e2acd3a99b91921ecd5aedd PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c7547e39bac46de267f0d58e7ae0a76a.pdf d5e4f1f38b07fdc86ab2aa21805bb060 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1945-04-29] [Page 1] England April 29, 1945. “Dearest Darling,” Here I am again today and what a wonderful day out to go walking. Wish you were here “Sweets” so we could. I still haven’t received a letter from you, but I’ve got my fingers crossed to get one at mail call today. I miss your letters ever so much “Darling” when I don’t get them. My one desire is to squeeze you with all my might and my thoughts are always of you. Sometimes I get so depressed and blue to think of the days we were cheated of during this war. I’m so homesick for you that at times I wished I could grow wings. I will love you always “Darling” and there is no one that will take [Page 2] your place in my heart. When I get back, I hope that we can get married as soon as we can. Although, I know it will be a problem to get things ready for our wedding. Gee! I can hardly waite [sic] for the day when I can see you marching down the aisle dressed in white. Nothing will stop us from our future happiness and to enjoy a good companionship life. We may have our wrongs and faults which can be overlooked and I know our marriage will be a great success. Having you for a wife “Sweets” will be wonderful. I only hope that I shall return for at least one of the summer months. Then we can spend our “Honeymoon” near the Lake [sic] I wrote to you about and to be lost in the surrounding scenery mother nature offers. [Page 3] There are a lot of rock gardens and large flower beds around there. It’s really beautiful. We can go swimming and canoeing all over the Lake. It’s 22 miles long and a wonderful place. But if you would care to go someplace else, we shall go. Anyplace with you “Darling” will be a paradise for me. What has my young lady been doing lately? Thinking of me a little I hope. My folks are always writing about you “Sweets” and think you’re grand. Nellie wants us to visit her. She claims to have a bedroom all set for us if we visit her. There are a lot of nice places to go to where she lives. I know that country pretty well too. I used to live near there once. I’ve got a buddy in the Pacific who I wanted for “Best Man,” but I shall be disappointed if he isn’t there. He’s a six-footer and very handsome. He calls me Half Pint. What a name. Ha! Ha! [Page 4] When he returns, he and I are going out for a celebration. I hope that if we are married, that you won’t feel hurt when we go. I told him that you were broad minded enough to know that we’ve been pals since we were knee high to a grasshopper. He said he was going to give you a special hug and a kiss for it. He’s a grand guy. Ask Helen about him. Both of them couldn’t sit still two minutes without having a tussle. Well, “Darling” I shall close with all my love to you. �Always, Your Future Husband “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. Give my best regards to the family. I had to send the watch back to be repaired. That package sure did reach me via snail express. A clipping of Sad Sack enclosed. [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.) 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.) A.P.O.-551 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 551 MAY 2 1945 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. PASSED BY 56591 U.S. ARMY EXAMINER [?] � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1945-04-29 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-04-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 29, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 29, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 2, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on a beautiful day in England, wishing they were together again and dreaming of their wedding day and future happiness. He also writes describing the natural beauty of their potential honeymoon at the lake and his hopes for his future "Best Man." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Weddings--Planning 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/bd64338b9ba2eee25a1003c246ed119d.pdf a7656af8c625cf130c91e20777fe601c PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bcda8226b5cd3c45f66629b04a588075.pdf d0cfcab99e996b1ab83bd22f26761c7d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1945-05-04] [Page 1] England May 4, 1945. “My Dearest Darling,” Rec’d your lovely letter of Apr. 24th and was very pleased to get it. It’s been almost 3 weeks that I have waited to get it and I must admit my morale was pretty low. I also got three V-mails from Ollie which is surprising. It sure is a relief to know you got all of the money I sent. Now I can destroy the receipts. I also got some very old letters that were sent to me when I was wounded last July. My thoughts are always of you “Darling” and how grand it will be when I shall be with you again. It’s been ages but I shall make up for last time. Ha! Ha! I love you more and more each day. Gosh!! I wish I could squeeze you right now. I could stand a lot of it myself, right now. How about you? Ha! Ha! Very teasing, ain’t I? [sic] [Page 2] I’m still patiently waiting for the go to pack up for my furlough and when it does come I might faint. Ha! Ha! I’ve written three long letters to you last week and I hope you rec’d them already. I’m coming along fine but pretty busy and I shall try to write to you at least twice a week. If I can write more I shall do it. I really miss your letters when I don’t get them and at times it seems as if someone heavy is sitting on my morale. Yes, it was a great shock and surprise to hear of President Roosevelt’s death and at first I didn’t believe it. There was big parade over here the day he was buried. His name will go down in History of Being the Best Leader of all time. The little dog I wrote to you about is gone now and I wish I could have kept him. I’m going [Page 3] to have a nice Fox Terrier or a Cocker Spaniel someday. They’re smart and I like them. I’m glad to know that the papers are putting the pictures of all the things that went on in the Concentration Camps in Germany. Maybe the people will now sit up and take notice. The Germans are Monsters not Human Beings and the German women are just as bad. Whatever the Allies do to them after this is over, will be too good for them. I have no sympathy for them at all. The war news is very good and when this was in Europe is over, we shall show the Japs that we mean business, to live like Human Beings. Helen writes that Gaylord is in Camp Wheeler. Hope he makes the best of the new life he will lead. I wish him luck. Well, “Darling” what have you been doing lately? Working hard as ever I suppose and thinking of me? Gosh!! “Sweets” what [Page 4] are we going to do the first day I arrive? I believe I’ll squeeze you to death then back to life. Think you can stand it? I can. Ha! Ha! How are the folks these days? Don’t forget to give them a Hello for me, will you? Well, I must close for now and write real soon. �Loads of Love & Kisses, Your Future Husband “Joe” {Signature accent mark} P.S. Enclosed is some Japanese invasion money my Buddy sent me. [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.) 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.) A.P.O.-551 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 551 MAY 6 1945 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1945-05-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-05-04 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 4, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 4, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), 6903 Reinf. Bn. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 6, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving her first letter in nearly three weeks in addition to old letters from the time he spent wounded in the hospital. He also writes further on President Roosevelt's death and his experience overseas during that time, while also sharing his thoughts on Germany and concentration camps during the war. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 Concentration camps 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/92461dc21b601b73ed2d1e1a29b37d59.pdf 0add0d165cf860d300da861d440cca52 PDF Text Text ��������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/738f2d99fea961c3dafa554f76286ea0.pdf fb6a180e74025bad474f89e3ed6f983f PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1945-05-31] [Page 1] England May 31, 1945. “My Dearest Darling,” Last nite [sic], I received one of your long-expected letters and the picture you sent. You don’t know “Darling” how greatly relieved I am to get this wonderful letter. I love your picture “Darling” and it makes you as lovely as I always thought you to be. Gosh! Sweets it’s wonderful to have all the blues vanish into thin air. If I had you here with me now “Darling,” I’d never stop squeezing you. My thoughts are always of you “Sweets” and I do hope that [Page 2] we will be together again for good. Gee! Honey I’ve been so lonesome for you in the past that at times I could almost cry. Just like a baby, ain’t I but never the less true. [sic] “Darling” when we are married, I want to make you as happy as you’ve made me since I’ve been away. God has gifted me with a wonderful girl and I shall always love you. I know too “Sweets” that it was been just as hard or harder for you when this war separated us. But it hasn’t broken down our love for each other and it never will. [Page 3] I never cease thinking of the day when I shall return to you and more since the war in Europe is over. Golly!! I could hold you ever so tight in my arms till they hurt. I wouldn’t mind either because I’d be the happiest man in the world. I’ve proposed to you so many times that I stopped counting. Maybe when I do get that opportunity, I won’t be able to speak. Anyway, I’ll try hard and I’ve always looked forward in being able to put the ring on your finger. The day we are married I will be a fortunate man to have a lovely wife as [Page 4] you. No matter what problems shall arise, we shall see it through and enjoying the happiness of sharing our lives in the days to come. We also have a lot of plans that we need to talk about and how I wish that we could do it now. But it’s best to waite [sic] till we are together. I am still waiting for my name to appear on shipping orders, but it will be a little while yet. As I’ve written before, I have 126 points and hope that I will go home by air. Gosh!! “Darling” we have so much lost time to make up and it’s going [Page 5] to be wonderful. Isn’t it going to be nice to fall asleep in each other’s arms? At least I won’t have to squeeze an old pillow all nite [sic] making believe it’s you. Ha! Ha! I was sorry to hear you rec’d some of yours back and it has happened to a lot of people. I went to the movie last nite and �saw “Impatient Years.” It was a swell picture. I didn’t see the picture, “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Will have to keep it in mind. Yes, it is a great relief for these people over here to know they won’t be bombed anymore. It even seems odd to [Page 6] me to see the lights on the streets and in the houses. Did you see any of the pictures about the Germans Concentration Camps? They are horrifying but true. If we didn’t get into the war when we did, America would have had the same fate. The people back home are mighty fortunate but do not realize it. The weather here in England is very changeable. It rains, shines, clouds and so forth every day. No, I haven’t heard from Roy or seen him since he got married. I don’t think he ever will write. I hope it didn’t scare you too [Page 7] much “Darling” when you saw the Japanese money. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sent it to you. I don’t believe my buddy will be back for our wedding, so I shall have to rely on Amen, Johnny, or Ollie to be the best man. I’m disappointed though not having Andy. How are your folks these days? Don’t forget to give them my best wishes? How is Gloria making out with her boyfriends? Gee! “Honey,” I only hope that I will be home for one of the summer months. We never did spend one together did we? [Page 8] Well, “Precious” I must close for we have an inspection in 15 minutes. Sending all my love and it was wonderful to get one of your lovely letters. “Bye!” Always, Your Future Husband Joe {Hand-drawn symbols representing hugs and kisses and the words “you” and “me”) P.S. Enclosing a clipping. I enjoyed it. [Envelope front] S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.) A.P.O.-551 c/o PM. – N.Y., N.Y. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 551 �JUN 1 1945 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1945-05-31 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-05-31 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, May 31, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 31, 1945. The envelope is sent from 6916 Reinf. Co. (Prov.), A.P.O.-551, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated June 1, 1945. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving one of her "long-expected letters" and a photograph with great relief. He writes of his great love for Agnes, despite the war that separated them, and how he never stops thinking of the day when he will return home to her now that the war in Europe is finally over. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Love letters Motion pictures--1940-1950 Concentration camps Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fa8c9b59d50383f403011ad1568ce172.pdf cef61786bc04aa46770acc1e9ae25a78 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7da2ffff73e801ba5bb77020fd7ad6e4.pdf 029350c9c7465b4061fb920535d2f264 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1946-08-28] [Page 1] August 28, 1946. Hello Hon, Writing to let you know everything is O.K. here and hope it’s the same with you. I’m kinda tired when I get home and go to bed early. We only worked to 4 o’clock today and I went looking for parts to fix the car. I got two parts but need another one. Well, how is the canning coming along. Got enough to last all winter? I may not work Saturday because work is slack but may work then anyhow but if I don’t I’ll breeze up there Friday night. Tomorrow, I’ll have to work on my car. [Page 2] No mail as yet for us but Nell got one from Cal. It’s been raining practically all day today. I miss your cooking at nites [sic] when I get home so that’s something ain’t it. Ha! Ha! I got a good start at “Bach-en it” anyway. I go out every nite with Blondes. [sic] Well, Darling I miss you a lot so don’t worry. I haven’t been able to get them boards for Dad because the company won’t sell them. I’ll try elsewhere to see if I can get them. How is everyone at the store. Give them my regards. I’ll bet they wanted you to start working right away. I’m not far wrong [Page 3] am I? Ha! Ha! Little Birdie told me. I’ve already made out my claim for furlough pay and will send it out tomorrow. If I figure right we’ll get around $500 dollars but I don’t know what the government is paying. How is Mother and the rest of the kids. Give them my regards. Ollie is still in the hospital and I haven’t been down to see him as yet. Maybe I’ll go Friday if I work Saturday. About the new car we weren’t lucky. But one women won two cars so it must have been the one we were supposed to get. Well, it was a good try and we may have better luck next time. Did you see about my watch? I sure [Page 4] wish it was fixed. Well, I guess I close and hit the hay. [sic] Bye for now. All my Love. Your Hubby, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Nice Letter Eh! Didn’t know I could do it. [Envelope front] �Joe Olexa 1190 Reed Pl. [?] Detroit, 2 Mich. {Postmark} DETROIT MICH. 8 AUG 29 9:30 PM 1946 Mrs. Joe Olexa c/o Ben [?] Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids, 9 Mich. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1946-08-28 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1946-08-28 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, August 28, 1946 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated August 28, 1946. The envelope is sent from 1190 Reed Pl., Detroit, Michigan, dated August 29, 1946. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes letting her know that all is well while he is away for work and hopes she is the same at her job. He also writes how he misses her and her cooking and gives his regards to her family back in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Furloughs Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f0c5eb0958ec9ed1154917d5db60a62.pdf 6190cec579f9a585226f4057a3585c9a PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/149579ad5c45399b7c16dfc3b1ed5053.pdf 4b9d4b30aef10a87a32f8bb122982e08 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-08] [Page 1] Co. L, 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. Sept. 8, 1941. Dear Agnes, Writing to let you know that I am very sorry for not coming down. Roy and I were on Guard Duty Sunday and couldn’t get away. You probably are mad at us and I hope we are forgiven. Anyway, we spoiled your weekend and I don’t blame you for being mad at us. If you would let me know [Page 2] when I can come down again I’ll jump at the opportunity. I was very pleased to meet you and I hope you were not disappointed when you saw me. I hope that we can get better acquainted in the future. I deserve a calling down, so don’t forget to, in your next letter to me. We are hiking quite a lot and having problems which seem to never end. [Page 3] As for having a little peace we never do for the Army always has something up its sleeve. That’s why we always get stung when we plan something. Roy and I can probably get or find a manual for your father and when I can come down I’ll bring it along. This book is the newest out and it has most of the things your father would like to read up on. I will have to make this letter short and will close hoping [Page 4] to hear from you real soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} PS. Give this note of Roy’s to Carolyn. I hope I am forgiven and that you will write soon. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-08 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 1941-09-08 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 8, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 8, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in Fort Devens, Massachusetts with an apology for not coming down to visit her over the weekend while he was on Guard Duty. Joe reassures her that he will visit on the next available opportunity, while writing how pleased he was to meet her and hoping that her feelings were the same. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) Guard duty Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/068acd2f73ad0d3ad18ae43101db72f7.pdf b82b62fa3a6ef7b6921d2ded36cc3d21 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/78b4b7f9baa14729abd25e4c530e5d26.pdf aca8f71416720c221adbc06cf04e5ae1 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-11] [Page 1] Co. L, 26th Inf. Fort Devens, Mass. Sept. 11, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter today and I must say that I really started something. I sure got a quick set back which sent me on my ear. I probably would have felt the same way so it makes us even or (don’t it). [sic] Guard duty is one main thing of the Army and you can’t get away from it. Ask your Dad [Page 2] and find out about Guard duty? [sic] Anyway, I wouldn’t like to be around when you are really mad. Carolyn wrote to Roy and invited him up to the dance but she didn’t tell him what day it was to be held. However, Roy and I will be up this Sunday afternoon providing we don’t have to do duty. If one of us can’t go, the other will for I’ll see to it personally. Roy and I just came back from the Post movie. We saw “Sun Valley Serenade” [Page 3] with Sonja Henie. She’s good. Excuse the different ink for someone took my favorite pen. Not much news since I wrote last only the same Army routines. Hiking, drilling, and so forth. I wouldn’t be much help in your homework for I’m pretty rusty, being out of school so long. We are wearing our winter clothing and we sure need it to stay in this state. I’d rather live in Alaska [Page 4] for I believe it’s warmer there. Ha! Ha! I hope you aren’t as mad at me this Sunday, as you were last Sunday. If you are, I’m taking along some cotton to put in my ears. Will close for now and hoping to see you Sunday. �As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Am I forgiven or will I get more when I see you. I’ve got my fingers crossed to make sure it won’t be. [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER SEP 12 4:30 PM 1941 MASS. {Postmark} - partially illegible FORT DEVENS STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] - partially illegible Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-11 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-09-11 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 11, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 11, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated September 12, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes in response to her most recent letter and discusses his experience with Guard Duty and the regular Army routines, the weather at Fort Devens, in addition to seeking her forgiveness in anticipation of seeing her in person on Sunday. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) Guard duty Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/18834ada9a4a42a541fce12515a5c92c.pdf b6820b2126aca07b6dc9219cf90e7caf PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/edb4ce5b69ff357a63b2f8e5ce7ad52c.pdf 845b6917930a581ad0093a490ec54e05 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-15] [Page 1] Co. L, 26 Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. Sept. 15, 1941. Dear Agnes, Writing to let you know Roy and I got back to camp in record time. Three women gave us a ride from your place to Fitchburg. They had a new Plymouth Coupe (club coupe). We had a very good chat with them to Fitchburg. From Fitchburg we got a [Page 2] ride to the road to Fort Devens, where we caught a bus which brought us to camp. We got here in an hour and a half. I hope you didn’t lose any sleep worrying about us getting back. If you did lose sleep, it's your own fault. I enjoyed visiting you and you folks. I want you to thank your Mother and Dad for eating there and I [Page 3] hope to come down again sometime. So don’t forget to thank them for me, will you. Is Gloria still mad at the world or did she get over it? Ha! Ha! My, she shouldn’t lose her temper that quick. I forgot to thank Carolyn’s mother for letting Roy and I stay there. Both of you have some swell folks whether you don’t believe it or not. Anyway, they shouldn’t have went through the trouble we may have [Page 4] caused them. Well, I haven’t much to write so I shall close hoping to hear from you soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t let too many read this letter, for I can show your letters to a lot of soldiers here. Ha! Ha! But I won’t. [Envelope front] �{Postmark} AYER SEP 18 4:30 PM 1941 MASS. {Postmark} FORT DEVENS STA. {Stamp} UNITED STATES POSTAGE 3 CENTS 3 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-15 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 1941-09-15 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 15, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 15, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated September 18, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes to let her know he made it back to camp safely after visiting with her and her folks, possibly at their home in Ashburnham, Massachusetts or an other unidentified location. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence 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/2ff42e83a194098f51ab332b7662e6dd.pdf 3acadee9eecfbd8b2a02ca888e93e022 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aba6d585cab51207547a644d4ed67f2f.pdf 37afa0a1be7c4e8a841ab6c485f75d5e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-25] [Page 1 - front] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. Sept. 25, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter and was glad to hear from you. Yes, you owed me a letter so that’s why I didn’t write. I had K.P. and believe me I really had to work. I was exhausted from washing so many pots, pans and dishes. I wouldn’t mind if it were a few but for 230 men is quite a lot of dishes. We are going to Fort Bragg, North Carolina on or about the 13th of October. Our maneuvers will probably start from there. From Fort Bragg, we are supposed to Texas. [sic] Rumors from our Commander is that we may stay there permanently. It’s only a rumor and you can not believe all you hear. It comes at an unexpected moment. Just like the Army to do it too. Guard duty for our Company is Sunday and I hope I don’t have to pull it. [Page 1 - back] However, Roy and I will be down Saturday providing I have no Guard Duty. I’m not making this Guard Duty an excuse so don’t go to thinking that I don’t want to come down. [sic] So, you’re going to write me only one paragraph, if I don’t write you a long letter. Well, what about that 8 page letter you were going to write me? I caught a slight head cold last Thursday nite [sic] sleeping out in the woods on a problem. I only had one blanket to keep me warm and the cold ground for a bed. I didn’t mind it though but when I woke up a nice coat of frost was on the blanket. We hike and do training problems everyday. Always on the go and we are quite tired at nite. [sic] Roy is out for the nite [sic] and when he left, I told him when he left, to think of me in a soft bed with plenty of blankets and then he could get warm. Looks like a cold nite too and I chuckle to myself for being lucky, enough, for not being picked to go out. You must have a lot of fun at school and sometimes I wish I were back. [Page 2 - front] If I should come down Saturday, be sure you have your homework done, for I may refuse to help you with your lessons. I must admit the three girls Roy and I rode home with were young, but nothing more than a little conversation of Army life was spoken. Girls do not make good debaters so I believe you lost. Anyway, the boys put up a good fight debating and win. Ha! Ha! �Gloria must have a very quick temper, to fly off the handle so easily. She ought to be a little more broad-minded and probably she may outgrow it. What do you think? If you told Carolyn you liked me on Sunday, what did you do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday? Cuss me, would probably be the answer. I don’t see where I am any different from any other person, so that is not a reason. How is your father and mother? Don’t forget to give them a big Hell-o for me. Has your father learned anything new from the Drill Manual? [Page 2 - back] After I finish your letter, I’m going to the show to see “Navy Blues.” It's supposed to be a good picture. I’m answering both of your letters, so don’t mind my every other sentence different than what you had written in your last letter. Still wanting to know that secret you and Carolyn had so don’t forget to tell me or I shall write a letter with one word. Hello {arrow pointing to “word”}. Well, I will close and I will try to be down Saturday. Two Sergeants just had a scrap and I just had to see it. It was only in fun. I wish it were real. O! Boy. [sic] So long. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Say! Aren’t you going to send me another picture of yourself? [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER SEP 26 4:30 PM 1941 MASS. {Postmark} - partially illegible FORT DEVENS STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. �[Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-25 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-09-25 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 25, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 25, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated September 26, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after being on K.P. duty and discusses his upcoming transition to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and his potential visit to see her that upcoming Saturday. Joe also mentions he is going to see the film "Navy Blues" after writing Agnes and requests that she send another photograph of herself in her next letter. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) Fort Bragg (N.C.) 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/e51e5650be3bc165edd5c5043795b614.pdf 59d3beaf1cc739035e98cdb9b0ec53cd PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7158b2af56b350f1a27cb3a2e2f9508f.pdf 07ddef408dee21c3b470c7ee26541bcc PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-30] [Page 1] Co. “L” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. Sept. 30, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letters and the pictures today. The pictures were fair but could have been better. Can’t kick, for they could have come [text strikethrough]{of} out worse. Roy and I caught a bus about 15 minutes after we left the car. It was 8:40 when I thought of you giving an oral. You ought to have heard me chuckle. Us boys were hiking at that time. Niagara Falls was a good subject to talk about, but to my estimation I made a bad impression of writing about it. Don’t you think so? Our three day problem was called off when the weather got cold Monday nite. [sic] We stayed out till ten that nite [sic] and my teeth sure did chatter. We could hardly keep warm without running around, so the Army gave us boys a break and I’ll bet that later on we’ll pay for it. We got in to hear Joe Louis knockout [Page 2] Lou Nova. He almost did but the fight was called off. Roy was telling me that Carolyn’s folks are coming down this weekend. I plan to get a pass and visit my sisters in Buffalo, if I can this Saturday and Sunday. We probably will be down on the 11th of Oct. providing we do not have to do duty. I did enjoy the weekend and I want to thank your mother and father for they’re [sic] hospitality. You won’t forget to thank them for me, will you? Christmas is a long ways off and I may be further away for just a ten day furlough. So, I’m not promising. If you whistle, like you did Sunday, I’d hate to be around when you really got started! Ha! Ha! What do you plan to do when you live in Grand Rapids again? Make your first million in Ashburnham [text strikethrough]{first} then live in luxury when you get into a good state. Ha! Ha! I’m hoping you get zero in your economic workbook. See how good the marks, I figure, you should have. Poor Gloria gets a raw deal most of the time, so the next time it happens, I’m going to [text strikethrough]{by} buy her a big all day sucker to make her happy. Ha! Ha! [Page 3] �Were the pictures intended for me to keep? Well you might as well know now that I’m going to keep them. I shall bring or send you one of my regimental insignias in the near future (Maybe). Say, did you know I forgot something of mine at your house!! Well, if you see any of my footprints I left there, be sure to keep them for me. Where does the light go when it is turned off? I’ve been trying to find the answer for it but no one seems to know. Do you? I shall close for I haven’t anything else to write. Give my regards to your folks. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} Answer Soon P.S. Write when you can. Excuse the mistakes for I planned to go to a movie but now it's too late. [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER OCT 1 4:30 PM 1941 MASS. {Postmark} - partially illegible FORT DEVENS STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. �{Postmark} ASHBURNHAM, MASS. OCT 7 [?] 1941 REC’D � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-09-30 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-09-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, September 30, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated September 30, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated October 1, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after an enjoyable weekend together with her parents, thanking them for their hospitality and wondering what her plans will be when she returns to living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence 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/7727ca5f0f328d782bb4b1b497f76e06.pdf 499cf150545b66612a56313a5143db94 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e02b1a75cb8cad90fb17be2598fd4812.pdf b54a7439e62cead2a86f0de0a6eadad2 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-06] [Page 1] Co. “L” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. October 6, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter Friday and am answering while I have the time. I didn’t visit my sisters, so they will have to wait till I get back. I spent my time going to the movies and at Whalom Park. I didn’t stay very long at the Park, for it was deserted. Someone didn’t let Roy know about the phone calls Carolyn made when her folks couldn’t get in the Post. This was due to the fellow in charge of the Orderly Room. He was very disappointed, too, for they made the trip down just to see him. Today us boys are packing some of our clothes to be sent south ahead of us. We are sending our blouse or coat as you call it, too, so that means they don’t want the boys to be away on the weekend. You know Emergency. [sic] I’ve still got a jacket, so I’m not worrying. I will be down this Saturday providing I’m not on duty and allowed to leave. [Page 2] I bought an insignia for you and will bring it down with me. If I would send it in a letter, the insignia would be damaged by the Stamp cancelling machine. Did you see your boyfriend Bowman and did you have a good time? There is a Frank Bowman here, who sleeps next to me, believe it or not. Good looking, too! I must say, you are going to have a good job but you may not get over your blushing. My, you must be a good actress to have a young doctor come to hold your hand. That’s bad! Let’s see, figuring the total of boyfriends you have, makes me last on the list and you a popular girl of Ashburnham. [sic] That’s bad also. It’s lucky that I’m broadminded, so I’m not jealous. Must close for we have to take the boxes with our clothes in it to the freight car. This is a short letter but will write a longer one next time. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} Answer Soon P.S. Give my best regards to the folks. Will try to be down Saturday. �[Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER, MASS. OCT 6 6 PM 1941 {Stamp} UNITED STATES POSTAGE Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 3 CENTS 3 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-06 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 1941-10-06 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 6, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 6, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated October 6, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes briefly to Agnes discussing his recent time spent going to the movies and Whalom Park, in addition to packing for their future move to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Bragg (N.C.) 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/8f0cbda83e7f13f452c7454eeb731f76.pdf c967f3376ea2f551190e20ea9d0b2769 PDF Text Text �������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/434e9ad2148a99e2ddb2b3623d8d2871.pdf 3002f87badeabea560a5786de0099c60 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-08] [Page 1] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L” Fort Devens, Mass. October 8, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter and was glad to hear from you. Your letter was quite long and I hope that I can make this long. I don’t know where Roy gets all of the news or things he writes, so I can’t write that much if I tried real hard. I got a letter from one of my sisters and I almost fainted to get it. I found out that I am a great uncle since my niece had a baby girl. She’s been married a year or so. I ought to celebrate in some way. We are already [sic] to leave for our maneuvers and this generation, as you call it, is not weak. We are just as good or better than the boys of 1917. This country is modernized now days [sic] and I do admit, we get a break once in a while. However, we train harder and I’m [Page 2] not kidding. From the hikes and problems we are getting here, the maneuvers we are going on will be tough. I shall try to write to you regularly while on maneuvers, if they keep us out in the field and moving, it will be hard to answer your letters on the dot. Yes, some of the boys have gone to make preparations for the rest of us and I’m glad I wasn’t one of them picked to go, although I’m not afraid to work. Rumors are that we may get Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday off but I wouldn’t count on it. We had this afternoon off for sports and I played softball. Of course, the side I was on won without bragging 14-0 and I was the catcher. The roller-coaster at Whalom was running but not many rode it. The Skating Rink was open and hardly anybody skating. [sic] Did you get your notebook work back? The one I helped you with. What were your marks? I’d like to hear you give an oral or a debate, just to see how good you are. [Page 3] �{Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry I was just comparing your last letter with the first one you sent to me. There’s a lot of difference between them. I have all of your letters that you sent to me and that’s only ten. I keep all of my letters to read over at times when I haven’t much to do. So, the fellow at the gate flirted with your girl friends. Well, most soldiers do except me and that’s hard to believe. They change the rulings on the Post that it is even hard for a soldier to keep up with them. There’s nothing but a lot of barracks here anyway. A person cannot go in them unless it’s a man, so I think it would not be interesting for women. Of course, if women would like a lot of soldiers to look at them, they might enjoy it. I haven’t written with this kind of paper in so long that my lines are hard to keep even. [Page 4] Most of it looks like a snake. I’d like to play on a football team against Cushing. I’d sure let them know that they were up against one of the best. Ha! Ha! I sure can remember when I was one on a good team and a lot of times I was all banged up and sore from playing. So, you haven’t a list of boy-friends. [sic] Well, judging from your letters, you have a few. Now, what shall I be on that list? A friend, admirer, man or mouse. Mostly mouse, for I could imitate one pretty good. Ha! Ha! Do you think so? Roy is in a business nowdays helping the taylor to press clothes. [sic] He is lucky to get that job and to get a little more money. What time does the football game start Saturday? You didn’t tell me whether it was in the afternoon or nite. [sic] I hope I am not on duty then so don’t forget to cross your fingers. I would like to see you and your folks before I leave. I still think they are swell. [Page 5] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry You can give them my regards and a big hell-----------------o. [sic] Got to use space to make this letter long, for I’m running out of brains. I’ll make sure that I can get a little more when they issue them to us, again. The barracks are pretty quiet at present, for the boys got canteen checks and are out buying things they need at the Post exchange. �We never get paid while on maneuvers. The money may burn a hole in our pockets and we wouldn’t want that to happen. I’m still curious to find out that little secret you and Carolyn had a while back, so don’t forget to tell me the next time. Right now, I am listening to cowboy songs on the radio two beds away. Have you found out where the light goes when it is turned off, yet? I still don’t know either. I got a [text strikethrough] letter from my brother at college and from what he writes, he has a lot of studying and hard work. [Page 6] Your letter will be shorter than mine this time for I write small. Well, I wish I was there to help you with your homework. I’m interested to see how many zero’s you get. You must have football players for a faculty, to have a teacher kick some of the boys out of the room. [sic] That would be just the thing for me, only the teacher would be the one flying out. Nice school you go to. Eh!! When I went to High School I used to visit the Principal everyday and he always to say, “Well, Joe what have you done this time.” I got to where I said them words before he could speak. That’s hard to believe, but nevertheless true. I wasn’t an [text strikethrough] angel and was full of pep, at least I thought I had. Running out of brains again, so I shall close. Write if you can before Saturday to let me know when the football game starts. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Yes, I really bought the spade pin for you and I surprise myself at times. Is this letter long enough? [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER OCT 9 4:30 PM �1941 MASS. {Postmark} - partially illegible FORT DEVENS STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. Joe Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. No. 1 Fort Bragg, North Carolina � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-08 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 1941-10-08 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 8, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 8, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated October 9, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes multiple pages to Agnes discussing how he and his peers compare with the young men of 1917 that preceeded them, the difficult maneuvers they are facing, and how he hopes to see Agnes and her folks before he leaves for North Carolina. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/204c48e6eb518a13ceafb7d8f6738856.pdf ce5f9c716dc552b14bf7b45236c11ed2 PDF Text Text �������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bc7b661f2334abefbd89b1201aadd488.pdf c4cc1c47948b1a7f5e966d003d76cf07 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-19] [Page 1 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L” A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, North Carolina Oct. 19, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter today and was surprised to receive one that long. It was a novel instead of a letter. That’s the kind of letters I like to get so don’t forget to write them long. I am writing on the top of my barracks bag so you will have to excuse the writing. We got here Thursday afternoon and I needed too canes [sic] to help me walk along. We were pretty well cramped up with our full field packs, rifles, and barracks bags. Most of the time my legs were up around my neck. We traveled about 200 miles a day and stopped for a 10 minute rest at two hour intervals. The only thing I liked while on the trip was to wave at all of the girls. These Southern girls are nice and I could listen for hours by the way they talk with a drawal. [sic] [Page 1 - back] There are a lot of tent cities for miles around this place. Seems though, that all of the soldiers in the Army are down here. There will be a 100,000 [sic] soldiers in this maneuver and tomorrow is the beginning. We have six men to a tent, no cots or beds, just a mattress filled with straw and our blankets to keep us warm. This place is plenty dusty and we are about 30 miles from the nearest town. The water is scarce around these parts so the government has to buy it and truck it in here. We can only shave once a week and will be tried by court martial if we shave more than once a week. The days are mighty hot and at nites we freeze. [sic] We have to stand retreat with arms and cannot leave the camp site except Saturday afternoons and Sunday. Hitch-hiking isn’t so easy down here for the cars are few and plenty of soldiers. We are not at Fort Bragg but our mail is sent out to us from there. They say it is 40 miles to Fort Bragg. Although many of us can not get to the towns, we have some recreation such as movies, volleyball, football, softball, a radio and last of all to write letters. �[Page 2 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry I took a magnifying glass to look for the tears on your letter and found nothing. See, I’m a great detective, too, so you didn’t fool me. Ha! Ha! Punchy isn’t smelling furniture but does a lot of crumbling about the place we are in. Anyway the majority of us do. The Army always thinks of us boys. The hard way. [sic] The other fellow is still carrying his girl's picture around in his hand and I believe he is getting crazier every day. I didn’t see you pass the bus but I had watched. I got back to camp that Sunday for dinner. We were supposed to have [chicken] [sic] but I think the chicken walked into the pan and jumped out in a hurry for I didn’t see any of it. No, I didn’t stay out before our trip and I was in bed at 8:30 believe it or not. I’m trying to write a letter yet trying to listen to the boys talk and having some come in to borrow something. See what I have to put up with. So, it took you two days to write that letter or novel I should say, well I wrote the last letter to you in two hours. [Page 2 - back] You’ve got me wondering and curious about the shorthand. I figure it isn’t worth knowing because it wasn’t written out. I may be wrong, but you could have written it out for me. I wouldn’t know or find out what it says, so I’ll chalk one up for you. Did you get my card? Roy wrote a long letter to Carolyn for I had seen him writing when the tent sides were rolled up. He is about five tents down and across the way. Where did you get your writing paper? I’ll bet you stole it. Is it a bet? Ha! Ha! You state in your letter that you know me pretty well? Do you? I’ve just been a wondering. [sic] You didn’t miss me that much, did you, to have the bottom fall out of everything. The next time you shed some tears, why not let them drop in a bottle, so that you can send them to me. That would be a swell souvenir! What do you think? Anyway, you shouldn’t shed tears just for me because I think I’m not worth that much. I hated to leave myself and did enjoy visiting with you and your folks. I even forgot to thank them for their hospitality. So, don’t forget to thank them for me. Next week we are going to be issued more brains, so I shall steal a little [Page 3 - front] �more than my share. I shall consider myself a little more intelligent, but if they run out before I get some, I’ll just have to wait till the next time. Bowman don’t like to write letters [sic] and I shall try to find someone to write to your cousin. If not, I'll write to her myself. Ha! Ha! Who were the two fellows with you and Carolyn when you went walking? Don’t lie now, for a little birdie told me about it. Ha! Ha! I go walking myself, every day, so I believe we are even only yours was pleasure and mine a regular routine. I received a prompt answer from my sister and my letter to her made her set up in a hurry. Maybe the next will be after Christmas. I’m going to invite you down for some southern fried chicken this Sunday and I don’t want you to be late. We are going to have everything from soup to nuts, so don’t miss it. See how thoughtful I am. I should get a little credit on this at least or should I. How is Gloria and her water boy getting along? Do they still get mad at each other? [Page 3 - back] Just got back from supper so I shall continue to write. By the rumors going around we will be back for Thanksgiving but I will not believe it. We are about 60 miles from High-Point, N.C. but I believe I will not stick my nose outside of our camp area. Roy just came over to tell me he got a letter from Carolyn. I think that the comic strip you sent fits him to a tee. I haven’t found out where the light goes after it is turned off, so I can’t tell you. I’m not going to tell you the difference between your first and last letter, till you let me know what that shorthand is. Well, I think this letter is almost as long as yours and write them just as long and then you may keep me cheerful while in the field. I shall try to write mine long. Will close and give my best regards to your folks and tell them I said hello. Don’t forget to write soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Roy is here again to bother me so I’m lucky that I am closing. [Envelope front] {Postmark} FORT BRAGG, N.C. �OCT 21 12:30 AM 1941 {Stamp} UNITED STATES POSTAGE 3 CENTS 3 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-19 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-10-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 19, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 19, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, dated October 21, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes thanking her for her recent "novel" of a letter and letting her know more about his trip down south to North Carolina and his life at Fort Bragg so far. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Bragg (N.C.) 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/b67413dbbc938e92808d885cf7b8f30c.pdf 3788dbaa8f78684fdf196245ed0880de PDF Text Text ���������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d4bb250d24de545d9b5e35388afb8e4e.pdf f6fd7033ae3e6406da135ef7793b109d PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-26] [Page 1 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L” A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. Oct. 26, 1941. Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter and was very glad to hear from you. Just as I was starting to write, a dog came in and is bothering me. The dog walked onto my paper, so this is the second sheet. I like dogs so it doesn’t matter. We got back from a five day maneuver and I almost thought that I wouldn’t live through it. We traveled about forty miles by truck at 6 miles an hour and it sure made us mad. We also traveled without any lights. After reaching a fair sized town, we got off of the trucks and hiked to a place eight miles to where we camped for the night. Of course to make us more comfortable, they made us carry our full field equipment. We rested about two hours, ate breakfast and pushed off for an attack on the enemy. Again, we hiked till 4 in the afternoon and then camped again. [Page 1 - back] We stayed in this place a day and a half, while other troops made the attack. What I mean by we is the whole regiment, in other words the 26th. Of course there were about 100,000 of us on the little maneuver. From ten o’clock till the end of the problem we were on the move. We hiked 10 miles at nite [sic] to a river wading in up to our knees, to get into boats which took us across. Boy it sure was cold that nite without the water. Upon getting to the other side we started an attack through the woods in the dark. You can just imagine how many bumps and branches hitting us before dawn. Well, we contacted the enemy, shooting blanks to make it real and there were too many for our platoon to handle so our platoon leader sent me for more help from our company commander. The enemy was only a Battalion which is 800 men. I started for help and fifteen minutes after I left our men, I was captured by three enemy men. So, they took me along with three other men they had captured. They were taking us to the enemy headquarters, when 12 men from our [Page 2 - front] �side ambushed them and released us boys. Off I went again like a jack-rabbit to get help for our platoon. I walked about 3 miles but no help to be found. Reason was our troops changed their course to hit the enemy from another angle. I finally hit a road rounded a bend and smack into the enemy again. [sic] This time I couldn’t escape for there were about 20. They had about 30 of us and took us back of the enemy lines to their headquarters. So I walked again for about 5 miles to get there. Believe me I was plenty tired for I hadn’t eaten or rested. Well, the war was over for me, I thought, being a prisoner. I ate my breakfast at noon, for we carried canned rations and of all things it had to be Hash. I don’t like it but since I was hungry I managed to force it down my throat. After my breakfast I curled up and slept. Somebody about an hour later woke me up and to my surprise it was our own troops. They had captured this headquarters which was for a Battalion. [Page 2 - back] That was just fine for me so a bunch of us started off again to find our companies. By the time I found them the problem was over and my platoon leader was sure worried about me, so I had to tell him what had happened to me. We waited for the trucks to pick us up and at that we were packed like sardines and to make it more comfortable, we had to stand up for the forty mile ride back to our tent city. We won the war, though, for our troops captured almost every headquarters that the enemy had. I didn’t take any part in the fighting for I was a prisoner at the start. Tomorrow, which is Monday, we are going out on a 12 day problem and it will be a lot tougher. One thing about us, on maneuvers is that we go through the hardships as if it were a real war, except we use blanks, instead of live ammunition. We eat and rest on the fly when we can but most of the time we are on the go. I probably will not be able to answer your next letter till we get back so don’t be disappointed if I can’t answer it promptly. We are going to have another twelve day problem after this one which will end our maneuvering. [Page 3 - front] I forgot to tell you that our enemy on maneuvers here are the National Guards. To me, they are a bunch of boy scouts. We are the Blues and they are the Reds. Oh it isn’t very dusty down here for you can wash your face and three minutes later, you’ll be as black as an ace of spades. After I wash and look into a mirror, I see something black and make a grunt of approval and say it must be my shadow. I eat about a barrel of dust a day so I’m getting used to eating it. I am taking some pictures of the boys and the tents. Here’s hoping they come out good. As for me teaching you how to drive I could but women get too excited and nervous. If they keep their head and pay a little attention to what someone tells them, they can learn to drive. There are a lot of things you will have to learn besides steering and shifting a car. This is watching your speed, keeping your eyes on the road and the other car in front of you or the car coming toward you. Keep on your side of the road. In other words you have your mind on your driving �[Page 3 - back] and watching the other fellow. This, if you keep it in mind, will come natural to you. A car isn’t like a wagon, so your main objective is to be alert at all times for any quick thinking to avoid hazards. The last but not the least is to keep cool. Your judgment has to be a flash and keep control of your car at all times. Learning to drive may be simple to talk about but quite hard. You cannot learn in one day or one week so when you start to operate a car pay most of your attention to the one who is trying to teach you and you’ll find out how much easier it will be for you. Don’t be discouraged about what I had written, for if you want to learn to operate a car it will be like taking a subject in school. If you don’t do your lessons in school the outcome will be a failure and a car operation is on the same principal. One thing is to have a lot of patience. Do you have a lot of patience? I hadn’t known that you and Carolyn were on the outs. She had written to Roy about it and the first I knew of it is when I received your card. [sic] Well, air mail letters are O.K. but I can get a letter through the mail just as quick or send one. I’ve still got my beard and right now I look like a bum. If you saw some of us now you’d say they were not in [Page 4 - front] the Army. I believe a person (boy or girl) should go out with a few others of the opposite sex. The reason for this is to see what type of a boy or girl you would prefer. There are all lot of differences and when you find your ideal, he or she will be just or almost like your thinking, the way he or she ought to be, according to your standards in mind. In other words, find out their habits, temper dislikes and likes, etc. Well, that’s enough on that subject, continued till another time. Wherever they had broadcasted from a maneuvering camp is beyond me unless it is the National Guard or some drafters. Remember that the regular Army isn't sissy’s and things they ought to have and want never come true. We’re the Fighting First and famous, live up to our reputation of being the best soldiers in the World. Where can we find time on maneuvers for good times? Sure in the Boy scout outfits they can have it, for if they didn’t, they would cry they’re eyes out and asking for mother. In the fighting first we take it on the chins like soldiers and grin when [Page 4 - back] �things get tougher. All the enemy had to do was to ride in trucks to positions of the maneuvers and us boys hiking to attack which isn’t so easy. This is one point proven what a soldier is and what a boy scout as I call them, are. When I started this letter I didn’t have much to write but I managed to write a page or two. Will close and write soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Give my regards to the folks. [Envelope front] {Postmark} FORT BRAGG, N.C. OCT 27 9 - PM 1941 {Stamp} UNITED STATES POSTAGE 3 CENTS 3 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-10-26 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-10-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 26, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 26, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, dated October 27, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while being visited by a dog at camp and sharing his harrowing experience during their five day manuever, while anticipating the twelve day problem that is to follow the next day. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Bragg (N.C.) 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/2e62acb48860b259abf374f4a21e46c9.pdf cdbb03cd72dbdb334033941b3a260aa1 PDF Text Text ���������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6aef04d0918f41e5b51b72600a7b9379.pdf e2e2697d0b533b340554bd30cc052f36 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-11-03] [Page 1 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L” A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. Nove. 3, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter and was glad to hear from you. So my last letter was a business letter. Well, I like that very much. I have misplaced the pictures you sent and if I cannot find them, I would like to have the negatives to have more made. We are leaving for our last maneuver and then back to Devens. They say we are going to get 30 day furloughs but I’ll settle for only six. Our last maneuver was two Corps fighting against each other. We rode 150 miles to fight, went into a woods to rest. We stayed there a day and a half then traveled 40 miles by truck to meet the enemy. While we were camping for the first nite [sic], it rained cats and dogs and it didn’t let up till 8 o’clock that morning. [Page 1 - back] Anyway us boys had a little tent to keep some of the rain out. After I got mine made, I thought I would have a good sleep. I was snoozing away peacefully when the water, which was like a creek, woke me up. I yelled “man the lifeboats.” Some fellow had dug a trench around his tent into mine. The water was 4 inches deep and I was cold and all wet. Boy, I could have killed that fellow. I then took my wet blanket, a shelter half and rifle, to another spot. This place was a little better but wet so I laid my rifle down, raincoat on top of it and pulled the wet blanket and shelter half over me. I didn’t sleep anymore and my yelling had awakened a lot of the boys up, so there was a lot of grumbling. They sure did laugh at me for yelling “Man the lifeboats” and I chuckled a little myself even though I looked like a drowned rat. While riding the 40 miles to meet our enemy we were packed like sardines with full field equipment and to top [Page 2 -front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry it off we had to stand up. Getting off of the trucks we hiked about a quarter of a mile and smack into the enemy. The machine gun and rifle firing made a lot of noise and we just scattered for �cover like bed bugs. Although they were firing blanks, we made believe that it was live ammunition. From there we advanced to a river. The enemy was on the other side but we couldn’t cross it at that time. Although the machine guns and rifles made a racket, we boys yelled at the boy-scouts to clear out or the regulars would clean them up and so forth. Our platoon leader then got an idea to try to cross it, so in he went and the others followed. The water was deeper than he thought it was so he said if you can’t swim or go back. About 4 boys besides our leader nearly drowned and it was lucky that some others were close by to help them. One Sargent [sic] and our leader wouldn’t [Page 2 - back] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry have made it if the boys on the other side wouldn’t have went in to help them. They were plenty weak and had swallowed a lot of water. Any person trying to swim with his clothes on, equipment and rifle is crazy. Our company commander then had our platoon Sargent go up the river to see if we could cross it some place further up. We hit a spot that was up to our armpits and followed in a line across to the other side. Walking a mile back on the enemy’s side we came up and captured them. It was a whole company and were they surprised. Our company crossed the same place where we did after us. Well, our regimental commander came up to us boys, complimenting us for the good work. He stated that capturing this enemy had caused the regiment to move forward. Boy, our chests sure puffed up some when we heard that. Just think going through all of that trouble wading across the river and hiding with a big bridge looking us in the face before we even got to the river. Oh! We couldn’t go across on it, for it had been blown up but it didn’t look that way to me for trucks and cars were moving over it. Isn’t that the nuts!! [Page 3 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry This of course was according to a real war. After the troops all got on the enemy’s side we hiked about 3 miles and camped for it was then 4 o’clock in the afternoon. At least, I thought we could rest but no sooner had I laid down when bang, bang, and another battle started. Reason for this is that a bunch of boys went to look for hickory nuts and they ran into the enemy’s reserve troops. Well, it was a tussle advancing and with drawing on both sides until you couldn’t see, so the war was called off for that time. Anyway we didn’t fight there the next day but had ridden back 10 miles over the bridge that was blown up to camp for the nite. [sic] We ate supper at 11:30 that nite and all of us had eaten our sandwiches for dinner at seven that morning, while riding on the �trucks to meet the enemy. At 2:30 the next morning we got up, ate breakfast and hiked about 5 miles to another spot to be ready for the enemy again. An enemy aeroplane dropped a few flares [Page 3 - back] just before we started hiking and believe it or not it was daylight until the flares went out. We didn’t dare move for an aeroplane can pick up objects in a hurry if we did. We had a tank attack the same morning and they sure scare people without firing their guns. After that attack we were put into reserve and we grabbed a couple of hours sleep. That nite recall blew and the guys jumped around like mad men for the war was over. This problem didn’t go twelve days. We were only 40 miles from camp and I sure was glad of that. I nearly blowed [sic] the tent apart when I found out that I had two wool blankets stolen. They only cost seven dollars a piece and I wouldn’t be surprised to gain them back the same way, for fourteen dollars is a lot of money in the Army. This is the first time I had something stolen from me and it had to be two blankets. One more maneuver which is the biggest and I may be able to talk about it without writing. The maneuvers start with a division, getting larger with a corp and last, Army. If it goes beyond Army, it would take in Navy and Marines. You know sometimes I wonder why I shouldn’t have been a news writer but I’ll settle to writing letters and [Page 4 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry hope they will be interesting. The days are still hot and the nites [sic] cold, if it rains well we make the best of it. Say, when are you going to translate this shorthand for me? If you don’t, I shall get mad and not write. It better be the truth, for a fellow here has a girlfriend at home who took up shorthand. I have seen about three letters that Roy received from Carolyn, so I don’t see where I would be mad. Anyway, I don’t care to read them. My tent sides are rolled up and I just saw some of the fellows pushing a ball which is 5 foot high and six feet around. It is filled with air. Have you ever seen one of these? I don’t know the name of it at present but I shall try to find out. It's an Indian Medicine Ball. Roy and I went to Winston-Salem Saturday and stayed at a fellow’s home. He is from Pennsylvania. We had a swell time there and at that didn’t leave his house. We played cards and ate pop-corn and [Page 4 - back] �candy. These people invite the soldiers to their home and each time after maneuvers we are allowed to go. This was my first time to go and I nearly forgot that I was a soldier. Anyway it broke up the monotony. Do you think that I shall win that bet we made? We are having battleships sunk and I believe Uncle Sam isn’t going to stand for that very long. Well, I shall close and write when you can, [make it soon]. [sic] As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. What is going to be in that package? I’ll bet a bushel of paper, just to keep me busy, doing something. Ha! Ha! Excuse the pencil and writing for we are due to leave and I can push a pencil faster than a pen. My sister surprises me for she answers my letters promptly. Your typing was good for the first time and I’ll bet it took you a long long time to type the letter. [Envelope front] {Postmark} FORT BRAGG, N.C. NOV 4 11:30 PM 1941 MASS. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-11-03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-11-03 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 3, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-Mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 3, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, dated November 4, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes as he is leaving for his last maneuver at Fort Bragg before returning back to Fort Devens in Massachusetts. He also writes in great detail telling her the story of his latest manuever, which illustrates some of his most focused and impassioned writing and causes him to wonder why he hadn't become a news writer for his profession. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Bragg (N.C.) Military maneuvers 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/4a38b57c5fa3b80b1050b3de0b7aaadc.pdf 429124c67731a0857ec21323b480e6f7 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9df0333a66488f9ce6aa3215d74539a1.pdf 07e92520794174d436d9ba9801b8ab9f PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-11-09] [Page 1 - front] {Stationary letterhead} USO November 9, 1941 Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. Dear Agnes, Writing to catch up on the mail I owe you for I have enjoyed your letters very much. I want to thank you for the candy and cigarettes and I appreciate it very much. Our last maneuver was an easy one for we were in reserve. It was about time we got a break and we have done well without bragging. I am in Greensboro, N.C. on one of these hospitality trips. I have enjoyed myself and believe it or not I danced a few times. I wasn’t perfect but give myself credit for not stepping on the girls toes. I slept at the YMCA and at present writing to you from here. I don’t know whether I can make this a long letter but I shall try. [Page 1 - back] Roy couldn’t come because he was on K.P. duty. I’m lucky for I haven’t had it yet. I don’t show him my letters so that makes us even. I don’t think we shall be back for Thanksgiving and I shall be very disappointed if we are not. The weather here has been cold both day and nite. [sic] I use all of my blankets to keep me warm. I gained them two blankets back like I said I would and I wouldn’t have been a thief, if that person would have let mine alone. So you like a Ford and that is one car I wouldn’t give two cents a carload for. Why? Because they last about 6 months then you are ready for another new one. I wish I was there when they were arguing about the Fords for I love to argue about them as a disability and money robbing car. I’ll still stick to a Pontiac or a Dodge. I want you to thank Charly for writing and I believe the paper company would make a [Page 2 - front] {Stationary letterhead} USO lot of money on him. Ha! Ha! �We’ve had two soldiers from our regiment killed by civilian cars last week. I didn’t see them for I wasn’t there when it happened. One fellow was blinded by another car and run over one of soldiers who was walking on the road. [sic] Well, I shall have to hurry with this letter for I want to go to church this morning. I’m still waiting for the translation of that shorthand and if it isn’t in your other letter, I shall get mad. My sister writes regularly to me now but I haven’t heard from home or from my brother in a month. So, you see I have you and my sister writing to me. How is the weather up there? Is there any snow on the ground? I have heard that we will go back by [Page 3 - back] truck to Devens. Nice Army I calls it. [sic] Well I cannot think of anything more to write so I shall close hoping to hear from you again soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I shall return your kind thinking of me in the near future. Excuse the pencil and mistakes for I’m not going to re-read it. [Envelope front] {Postmark} GREENSBORO NOV 9 10 AM 1941 N.C. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Joe Olexa Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O #1 Fort Bragg, N.C. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-11-09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-11-09 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 9, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 9, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, dated November 9, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while staying at a YMCA in Greensboro, North Carolina on a hospitality trip and sharing the news that he most likely won't be able to return home for Thanksgiving that year. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Greensboro (N.C.) 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/65939e560fd73a9884aa2d03f2d8a235.pdf 45ff8bff978c02f356e271de19cbe292 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b56ccab749ecd71ebe8ddc19fa5888d6.pdf 62b0a9094dc7876f85da8de1f330ad6a PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-07] [Page 1] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. Dec. 7, 1941 Dear Agnes, Arrived here last nite [sic] and I’m glad we did. It sure was cold riding and sleeping out but I guess we all shall survive. The maneuvers are over and how long we will stay here is a question. We sure did beat the Reds on maneuvers and drove them halfway into South Carolina. I didn’t have much time to write, so I thought I’d write now. Roy and I are on the outs and not on speaking terms. I believe he went to see Carolyn today. I’ve got a lot of work to do myself and at that not enough clean clothes or I would have dropped in to see you. We are getting fifteen days and I shall have to decide whether I want to go home or stay around the barracks. They will probably start giving them out the fifteenth of this month. [Page 2] I was quite surprised when I didn’t see any snow on the ground in these parts. Well, one night can bring as much as 18 inches of snow, so, there will be some for Christmas. Our Thanksgiving in the field was fair and we couldn’t [?] but it could have been better. I may be down this weekend but don’t count on it, for I am not sure. The first chance I get, I will. How are the folks and yourself? Give them my regards. Will close and write soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] �{Postmark} AYER, MASS. DEC 8 8-AM 1941 {Postage Stamp} UNITED STATES POSTAGE 3 CENTS 3 Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-07 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-12-07 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 7, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 7, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 8, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after arriving back at Fort Devens and filling her in on the latest news regarding furloughs over the holidays and his Thanksgiving spent in the field. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence 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/a657b495703c436dddfd07e88ef99ef1.pdf 293418fbe9c5080fbe5cdbf6fac82f67 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/606711c004f66d5997d4baa42761c99d.pdf 0a8ba98faa05a5ac59baf92ca0297cd0 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-10] [Page 1] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. December 10, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter today and was glad to hear from you. Most of the boys went on furlough today and since there are not many here at present, we don’t have much to do. Us boys don’t take the war situation too hard and we are ready to leave when told. All we can do at present is to keep our chin up. How long we will remain in Fort Devens will be a question. I’m still undecided whether I should go home or stay here. My wish was that if I was away from home when war was declared, I wouldn’t go home. If I did go home it would be hard on myself, as well as my folks. I have no worries and one life to live so I’m going to make the best of it. [Page 2] I’ve been away from home a long time so I believe my folks will not take this situation so hard. If I do go on furlough, I’ll spend my time with a few friends that I know. Well, that’s all about my little troubles at present and I’ve won my bet with you so pay up. Ha! Ha! I knew Roy’s folks were writing to Carolyn and her mother but Roy had a hard time to have his folks write to them. I shall try to be down this Saturday providing I am not on duty or Guard. No civilians are allowed to come on the Post, since we are at war. I even have to get a special pass to leave the Post myself, so you see the Army is getting strict. So, you gave me a ring by telephone! I might believe it and I may not. Ha! Ha! Yes, I got your last letter and card while in Carolina but I was quite busy believe it or not, and didn’t have time to write. [Page 3] �{Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Punchy went home today on furlough and I believe he has graduated from smelling furniture. I have heard from my brother at College [sic] and expect a letter from home and sisters sometime this week. My, it’s too bad that Gloria and Charlie are on the outs. I’ll bet she still likes him but won’t admit it. I did hear Pres. Roosevelt’s speech Monday and most of us were sure that he would ask for a declaration of war. All of the boys have to be back by the 2nd of January and I believe we will do a lot of training. How are your marks in school? I hope they’re all zero’s, just to be mean. I am trying to make this letter a little longer but you know, I’m running out of brains again. [Page 4] Will close and write when you can. Give my regards to the folks. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} Just thought of a few riddles. Can you answer them? P.S. 1. How far can a man go into the woods? 2. If a man had a hay field with 3 ⅓ hay stacks in one corner and 4 16/17 hay stacks in the other corner? How many hay stacks would he have if he put them all together? 3. If a lot of trees are a forest! What is a single tree? 4. A man had a fox, a goose and a bushel of corn. He came to a river and had to take them across by a boat one at a time. How did he do this without the fox eating the goose or the goose eating the corn? [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER DEC 11 11:00 AM 1941 �MASS. {Postmark} - partially illegible FORT [DEVENS] STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-12-10 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 10, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 10, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 11, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while most of "the boys" are out on furlough, questioning how long they will be stationed at Fort Devens, and wondering about a potential declaration of war during President Roosevelt's recent speech. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) United States. President (1933-1945 : Roosevelt) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7fdccc32c5be6ec8adf0b05db1ca2d33.pdf 0fc8e45e7d165cca21fdd9c0e945b905 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/845543e35474c99068ae684b7baf8392.pdf 488ee55ecc576aa71007e074d33e5999 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-14] [Page 1] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. Dec. 14, 1941 Dear Agnes, I am so sorry that I could not get away from the Post. I didn’t get my pass and I sure was mad. We are on an alert every second day for Sentry duty on the outside, if we are called. Roy must have a horseshoe in his pocket to get a pass. This Friday and Saturday, I am to go out on the firing range but if I get back early enough, I will try to make it up to your place. You probably have the impression by now that I don’t want to go up. If you have, you’re wrong, for I’m not mad. All furloughs have been cancelled for the present. [Page 2] I’m getting a lot of tough breaks nowdays [sic], so I just grin and bear it. I have heard from home and they said that they would like to see me for Xmas. If I don’t get my furlough they will be disappointed. I’m expecting most anything to happen nowdays. [sic] Have you figured out the riddles yet? Well, I shall close and I am sorry that I couldn’t come. The old saying is, you can’t depend on soldiers. Write to me soon. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. If there are no more furloughs in the future, I shall come down to your place for Christmas. Am I invited? �[Envelope front] {Postmark} - partially illegible AYER DEC. [?] [?] MASS. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-14 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-12-14 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 14, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 14, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes during a period of being on alert for sentry duty and a series of "tough breaks" while all furloughs are being cancelled, but still holding onto hope that he can visit his family or Agnes for the Christmas holiday. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Guard duty Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/82656a3f014450d49d9129f054acff49.pdf d09bee0503658b7dbc1d11fec8ff7b1c PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/512f17a0c72c24cc3ad265f877316378.pdf 7a582bd30a111be23430fa64ca9abc8c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-17] [Page 1 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry Co. “L,” Fort Devens, Mass. December 17, 1941 Dear Agnes, Rec’d your note and two letters that you sent. I had just begun to answer your first letter when I got your last one. So, I’m writing a new one. By your first letter I sure was undecided whether I should, if I had the chance, to come up. I might have been afraid to lose my neck if I did. I was plenty sore myself when Roy got his pass and I didn’t. I don’t know how he does it but I guess a little handshaking does the trick. I don’t handshake is probably why I don’t get along. [sic] Anyway, I’m not like that and if I can’t get one without handshaking I don’t want it. [Page 1 - back] We were on the alert last Saturday and Sunday. Every three days we are supposed to go on the alert. This Friday and Saturday we fire on the range and by the time we get in and clean our rifles, it is quite late. I shall try to make it Saturday nite [sic], if it isn’t too late. I hope I’m not put on K.P. for Sunday and if they do, I may blow my top. Us boys, who haven’t had a furlough yet, might as well stop thinking of getting one. This also makes me mad for I deserve one just as much as the rest. They might break they’re [sic] heart and give us a pass for Christmas but at present, I have my doubts for that too. I haven’t been off of the Post since we came back from North Carolina, believe it or not. We even have to sign our name in the orderly room to go to a show on the Post, so they will know where we are at if they need us. [Page 2 - front] {Stationary letterhead} 26th Infantry The two shows I liked best were “Swamp Water” and “Sundown.” Gene Tierney was in Sundown and she’s a gal that would make any man’s heart go pitter-patter. Most of the time we are kept busy doing something. �I got a letter and a gift from one of my sisters. Well, I sure was surprised. She sent me stationary and a lovely box and stamps. She said another package would follow. She wants me to spend a few days with her providing I get my furlough. Her husband and I used to go to school together. I also heard from my two brothers and they also want me to visit them. Well, to visit the four of you I’d have about 2800 miles to cover in a round trip. My folks don’t worry so much about me for they know that I have been away from home long enough to take care of myself. So, you couldn’t figure out the answers to the riddles? My! My! I thought you were smarter than that. They are easy. That bet we made was 5 dollars, so I think you’re in debt. However, I’ll settle for a home made cake providing I see you make it. Don’t you think that I’m being fair? I have a few items in mind in the line of a Christmas present and each one I think would make a nice present, so I’m undecided on which one you’ll like the best. I haven’t forgotten the things you sent to me, so my present will make it even. Now, just because I’m getting you a present, I don’t want you to figure on getting me one. If you do, I’ll get mad. Roy has Carolyn’s present already. He told me Carolyn was mad at him again! If I cannot make it Saturday nite [sic] up to Ashburnham, I’ll try [text strikethrough] Sunday, that is if I don’t have to do duty. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} Answer when you can. P.S. Excuse the writing, for a fellow just made me do it. [arrow pointing to text strikethrough] [Envelope front] {Postmark} AYER DEC 18 4:00 PM 1941 MASS. {Postmark} FORT DEVENS STA. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. �[Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1941-12-17 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-12-17 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 17, 1941 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 17, 1941. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated December 18, 1941. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while his hopes of receiving a furlough or a pass for the Christmas season are diminishing. He also writes of the recent movies he has seen, including "Swamp Water" and "Sundown" featuring Gene Tierney, and his hope for visiting Agnes in Ashburnham that weekend. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Motion pictures--1940-1950 Tierney, Gene Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a8994b7da9c2ebedc1aa039bb0a76b3d.pdf 1d4c039d50900be05a578d32233d52c9 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/12e874965692be19cf2e0a0c52f8230e.pdf 3ce45ac607e410f6adadb2593fec1231 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-05] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Devens, Mass. January 5, 1942 Dear Agnes, Got back to camp O.K. and very sleepy at that. The rumor is that we are going to leave Thursday. If I get the chance, I will come up but I cannot promise. Carolyn’s mother has the impression that you made me stay at your house and wouldn’t let me visit them. How do you like that? Roy must have talked quite a lot and I could kick his teeth in. Well, how did you make out with your Oral topic? I’ll bet a quarter you didn’t go to [Page 2] school today. Is that nice!! Our address has changed again from the one I gave you, so I’ll write the new one at the end of this letter. I am sending you the dollar, so when you get the pictures you can send them to my home. Now, don’t write a flattering letter to my brother or I’ll get pretty mad. Ha! Ha! We are having the usual training to brush up on what we had forgotten and I must say that I know most of it. [Maybe I’m bragging] Boy, Roy sure tries to make himself big around Carolyn’s, but here its a different story. It sure makes me laugh. Did you get enough sleep Sunday nite [sic]? If you didn’t, [Page 3] it’s your own fault. I’m pretty tired myself at present and I’m going to bed early tonite [sic]. Believe it or not. Well, I shall close although this is a short letter, yet I haven’t much to write. Give the folks my regards and tell them, I think they’re tops. So long and write soon. �As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t lose that receipt. Address Pvt. Joe Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Devens, Mass. [Envelope front] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-05 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-01-05 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 5, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 5, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated January 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after returning back to camp at Fort Devens, providing her with his latest address and discussing his confidence in their usual training activities. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence 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/c7b61ada1f79c6d9f5106394a562d48b.pdf 5472c8cbb7c4b8061e1576d2330168b9 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/291345c53f687b125389677880ceca57.pdf 5982b07ea3925973a1f6cfc914c7922b PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-15] [Page 1] January 15, 1942 Dear Agnes, Received your two letters and was glad to hear from you. I’m fine as usual and hope you are the same. Did you get the portrait pictures of me yet? You should have, if you didn’t. So, you are taking up first aid. I’ll bet at the sight of blood on a little cut, you’d faint. [sic] Am I right? Carolyn can cook up a lot of rumors and it surprises me to hear she knows more about me than I do myself. I got a letter from my sister and I must say she is quite prompt. You’ll have to excuse my [Page 2] writing for I’m in an awkward position. Gloria must have been thinking of Charlie when she put her boots on the wrong feet. Ha! Ha! I don’t think I shall need anything for a while but when I do, I’ll let you know. Has Richard still got the watch I gave him? I’ll bet Junior took it away from him. Our mail is censored coming in and going out. I don’t blame them for doing it, either. Well, I shall close and write when you can. Give my regards to the folks. As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] {Postmark} - partially illegible �U.S. JAN 17 1942 CANCELLED [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-15 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-01-15 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 15, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 15, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated January 17, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving two letters from her and discusses various subjects such as Agnes taking First Aid training, the portrait photographs that he mailed to her, and how their mail is censored in the Army. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence First aid Postal service--Censorship 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/2bb6b016b33518f37ec03d00200bad3d.pdf ac99b55c43aeb933b110bc3bf14fc22a PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b8bfaad08c9ff69ed7ff3bfdcd825152.pdf d3bb90e13c0bdd6b462e3a0a94f993a6 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-19] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. January 19, 1942 Dear Agnes, Arrived here from our trip early this morning. We were plenty tired and I don’t mean maybe. I had written you a letter while on the boat. Did you get it? Our mail was being censored coming in and going. We were not allowed to write anything about the trip or even how the weather was where we were. We went on a boat trip and made one boat landing and stayed in Port at Norfolk, Virginia till the 17th. The ship was a palace compared with the one we had in July and August. I don’t know why we didn’t stay [Page 2] there longer and I really did think that we wouldn’t come back to Ft. Devens. By the way you wrote, I thought sure that [sic] the snow was plentiful but it’s all gone. Instead it’s raining like the dickens out now. Did you get the pictures? If you didn’t, send me the receipt and I will go down to get them. I’ll try to come down this Saturday providing I am not on K.P. or special duty. My hair got into my eyes while on maneuvers, so I had it cut short. So, my curl is gone till my hair grows longer. Did I read your letter correctly for you stated you’re not bashful? I believe that! Ha! Ha! Well, if Gloria is going to have [Page 3] another boyfriend, she should practice holding hands with me on occasion to get used to it. Ha! Ha! Will close for I haven’t much to write. Don’t forget to send the receipt, providing you didn’t get the pictures. Give the folks my regards. �As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Write soon. [Envelope front] {Postmark} - partially illegible AYER MASS. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] Pvt. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-19 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-01-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 19, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 19, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated January 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after returning back to Fort Devens from their boat trip and recent stay in Norfolk, Virginia, and discusses how he wrote to her aboard the boat and how the mail continues to be censored between them. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Fort Devens (Mass.) Postal service--Censorship 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/f9de3971fd42a99220b904cc0fcb8039.pdf ea22fa554dce041780bf49fc91bd6585 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5894f1587b5b2d8868a64b4df7e949c3.pdf 6334551715dd2811f0c66cccc98d0e68 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-26] [Page 1] Fort Devens, Mass. Co. “L,” 26th Infantry January 26, 1942 Dear Agnes, Got back to Camp O.K. last nite and very sleepy. [sic] Since I told you what I knew it will be kinda hard to write. Today, we had rifle exercise, close order drill, a lecture on gas and instructions on the machine gun and mortar. Tomorrow, we are going on an all day hike with a full field pack. I guess us boys will feel tired when we get back. Roy is feeling quite spry at present for he’s lying on a bunk, singing his blues away. Last nite [sic] coming home he had the [Page 2] blues and tries to tell me he isn’t going to Carolyn’s anymore. It’s the same old story for me. I forgot to thank your father for the ride to Fitchburg, so you can thank him for me. I’m getting absent-minded now days. [sic] I got a letter from my brother who is at college and now he’s studying hard to pass some of his mid-year exams so you’re not the only one. Claypool don’t believe me [sic] about him writing to you and getting acquainted. Now ain’t that something. I liked the frame your dad made for the big picture I gave you. Well, I must admit, I wish I could make them myself. This Saturday is pay-day and I’ll be flooded with money until I [Page 3] make an appointment to have my teeth fixed. I shall try to get down there by six o’clock Saturday nite [sic] but I’m going to do some shopping first. Gloria forgot to hold hands with me last night, so tell her I’m going to wait until next week. She better not blush either. Ha! Ha! Well I shall close for I’ve run out of news. Write soon. �I’ll bet your mid-year marks will be low. I hope you get 0. Ha! Ha! As Ever, Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Roy’s gone crazy singing here trying to make me miserable while writing. [Page 4] Don’t forget to give me the news of myself when you write for someone knows more about me than I do myself. [sic] This letter isn’t the one I had written Sunday. [Envelope front] {Postmark} - partially illegible AYER JAN [?] 11 AM 1942 MASS. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. [Envelope back] P.F.C. Joe Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry Fort Devens, Mass. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Olexa_1942-01-26 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-01-26 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 26, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 26, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, dated January 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after returning back to camp at Fort Devens and shares the military exercises he had completed that day, in addition to the all-day hike planned for their training activity the following day. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence 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