April 16th 2025 will be 80 years since the death of my uncle. I want to recognize that in some way. At this point, I am uncertain how.
As a first step, I am posting all the letters and postcards Bill sent. I had originally planned on posting the letters in the blog portion of the website, but that seemed a bit overwhelming. At this point, I will post the letters here and use the blog to note events related to the project itself and possibly the intersection with other projects.
Blog Posts
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Letters From Uncle Bill
It was during my visit to Calgary in late April that I took my father to the hospital. We both thought it would be just a short stay. However, he was admitted. Meanwhile, I continued to prepare and organize things for the move from Calgary to Toronto. One day, dad asked if I had found…
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Letters From Uncle Bill
I have unfolded all the letters, put them into folders and they are being gently pressed. As I went through them it was hard not to take a peek at a few
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Family Monuments
My uncle was born in Detroit on April 29th, 1923. In October of the same year, he moved with his parents to their home town, Sonneberg Germany. On September 29, 1929 they landed in Toronto, along with my father who was born in Sonneberg. Bill boarded a train in Toronto on its way to California…
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Letters
As I’ve written before, my Uncle Bill served in the US Cavalry, medical corps, during World War 2. He was killed in the Philippines. Next April 16, 1945, marks the 80th anniversary of this event. With this in mind, I have decided to make a serious attempt at going through the letters and postcards he…
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Bill’s Letters Project
I had started posting the letters and cards Bill sent while in the US Army in the blog portion of this website, but this has become a bit overwhelming. At this point, I will post the letters in the “Work In Progress” section of this website and use the blog to note events related to the project…
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1943-12-04
On this day in 1943, my uncle Bill was at Camp Roberts, in California. He just received his first letter from home the day before. He has yet to start basic training, although he was recently reclassified and moved to the 79th Infantry Battalion (US Army) as a rifleman. Given his poor eyesight he is…
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1943-12-05
In his letter on this day, Bill writes about the new barracks, along with the improved recreational facilities, he has moved to as a result of his reassignment to the 79th Infantry Battalion. He also notes that he will try to telephone them [his parents] in the afternoon. He then comments that the beautiful California…