Search results | Digital Grinnell

Title: John L. Smith to Lucille Ley - November 13, 1945
Description: John tells Lucille that he has received the final report and that his son is presumed dead. He provides his son's badge (?) number and asks Lucille for Jimmy's number so that he can send the information to the Quartermaster General's office. He says he intends to inquire about the deaths and burials of all the soldiers who were shot down on the 29th of February.
Date Created: 1945
PID: grinnell:26524

Title: John L. Smith to Lucille Ley - December 14, 1944
Description: John sends Lucille a Christmas card in which he thanks Lucille for the photos she sent, although his son is not in them. He sends a photo to her. He agrees with her that the prostpects of their sons returning are slim, but wishes Lucille a nice Christmas nevertheless.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26525

Title: John L. Smith to Lucille Ley - June 29, 1945
Description: John expresses his condolences to Lucille and his frustrations that their sons have not been located in France--alive or dead. He says he has received his son John's belongings and has little hope left for his son's safe return. He tells Lucille a second hand account of the plane crash that killed their sons and he thanks her for reaching out to the Air Commander.
Date Created: 1945
PID: grinnell:26526

Title: John L. Smith to Lucille Ley - November 10, 1944
Description: John expresses solidarity and emphasizes that parents of soldiers MIA must continue to wait and hope, but prepare for the worst. He requests any photos or information Lucille might have and offers the same to her.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26523

Title: Lt. Harry Niemiec to Lucille Ley - May 1, 1945
Description: Lt. Niemiec responds to Lucille's inquiry about Jimmy's personal effects, and says a tracer has been initiated to locate them.
Date Created: 1945
PID: grinnell:26520

Title: Mary Grothouse to Lucille Ley - August 26, 1945
Description: Mary asks if Lucille has heard from Jimmy and mentions she has not yet heard from her own son. She wonders whether or not Lucille's letter to the governement was ever answered. Mary feels happy now that the war is over and her other sons can return home.
Date Created: 1945
PID: grinnell:26516

Title: Mary Grothouse to Lucille Ley - June 28, 1945
Description: Mary writes that she hopes Lucille will get an answer to her letter to the Com. Gen. of the Air Force. She confides that sometimes she thinks that the government knows the fate of the boys, but isn't telling the families. Then she talks about her other son in the military who is unharmed despite an attack on his boat. Finally, Mary tells Lucille she has moved into a smaller house.
Date Created: 1945
PID: grinnell:26515

Title: Mary Grothouse to Lucille Ley - November 27, 1944
Description: Mary, another mother with a son reported as missing, writes to Lucille to tell her she has not yet recieved her son Kenneth's personal items. She writes that her other son in England communicated with some of the boys from Kenneth's base who have high hopes the crew will return. Finally Mary relates to Lucille how her family has changed since the start of the war.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26514

Title: Mrs. H. L. Luke to Lucille Ley - December 7, 1944
Description: Mrs. Luke confirms that George is in the picture Lucille sent to her, and expresses her grief at the prospect of never seeing George again. She tells Lucille she has received George's Purple Heart and will soon receive George's Air Medal and Oak Leaf Clusters in the mail. She sends Lucille's photograph back and says she will pay for a copy to be made. She passes along the news from a Mr. Smith that there are special troops looking for the missing soldiers, whom she prays are safe.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26519

Title: Mrs. H. L. Luke to Lucille Ley - November 20, 1944
Description: Mrs. Luke thanks Lucille for her letter and for the additional information Lucille was able to provide about the circumstances of her stepson George's death. She requests a copy of one of Lucille's photographs. She says she is glad to know some of the crew of the plane is still missing and not officially pronounced dead, and she hopes for good news soon. Mrs. Luke describes her internal struggle with her hatred for the Germans. She tells Lucille a little about George, about her own children, and about George's older brother who was also killed in action.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26518