“Letters of a World War II Airman” shares original letters to and from my uncle, Frank Ebner Gartz, from 1943-1945, tracing the course of WWII, life on the home front, and the evolution of a neighborhood kid into seasoned airman.
Frank writes condolences to his sister-in-law, my mom for the death of her dad a few days earlier. (See Sept. 20, 1943 letter from Frank's mother, my grandmother, informing him of the death.) As an eighteen-year-old, he tried his best to share his sympathy, but such a young person had to rely on the tried and true. His words may come across somewhat trite, but many of us a good deal older, couldn't do much better.
John Koroschetz, my mother, Lillian's, father, whose death on 9/17/1943, is recorded in this letter to Frank. My maternal grandfather, John Koroschetz, was buried on September 20, 1943. In her letter to Ebner (Frank), my grandmother notes that [...]
University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point—That's where Frank has been assigned to the 97th College Detachment to pursue college courses. Without the military, Frank would never have been able to attend this excellent school. And there's a bonus: Girls! Girls! [...]
Yes, Frank is an Army Air Corps Cadet, but part of his training will be college courses. His parents' dream was to see all three of their boys graduate from college (my grandparents were able to only complete through fourth grade in Romania.)
Money is still an issue in this letter. It seems that some of the $10 my grandmother sent to Frank Ebner has gone missing. Even though she only went to school through the fourth grade, my grandmother had a good business head and kept careful track of everything she sent—not only the dates, but the time she mailed. Working as hard as they did for their earnings, missing money was not something to be taken lightly. Yet she never hesitates to promise to send her son "all he needs."