“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's "Ebner's" Mom just before he was drafted, Jan. 1943 For Mother's Day, I'm publishing both a letter my uncle wrote in May, 1943, and my grandmother's response, written about a week later. In his letter, Frank reveals [...]
A World War II soldier son coming home for a visit was cause for a celebration. This iconic photo of the breakfast spread my grandmother made for her youngest son, who was stationed at Truax Field in Wisconsin, must have been taken shortly after Frank wrote this postcard during his World War II training, telling his folks he was coming home and bringing a friend.
"The Beam," a kind of "Facebook"/"Yearbook? for the trainees stationed at Truax Field in Madison, WI Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin, was a training ground for radio operators and mechanics in World War II's Army Air Corps. The Beam, a [...]
World War II Ration Book. This one was Frank Gartz's. Great luck! Frank is stationed in Madison, WI, at Truax Field, where he is not only close to home, but in a university town—and girls are plentiful, and [...]
The Garfieldian (local paper of West & perhaps East Garfield Park, Chicago); Article on Frank's promotion to Private 1st Class Frank is promoted to Private First Class, but the first his family hears of it is in this [...]