“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.
The army brought together young men from all over the nation, giving each a chance to learn about guys from vastly different backgrounds and culture. Frank responds to his mother's rather defensive worry in one letter that perhaps he is [...]
A close family, The Gartzes probably at North Ave. Beach, Chicago: L-R Will, Josef (Pa) a young Ebner, about 14, Ma, Fred Frank's mom pulled together all the mothering she could muster to help her son, more than [...]
A gift from your child—always a treasure, especially when he is thousands of miles away. Frank's mother makes the most of it. My guess is (given it's a "star") is that it's a version of his Army Air Force Patch shown here. As always, I keep a lot of my grandmother's misspellings to give a sense of how hard she worked to communicate with her son despite her struggles with English.
Home front news in 1943 included meat shortages, car break-downs, nights out for dancing and drinks [rhumba-ing and cocktails still figure into my parents' fun], and a couple of movies, all reported in my mother's breezy style. She and Dad are still having lots of fun despite the long hours they work during the war. The characters reported on here are Kenny and Arlyne (Kenny was my dad's best friend, and both were in my parents' wedding party]. Gert was my mom's best friend at the time (also in wedding party). Since this year Easter falls on March 31, I thought I'd post a photo of my parents, authors of this letter, on their first Easter together.
Frank Von Arx, spring 1943Chanute Field, IL "Oh, what a mother!" Ebner's best friend, Frank Von Arx gets home on furlough, visits the Gartz household, and discovers all the goodies Frank Gartz's mother has been sending him. Hence [...]