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Letters of a World War II Airman

“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.

World War II bivouac results in misery: tick and chigger bites

Ticks and chiggers combine with a flunked test to make this twenty-year-old Air Corps Navigation student pretty miserable. I suffered from scores of chigger bites when visiting San Antonio when I was about Frank's age. I could not stop scratching for days and sleep was impossible from the itching madness. I totally empathize with what my uncle went through.

2019-07-09T12:58:43-05:00May 31st, 2014|Letters of a WWII Airman|

Memorial Day: Serving World War II America in combat and at home

My dad, Fred, is working on a new oxygen regulator that his younger brother, Frank, may very well use at some time. (Dad had a deferment from military service because of his defense work.) He updates his brother on the improvements being made on this essential piece of equipment for airmen, or order to save more lives. It's an example of how two brothers were closely bound in World War II service, even though only one was actively in the military.

2019-07-09T11:48:17-05:00May 25th, 2014|Letters of a WWII Airman|

High school teacher keeps her World War II “boys” in touch

Letters were special for World War II servicemen. That’s why Miss Hartley, Frank’s division teacher from Austin High School, made such an effort to write all her “boys.” She starts this letter (her eighth to former students) with a reference to listening to “Charlie McCarthy,” a famous ventriloquist act that was popular, even on the radio, a conundrum to many.

2019-07-09T11:45:09-05:00May 20th, 2014|Letters of a WWII Airman|
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