“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.
My mother, Lillian, writes this chummy letter to youngest brother-in-law, communicating with spunky joy. Marjorie, the girl met in California, again comes into the conversation.
A typical day, hour-by-hour, in Navigation School at Hondo, Texas. This letter from Frank to his brother Will (sometimes Will, sometimes Bill), again talks about Marjorie whom he met in California. Sounds like they had some serious interludes together.
Frank's mom, my grandmother, writes about Easter Sunday with my parents, Fred and Lil, and how hard everyone is working. Lil is taking classes in addition to her day job. Will, the oldest Gartz Brother, teaches classes for the Civil Air Patrol. My Dad is taking classes at Lewis Institute (Illinois Institute of Technology, IIT, today). My grandfather's knee is still badly infected, meaning he can't do the stairs required for his janitorial work. A glimpse into 1944 life on Chicago's West Side.
Frank has arrived at Navigation School in Hondo, Texas, where he will be challenged as never before in his young life. He anticipates hard work—at least twelve hours a day.
In these two letters, written about a week apart, Frank updates his parents about the girl he met in California, and hopes they don't say too much about her to his at-home girlfriend, Cookie. A young man's heart, far from home, seems a bit confused.