Finding Aid for the Ruth A. Adams Second World War correspondence collection 2020.035.w.r

Of note are the following:

• November 1944: began writing from the South Pacific; one letter has location cutout by the censor
• December 10, 1944: a racist Christmas V-Mail containing a crude depiction of an African American
• February 20, 1945 (postmark): no letter, three Japanese government bank notes, including: two (1) centavo bills and one (5) centavo bill
• April 4, 1945: one Victory peso from the Philippines and one clipping
• August 11, 1945: "In fact everything is better than usual. I am talking about the Japanese offer to surrender. That's the best news I've heard in a long time. When we heard it you should of [sic] seen this harbor. It was really something. All the ships were sending up rockets and flares. It looked like the fourth of July only more so. This island was lit up like New York City. I have never in my life seen anything like it...I hope we take them up on it anyway."
• December 5, 1945: top of first page says "Inibig Kita Magandang Dalaga," which is Tagalog for "I love you beautiful girl."
• January 11, 1946: back in San Francisco
• March 26, 1946: in San Diego

Private Jack C. Birkhimer, United States Army:

• Birkhimer wrote five letters from December 10, 1944 to August 14, 1945. He served in France and Germany with Company C 307 Airborne Engineering Battalion and Company B 139 Airborne Engineering Battalion. He and Ruth had not met but she knew his cousin and he got her address from him and wrote his letters in a flirty manner; she even leads him on. At the end of the war he wrote on VE Day from Lübtheen, Germany and his last letter from Vittel, France.

Private Gardner E. Cline, United States Army Air Force:

• Cline wrote four letters from March 21 to August 9, 1945. He trained in Section I, Barracks 1021 in Amarillo, Texas for air maintenance and graduated in April. He then served in the 2nd Air Force with 245th Base Unit, Squadron E at McCook, Nebraska.

Apprentice Seaman Johnnie V. Cola, United States Navy:

• Cola wrote one letter dated April 2, 1945 from Company 438 at the US Naval Training Center in Sampson, New York. He and Ruth were classmates.

Seaman First Class Donald A. Eagley, United States Navy:

• Eagley wrote four letters from August 28, 1944 to August 8, 1945. He served as an armed guard aboard the Liberty Ship SS Jesse Billingsley. He and Ruth did not know each other, he obtained her address from Pat Moorhead. He gave a description of himself, 19 years old and explains that he had crossed the ocean seven times by November 1944. In his last letter he was aboard the Liberty Ship SS Henry St. G. Tucker.

Seaman First Class Darwin S. Ekey, United States Navy:

• Ekey wrote four letters from June 26, 1944 to January 18, 1945 from Luzon during the Leyte campaign in the Philippines aboard USS LST 619 which was a Tank Landing Ship. He was from Weirton. In his last letter he noted,

  "Everything here is about the same only it is a little roof [sic] once in awhile. We just came back from Luzon so you can imagine what we are going through. I'll be glad when this is all over. And then we all can go home and enjoy ourselves without planes diving down on you all the time. No worrys at all. Isn't that right. Like those days we use to have. I hope them days we [sic] come soon."

Private First Class Leon A. Galvia, United States Army:

• Galvia wrote four letters from June 7, 1944 to March 24, 1945. He enlisted in the Army November 29, 1943 and served in the 7th Army with Company C, 7 Battalion, 3 Regiment Army Ground Forces Replacement Depot #2 at Fort Ord, California. He is from Weirton and mentions her relationship with Gasseaux. He was a classmate that skipped his senior year to join the military but wish he would have stayed and gone to prom and graduated. He later wrote to Ruth's mother from Company A, 274, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and then Service Battery 884, Field Artillery which he says is better than the infantry. By February 1945 he wrote from Marseilles and Lyon, France and mentions seeing Niessheim and sitting next to him in a Marlene Dietrich show in his last letter; that letter also contains one stamp and a pressed flower.

Radioman Third Class Arthur D. Gibson, United States Navy:

• Gibson wrote one letter on November 14, 1944 aboard the Liberty Ship SS Joseph Gale "in Foreign Port." He works on codes and equipment as a radio man. He mentions Arthur "Hoot" Sparks who Ruth knew and was also in the military.

Seaman First Class WP Hoag, United States Navy:

• Hoag wrote one letter on August 26, 1944 aboard the USS Barnes with the 2nd Division. He mentions having been on the ship for over a year but he likes it very much.

Private J. Long, United States Army:

• Long wrote ten letters from February 27, 1943 to July 8, 1945. He served first at Fort Lewis, Washington with 644 Reconnaissance Company, Tank Destroyer Battalion. He and Ruth were classmates. He wrote from France in August 1944 and said that he likes the pretty girls and thinks the French people are clean, also trying to learn the language. He mentions being busy, eluding to combat without using that word, and a location is cutout by censors. In october 1944, he wrote from Luxembourg, then Belgium in December and Germany in February 1945. By March he had electricity and recreational activities in Germany, as well as radios playing all over. In April he was sent back to England to 4144 US Army Hospital and then Camp Pickett, Virgina to the US Army General Hospital in July. He mentions getting "another" operation on his leg but at not time is specific about his injury (it appears at least one letter may be missing because he speaks of his injury as if he has told her before what happened).

Technician Fifth Grade William Neissheim, United States Army:

• Niessheim wrote five letters from February 20, 1945 to March 11, 1946 from France with Headquarters and Service Company of the 270th Engineer (Combat) Battalion. He mentions seeing Galvia at the Marlene Dietrich show and being sick in the hospital in June 1945. While he was in the hospital, he mentioned that his unit was in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. He then was reassigned to H/S Co. 10th Engr. (C) Bn in July while he was at Assmannshausen on the banks of the Rhine River, though he does not mention where he went after that. In his last letter in March 1946 he was still overseas.