About me

Enations
A collection of poetry

Life Forms on Mars
A short story

Home page

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The War Years

In the beginning

Letters from Home
A recreation of life in Guadalupe, California in 1944 from comments in letters by my mom to my dad and from personal memories. To be added later.

The 165 days in the combat zone, Luzon, The Philippines, 1945. A limited recreation of what my dad faced and experienced from whatever comments I can find in letters from him to my mom and from a few memories of comments he made about his war experiences.

Letters from home

Letters to home

The Souvenirs of War

Images after the war

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Images made during military training and on Christmas furlough

 From August 1944 to December 1944 my dad spent his days in training for war at the U. S. Army base of Camp Hood, Texas. He was trained as an infantryman and was taught to handle a number of different weapons. During this period my mother would write a daily letter to him. Besides her correspondence he would correspond with his parents, who were also living in Guadalupe, California, near my mother in Walker's Motor Court. One of his major distractions while off duty was attending the local cinema.

Upon enterring Camp Hood, my dad was given an informational booklet, titled "I am a Doughboy." In this book he recorded the date that he entered Camp Hood. Another feature of this booklet was several pages which were set aside for the autographs, and possible addresses, of the army buddies that he made while in training. His closest two pals were a James Buck and a Victor E. Cook.

Sometime during the latter half of December 1944 my dad came home on furlough (supposedly according to my mother's comments, a ten day furlough). His time with his family lasted at least until January 3, 1945, at which time a family portrait was taken by a professional photographer (Steve Hart). On January 10, 1945, Marshall sent his parents a change of address card from Fort Ord. The 25th Battalion (Division) to which he would be assigned would be going on shore in the Philippines the very next day.

Cover of the Camp Hood booklet

July 2, 2007

© Jerry Copeland

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