Results from Form 1 of Page Collab/40s/Writing.htm

By clicking on each of the characters below you can read letters to us from the other characters.

Dear Jill...

Dear Jill,
Hello, how are you?? Life in the big city is hard as I’m sure you would know. Having to take care of another person as well as taking care of yourself is very hard. I know you have two kinds and with your husband at war, it must be hard for you to take care of your children. I understand that you work in a factory in Detroit where you make military equipment. I’m sure you miss your husband very much and it’s the same way I feel about my parents who are in a concentration camp. Both of our loved ones are in very hostile environments and we should pray for their health and survival. I’m very surprised that you work in factory, that’s really a man’s job. I respect you because you could step into a man’s shoes and do their work and succeed at it. That takes a lot of courage and determination to go every day. Because of this sacrifice that you’re making for you and your children, I have the utmost respect for you. I just want to tell you that working hard will pay off soon and I know it is hard but good things will come to those who earn them. Hope your children are doing well.

Dear Jill,
I read your autobiography in the newspaper and would like to comment on your experiences during this awful war and relate them to mine. I feel that our lives are not very similar and that our war experiences are very different. There is though one common connection and that is that we both were treated unfairly because of who we are. I was treated unfairly because I am a Japanese American and you were treated unfairly because you are a woman. I felt that I was as loyal to the US as anyone but still I was taken away and put in an internment camp. Similar to me you were a loyal and hard working factory worker but after the war you were supposed to just leave and go back home because the men were coming back. I am really surprised over the way the authority acted in our two situations. In my situation they just assumed unfairly that because of my ancestry I am not loyal to the US. In your situation your boss also decided that because the men were coming home you along with the other women would have to leave and go back to work at home. Because of this and many other reasons I respect you as a strong person. While your husband was away you took on all of his responsibilities and also continued to do your own as well. You provided money for you and your son and also looked after him and cooked and cleaned. It is because of this determination that I respect you as a person and as a valuable citizen of the US. Lastly I would like to meet you once. I would like to meet you because you are a strong individual who could make an impact on the way I live my life. The only thing I would want to tell you is to cherish your life because as I have experienced your freedom can be taken right out from under you.

Dear Jill,
I have recently be informed of your duty during the war. I must say I am very impressed and I'm glad I finally have found someone who knows what is was like to be a woman helping during wartime. I give you a lot of credit, being able to go into the factories with two children and no husband, supporting yourself. I, myself, know what it is like to not only be serving in the war, but to have someone close to me die in service. My brother was a a marine in the war and during my time at the WASP base I learned of his death. He died overseas in combat and it was a very tragic loss. However, I've been able to cope with his death, and I'm glad to see you have been able to gather your strength and take a stand in the world. Being a woman in the war is not easy. But I know all about the lack of credit we receive for helping. We women have to stick together and stand up for each other. I respect the fact that you were able to step in and provide for your family when necessary. The women, like you, working in the factories are just as vital to helping this country as the WASPs are. Without you, we would have no planes to fly. I give you and your fellow women factory workers much credit for stepping in and doing a man's job. You should be very proud of yourself for being able to do that, especially being a widow with children. Not many women can say they were factory workers in World War 2. Should we be able to meet, I would like to hear all about the time you spent at the factory, and what your World War 2 experience was like. Hopefully we can meet one day, and discuss our time in the war.

Dear Abraham...

Dear Abraham,
After reading about your struggles and experiences through the war I feel much better about myself. It is good to know that I am not the only one victimized by my government and people. I can connect and understand about your experiences with your parents. I too feel strongly about my relationship with my parents and can empathize with your emotions you express about yours. I wish I could meet you in person so I could convey to you how pleased I am to have heard your reflections. I am impressed with your ability to be such a hard and well-disciplined worker. You don’t take much for granted and I wish others were the same way.

Dear Abraham,
Visiting you and your sister has been a true awakening for me. Our lives are so different but yet we have so many things in common. Coming to the city of New York has opened my eyes to the world. Before my trip I wasn’t very knowledgeable about other places in the country or the world, I was just concerned about my area. You have widened my views from this concern only for my area and changed it to a concern for the whole world. You have also opened a passage for me to connect to my brother and husband through your wartime experiences. Thank you very much for sharing all your war experiences with me. I know that it must have been hard for you to open up and share all those horrible tales of war. I now know why me husband doesn’t ever want to talk about the war. But I can appreciate his effort so much more. The stories that you told about your family left me in tears. How your mother and father sacrificed their life to save yours. How they sent you over first hoping that you would find a good life in America. And how eventually they were captured and sent to a death camp. The pain in your voice was so strong and the look in your face made me realize what our country was fighting for. Before coming to visit the only reason I was working in the factory was to help the countries cause without ever actually knowing what the cause was. But now that you have opened me up to the real reasons we are fighting, my actions seem more valid. I used to question leaving my children in daycare in order to go to work, but now that you have enlightened me, I realize that my contribution helped the war effort. I realize that sacrificing my time with my children help to save people like your parents, and although they didn’t make it others did. My job used to just be a job, but now I think of it as protection. I was building the planes that cleared the way for soldiers like you, my husband and my brother, and allowed you to save so many more lives. My efforts were nowhere near as great as yours were, but you have allowed me to feel pride for my job. I feel like a fool. I feel like a fool for stressing over my little conflicts when others had such major conflicts. My little problems of rationing and trying to find out where to send my kids seem like nothing now that I know all the problems that you have faced. Nothing I have ever done or had to do in my life can compare to the hardships that you suffered. You lost your whole life. All of your family was brutally murdered off and your life was taken away from you. You were forced out of your country and had to live in poverty in a country where everything is new for you. My problems seem so insignificant compared to yours and I feel like a fool for making such a big deal out of them. Its not that you made me feel like a fool, but all of the hardships that you have suffered made mine look like nothing. I feel like a fool for overreacting. But you opened me up to other things besides me being a fool. You have allowed me to see the true horrors that the war brought upon many people. Your detailed description of what happened in the Auschwitz concentration camp has left a permanent scar on me. It showed me how close-minded people can be and how a group of people can be killed for their beliefs. Your stories and pictures will remain a vivid description in my mind a may hunt me for a while. But these haunting experiences will always allow me to remember the true horror of this war. In closing I thank you for all that you have done. I know that this letter may seem like you have hurt me for opening my eyes, but you have truly made me think. All of your stories made me see what this war was all about. Thank you so much for all of your hospitality and you are always welcome in my home.

Dear John...

Dear John,
After hearing about your life and experiences, I am very surprised. We had a very similar experience during the war. Although we are from totally different descents and have lived in completely different places, I understand what you went through. Like your family, my parents were stuck in a camp. Although I didn’t have to go with them, it was an incredibly horrible experience. I saw the concentration camp Auschwitz when my Unit went to liberate it. I really respect how much you were concerned with not leaving your family behind – I felt the same way. I would pray forever for my parents to come to America with my sister and I. If I could meet you in person, I’d tell you that we could be good friends, because of what we’ve gone through. Knowing that someone else went through something like I did, yet in a completely different experience, makes me feel a little better.

Dear John,
I have read over your numerous experiences. As a fellow American, I was shocked that our country would imprison you in such a horrible manner. However, I do understand why the United States did such a thing to the Japanese in this country. We were fighting a war with your home country, and if you have relatives there, you would probably still be in contact with them. Your relatives could be involved in the Japanese war effort, and you could know some things about the American fighting force that you could tell them. That would be very bad for our country. Even so, you seem like a good, honest American man, and I believe that you and your family shouldn't have been imprisoned. Although we are different, we do have some similarities. You fought in the war, but you chose to in order to get away from the camp. My husband also fought in the war, but he chose to because he felt it was his duty. Even though it wasn't the best situation for you, what you and my husband did helped our country win. Another similarity was that we both saw the movie Casablanca. I agree with your wife that Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman's characters were so good with each other. It was a very romantic movie. My husband would probably agree with you that the ending was a little sappy! We both live in major cities. I’ve always wanted to visit San Francisco; it sounds like a beautiful place, especially Golden Gate Park. I live in Detroit, another city, but it’s not pretty. It’s mainly a factory town with lots of smoke. I’ve never been out of Detroit. Hopefully, one day I might make it to San Francisco, and then perhaps you could show me around your handsome city.

Dear John,
I just finished reading your story in the newspaper and I think you have led a very intriguing life. I am relieved that I found somebody to relate to, a person who also went through a life-changing experience. We have a lot in common. I am also a teacher but I teach first grade, not middle school. I also lost my grandfather during a war, World War I, and my grandmother also lives with my parents, like yours. I understand that you fought in the Pacific. My brother was stationed there as a marine. However, he was killed in action. Our main similarity is that I also took part in World War II. Although I was not directly involved in the war, I was a WASP, a Women Airforce Service Pilot. I joined this program when I was 20 years old. I made this decision because I wanted to do something for my country. You also made the decision to serve your country by fighting in the Pacific. Although fighting in the war was not your first choice, I thoroughly respect you efforts.

I understand that you are a minority and although I do not fully understand how this feels, I do know what it feels like to be looked down upon. Being a woman in the war was very difficult because we were not always respected. At one point, we were used to tow targets so the men could practice their shooting. One of my best friends died during this mission. I do not know what it is like to be trapped in an interment camp. The closest experience that I have had to an internment camp was training camp. And they are very far from being similar. The only reason I can relate the two was because that is the only place I received harsh treatment and orders from others. However, a WASP training camp is not like an internment camp at all. I do not think I would be able to tolerate the treatment that you did in that camp. And even though being a woman feels like being a minority, I’m sure you’ve had a more difficult time dealing with prejudice.

I am extremely fascinated by your experience in the internment camp. I understand that it was a hard time for you. I feel that you are extremely brave for enduring such a hard time. I also admire your choice to fight in the war. Although you made the decision as a way out of the internment camp, I think it was bold of you to step up and fulfill your patriotic duty. I find it very courageous of you to risk your life fighting for a country that entrapped you.

So although you may find this letter to be arbitrary, I just wanted to let you know that I think you are a brave man for being able to survive such a difficult experience. Maybe we can meet sometime to talk about our lives during the war. I live near California and would love to meet your wife and see Japantown. Hope to see you soon.

Dear Marie...

Dear Marie Bishop,
Let me start of saying I salute you for serving our country. Although you never saw the battlefields, you know what it feels like to be a part of war. In this day and age it is very rare for a woman solider, let alone a woman pilot, so I admire your courage. I was also in the war, but in the Army. I could never be a WASP for two reasons: I am afraid of heights and I am not a woman. I am surprised in how much courage you and your fellow WASPs have. When I read in the newspaper about Jackie Cochran I was inspired by her actions. She should be recognized for her courage, as all soldiers should be. Jackie Cochran was not only courageous she was a renegade. She stood up for her country when men looked down upon women. During the War in Europe, many Christians helped Jewish people, even though the Nazis said helping the Jews was punishable by death. You have stood up for what you think is right. I would love to meet you some time so you could tell me some stories about being a WASP.

Dear Marie,
I’ve recently received your letter responding to my article in the paper and I’m interested to hear from someone who’s not the same race as me, but has also had a life changing experience. Ever since I’ve come home from the war life’s been a little different because of the actions that took place in Japan, but it’s nice to hear from someone who’s also helped fight the war even though you didn’t actually go to another country and fight. I like the fact that you have so much charisma and that you were bold enough to believe in your dream to and eventually become a WASP. I think it was a great thing that you wanted to help out our country in its rough period. I can relate to the fact that both of us weren’t respected as much as white men because we’re both minorities so I know how you feel when you aren’t treated equally. For me being a Japanese American was hard because I was treated as a Japanese and not an American. If I were you I would have dropped out when your friend Ethel was hit when used as a target, but you were brave enough and strong enough to stay with the WASP’s. It’s interesting to see that our lives are so similar considering the fact that both of us are schoolteachers even though you taught younger children. I became a schoolteacher because I have a love for helping children learn so they can later help out the world. I have sympathy for you and your family for your brother who was killed in combat. I can relate since I was also fighting in the Pacific. Luckily, I wasn’t killed, so I was able to finally meet my daughter when I came home. My grandfather was killed at war, but he died before I actually met him so it wasn’t upsetting to me. It must have been hard to only have you father waiting for you when you came home and for the town to have a parade when the men came home. If I was you I would have been really upset if I found out that I couldn’t count the pilot hours towards a professional pilot license, but the men could. I’m really happy that you fulfilled another one of you dreams of becoming a teacher. It would be a treat to meet you and your family. I hope to meet you soon.

I’m writing you today because I’ve realized that you and I are two women that have many things in common. I’ve heard so much about the Wasp program and respect it very much. I too would feel honored to be a part of the Wasps but unfortunately I cant. My two children need me at home. I too am helping our country. I work everyday at the factory making the tanks and planes that our country uses to fight with every day. Although this is not as extreme as your dedication to this country I feel like I’m helping our country. This is something that you and I both have in common. Even though you didn’t become a pilot you still trained and served your country as best as any other man or woman could do and for that I feel that you deserve great recognition. I can’t believe that you made it through all of that training. I mean honestly Marie weren’t you frightened. I myself would be absolutely terrified to fly one of those planes. I would constantly be scared of being shot down or just crashing the plane. You are a brave strong woman and should be proud of yourself and all of your peers. You and I share different roles during this wartime. I have been home working hard in the factory. It’s such hard work to do a man’s job everyday. Now that I’ve experienced this hard labor day in and day out I really have a new respect for my husband. I miss him more and more everyday. You too know how it feels to miss someone you love. I’m terribly sorry about your brother’s death and I send my condolences to you and your family. You and your fellow Wasps deserve more recognition because you served and trained long and hard throughout the war. 1074 women died for their country and even though you didn’t get to become a pilot, that doesn’t change the fact that you did more than your part in this long war. The women and I that work in the factories that make the planes you fly are very proud to help in the war effort. I feel like you and I are a team. I make the planes and you fly them. We are the hard working women of today. Once again I would like to say that you are one of the most accomplished woman that I know. I have great respect for what you have done and I wish you luck back in school. Hopefully one day we can meet and you can tell me all about your adventures in the Wasps.

Dear Jeremiah...

Dear Jeremiah,
I just wanted to write you to tell you how much I respect you and I think you are a very strong person. It impresses me so much that you had the courage to earn your wings while everyone was trying to discourage you. You believed in yourself, and that is a very important personality trait. You and a person that I can really look up to because I too have been through a lot in my life. You have given me a lot of strength because you have been so strong. Although we have not experienced the same situations, we have shared some similar events in our lives. Since you were at the military base, you were probably missing your family and everyone you left behind. My sister and I were able to immigrate to New York City from Poland. The rest of my family, however, was left behind in Poland and I have recently heard that they were sent to a concentration camp. I am very aware that that means that I will probably never see them again. You are very brave to be helping our country although you probably took a lot of harassment for being in the military. I really look up to you because you are the type of person that every man should inspire to be like. You are tough and have dealt with a lot in your life, but you still have enough strength to go on with your life. I know what it’s like to have to deal with people not believing in you, I didn’t even believe in myself when I first came to New York City. When you aren’t at the top, it’s hard to actually think that you will get somewhere one day. I’ll bet you never expected that you would end up fighting for your county and being such a strong person. I never expected that I would actually make it to the city and be living here. You have really helped me to believe that I can do more things that I ever though if I just put some effort into. Thank you for inspiring me and congratulations on earning your wings.

Dear Jeremiah,
Hi, my name is Jon Abiko. I am a Japanese American. I just read your life story, and even though I don’t feel we have very much in common, I admire you greatly and feel we would get along well. The one thing we do have in common is that we are both minorities. I as well you have been kept from doing things I want to do just because I am a minority. Another similarity we have is that we are both religious, and go to church on a daily basis. Some experiences we share is that we both attend a school where only people of our race go. Except you are a student and I am a teacher. We both do similar things on the weekends, like spending time with friends and going to the bar. The main experience I feel we share is that neither of us were allowed to work at our job of choice, but the difference is in the end you were able to fly as a pilot in the war and do what you love, but I had to stop teaching, and go to an internment camp. Another thing is that we both fought in the war, except you chose to and I only fought so I could leave the internment camp. I don’t know you personally, but from what I read I feel you are a strong person, and admire you greatly. From the day you saw the crop duster you knew what you wanted to achieve in life and you worked hard to achieve it. You must have been very dedicated and determined to leave your family, and your fianc�, go to copilot school in Tuskegee and work hard day and night just so you could fly in the war. It is also very admirable that you were strong enough to accomplish your dream, even though the odds were against you. When faced with comments such as “it is impossible for a black man to score above a 90 on a pilots test” and instead of becoming discouraged you just scored higher on the next test. You also constantly had officers bugging you, and you knew that they didn’t want you there, but you kept working harder and really didn’t care. And finally when you thought you had completed your training as a pilot, the US Congress decided not to send you out, but you guys kept fighting until they repealed this and you were sent to Northern Africa. When the war was finished and you thought you had basically overcome all of life’s obstacles you were informed that your family was in Detroit and your fianc� was still back in Tennessee, and instead of panicking you used your war money to buy the farm in Nashville back, which was a very admirable thing to do. These are only some of the reasons I find you to be such an excellent person. I do hope to meet you one day, so I can tell you in person how much I respect you, but I feel I’ve done a pretty good job expressing it in this letter. Your story inspired me to never let myself get discouraged, no matter how people treat me and I want to thank you for that. I must go now, because school is starting in a � hour and I have a mile or two to walk. Take care, and I hope we meet soon.

Dear Jeremiah Franklin,
I read about your story from some military personnel on the WASP base. I understand that you have had a love for planes since the day when you witnessed the crop duster gracefully fly across the field. I can relate to this feeling myself because every since I was little I wished to fly planes as well. I understand your love for how the planes just freely glide through the air and your desire to one-day fly a plane. I understand the hard work this would take because I myself had to go through some hard times as well. This is why I can relate to your hard work to become a pilot and complete your dream. All my life I worked so hard through months of training to just get my shot at flying a plane. I respect your hard work in getting a job for your family and to help yourself move closer to completing your goal. I understand your desire to complete your training to become Tuskegee Airmen and pass that crucial test to advance in your path to completing your goal. In addition, were also similar in the fact that we both eventually wished to fly for a purpose. The purpose being the war and servicing our country in the war effort. I wanted so much to become a WASP and help my country in the war effort just like you did when you enlisted and decided to dedicate yourself to becoming a Tuskegee Airmen. I believe that were similar in our love for planes and our desire to fly for a purpose such as the war. Finally, I understand the satisfaction and sense of completion when you graduated form the Tuskegee Airmen flight school on September 11, 1943. Personally, this sense of satisfaction and completion was when I received my silver wings on completion of my training by Jackie Cochran herself. I can respect your hard work to complete your goal of flying planes for a purpose all the more because of my similar experiences. I believe that overall we are very similar people with similar goals. I f I was to meet you I am sure we would have a lot to talk about since our life experiences were so very similar.

Dear Jeremiah,
It’s great to know I can talk to somebody who has also went through hard times because I have only talked to my close friends who are going through the same things that I am, I didn’t fully recognize that there were other people with other problems during the war, it is great to hear other people’s problems and advice. I also think we have something in common because we both of us know what it is like to live in Detroit, a big chaotic city. My husband also went to war, so I know how your wife must have felt. I felt lonely the majority of the time and pressured to support the family. I was under a great deal of stress, as I know your wife might have been as well. I think it is good that you have a big family that is very close in relationship to help each other out. I am proud to tell you that I built most of the airplanes you flew during the war. I am sorry that your family had to live through the hard times in Detroit; the riots must have been terrible. I saw a lot of these riots and I feel bad that so many people are discriminating against the minorities. I can see why you would want to move back to Tennessee. I am not friends with many black people but you seem very compassionate about your family and care very much for them. I cherish my family very much and want the best for them as well. I know how hard it must have been your family to get by during the war because I also had to sacrifice many things during the war. My husband has told me many horrifying things that happened in the war. I hope that you came home okay! My husband just had a broken arm, thank goodness. I saw so many men come home in awful conditions. I also heard that you went to see Casablanca… I saw the movie as well. I thought it was a great movie! Was it hard for you to get into the movie theater considering your ethnicity? I know in the movie theater near my house does not allow black people inside. I think it is appalling that people discriminate against minorities; all people should be treated equally. I hope to talk to you again soon!