Communication methods have changed exponentially in the last century, from radio and newspapers, to televisions, letters, and telephones, to modern day internet and wireless technology. Soldiers in America’s earliest conflicts did not have the luxury of letter writing as it was cost prohibitive. Today’s soldiers enjoy instant communication with phone and video capabilities. In between these two distant and different times are millions of soldiers fighting in the most extensive conflicts in United States history.
These deployed soldiers fought overseas during a time when radio and newsreels were the main source of information at home about what was happening in the war, and letter writing was the only way to communicate directly with loved ones. Programs were developed through the military, Congress, and the Red Cross, among others to support this important method of communication during a very difficult time for millions of American citizens. Our nation’s greatest challenges took place before the convenience of modern-day technology existed, and the impact of letter writing during these challenges, specifically World War II and the subsequent Korean Conflict, were more important than most people realize.
Looking back on how long-distance communication methods evolved throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the changes that took place can clearly be seen by looking at the major conflicts in the United States. During the Revolutionary War, postal services were geared towards the wealthy as prices were determined by distance. Later, as the Civil War approached, pricing was changed to be determined by size and weight, creating more accessibility for families of soldiers to send letters.
127 our experts are availableright now
Additionally, at this time the “Soldier’s Letter” program began which allowed soldiers to send letters for free and the recipient paid the postage. Due to the massive number of letters being sent, the postal service ended up offering free home delivery, which became the traditional daily postal service seen today in the United States. During World War I the Military Postal Express Service began; this service was operated at field postal stations by military personnel. This led to the development of the APO and FPO system that is used for military mail in the 21st century. As tensions mounted during World War II, APO offices were expanded across the Atlantic.
The “Soldier’s Letter” program was the precursor to another free mail system for deployed soldiers referred to as Victory Mail, better known as V-Mail. When soldiers were deployed overseas for World War II, V-Mail was introduced due to an act of Congress in 1942. Collaboration between the Post Office, War Department, and the Navy made the V-Mail program a success, and the volume of mail required administration from all three departments to keep the program functional.
The 1945 Annual Report to the Postmaster General indicated that the volume of mail sent to the Army had quadrupled since 1943, and the Navy was seeing huge increases as well. This led to the dilemma of how to deliver all of this mail without sacrificing space for military supplies. Due to the massive number of letters, V-Mail was reproduced on microfilm to save space and weight. “As many as 1,500 letters could be reproduced onto a 5 ounce reel of 16mm microfilm. This saved about 98% of the cargo space compared to traditional mail, and the recipient was provided with a photographic print of the letter about one-quarter of its original size.” But not all V-Mail could be microfilmed.
This early technology had limitations and issues such as damaged forms, writing that spread to the margins, and light or illegible penmanship, all of which were unable to pass through the machinery. Another common problem was lipstick gumming up the rollers and jamming the machines. This took some of the personalization of home away as kisses and sprays of perfume were not transferrable to the microfilm. The small size of writing on the reduced letters did make for some difficulties in delivery and readability. If a writer had small or difficult-to-read penmanship to begin with, the three-fourths reduction in size could render some letters useless.
Unlike personal letters, V-Mail had its own stationery that folded into an envelope and contained instructions to assist writers in sending letters that were most likely to be delivered without issue. This format made it easy to check for censored information such as location of troops and confidential operational details, which were blacked out, if the letter was not confiscated all together. This format also precluded the sending of additional objects such as photographs and keepsakes as they would fall onto the floor as the letters were passed through multiple machines. However, in 1943 the rule prohibiting the enclosure of photographs with V-Mail was changed by the War Department, although still limited photos to “infants born after a soldier departed for overseas or those under 1 year of age.” Upon this change taking effect, the Chicago Daily Tribune offered to take pictures of newborns within 40 miles of Chicago. The Tribune felt it was a worthwhile effort based on how effective letters were at raising morale overseas; receiving a picture of their new child was surely even more impactful.
In addition to V-Mail soldiers could also send personal letters for free; they only needed to write “FREE” in the upper right corner of the envelope and include their name, rank and military branch in the opposite corner. Personal stationery, envelopes, and enclosures were much more common in this less-regulated mail service. The free mail program was also activated during the Korean War starting in 1950. Regular mail was banned in the region at this time, so Public Law No. 609, which activated the free mail program, enabled soldiers and their families to stay in touch during this time. Without the V-Mail program, space and weight became issues in transporting the 11 tons of mail that arrived daily, leading to restrictions on the size and weight of airmail.
Elliott and Kathryn Smelser were certainly grateful for this mail service as they sent pictures back and forth with personal notes scrawled on the back, keeping them connected to each other during their long separation. Kathryn had pictures taken of her in a dress that Elliott had bought her, standing in front of the tree they had planted before he left. She also sent many pictures of their children, as well as any new knick-knacks she had around the house, and progress she was making on the yard. Elliott would send pictures others had taken of him working on his paperwork, resting, or playing catch. He grew attached to a Korean boy named Kim and mentioned him often as well.
Elliott Smelser was only nineteen when he was sent to the Philippines as a Private First Class in the United States Army. Within months he was wounded and became a Japanese Prisoner of War and would remain captive for over three years of his young adult life. The correspondences between Elliott and his parents were mostly telegrams at first: a few lines of love and support sent his way, and his assurance that he was okay sent theirs. Later they were able to send letters, which now have red Japanese symbols on them, indicating that the pages were checked for secured information and approved for dissemination.
Elliott Smelser would eventually make it back home after three and half difficult years working at a steel mill in Japan. When he returned home, he said he was scared and unsure of what to do with himself, until he met Kathryn. They fell in love instantly, married quickly, and started their family. In 1950 Elliott was deployed yet again, this time as a war-experienced Master Sergeant in command of his own troops. Elliott and Kathryn did not write letters as far as is known during this time, but instead opted to send photos back and forth, and write on the back of each picture.
“Me in the orderly room working on paperwork.”
“Remember the dress? You got it for me for Xmas.”
“I don’t know what my mouth was open for. I must have been laughing.”
“Got the tree for only a dollar. I moved my head so it isn’t to good but its me. How do you like my hair cut.”
Milner and Genevieve West also sent communications back and forth to each other during World War II. As a young couple, the separation was difficult, and the frequency with which they wrote shows a desire to fill the void of each other’s absence. Milner, even when stateside but across the country, would write to Gene of how he missed her and wished she were there. He collected napkins and stationery from every place he visited and scrawled love notes to her on them. In one letter while he was training in Georgia before going overseas, he tells her he was persuaded to go to a movie and that, “I missed you so very much all during the show and right now it is even worse. I’ll probably spend all the remaining night hours just dreaming of you.” He goes on to describe the field training where enlisted men dressed as German soldiers in order to learn German combat techniques and how to recognize their insignia and rank.
As letter writing became of more and more importance during wartime, education on the topic began to appear in newspapers and newsletters with recommendations about style and content. Advertisements played a significant role in presenting proper letter etiquette to the public. Newspaper ads encouraged regular letter writing and included advice on what should and should not be included in the letters. The Postal Museum shows how civilians were advised to give positive sentiments and observations about the war, and to avoid negativity and despair.
The Red Cross played a role in advocating for civilians to write letters frequently and also included recommendations on what should be included in the letters. Family members were told from many sources to write positive notes about the war. Negative perspectives about the war or feelings of despair were strongly discouraged. Red Cross correspondent Rosemary Ames advised women about writing, “Men in war have neither the time nor the emotional energy to be interested in boring details about housekeeping, rationing problems and family troubles. Unfortunately, many women’s minds run that way…Soldiers are occupied with the fundamentals of existence.
Your, as well as theirs … It’s very hard to suddenly become a psychologist and an author overnight merely because your man went away. But it’s worth your while to try. For just as the right kind of letters will tighten your romances – or your bonds of affection with son, brother, or husband – so will the wrong kind loosen them.” Husband and wife authors, Edward and Louise McDonagh found that emotional issues while at war could be very dangerous for the soldiers. They advised families on the social effects of those involved in the war, indicating that one way to minimize the negative effects was to write frequently in order to minimize anxieties and keep feelings positive.
The impact of deployment on the families left behind in the United States as well as the soldiers heading overseas was great. War has always impacted American Society, and the enormity of World War II was no exception. Women who had previously stayed at home with their children were needed to work outside the home to support the war efforts and to provide for their families. “Separation from fathers or sons left devastating effects, and in a sense, many felt robbed of their childhood. With the family shifting roles, each member was initially shocked and filled with mixed emotions.” This experience of long separations changed the American family forever. Families were desperate to maintain a feeling of connection, and letter writing became immensely important on both sides of the deployment.
Letters were incredibly important to the families at home, constantly wondering and praying for the safety of deployed family members. In the PBS movie, “The War,” Dolores Silva stated, “You didn’t know if you were going to get a letter from them and then find out they had died right after they had written the letter.” So even receiving letters didn’t alleviate all the worry and fear of loved ones in danger a world away. Adding to the difficulty of the time was rationing and shortages of modern-day items that most Americans had become accustomed to. This included many items such as gasoline, shoes, chewing gum, butter, coffee, canned goods, and cigarettes, among many others.
The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research conducted a study on the impact of deployment separation and after interviewing a group of Army wives found that, “Among stresses of daily living, the most frequently reported problems involved parent/child relationships… the stress and pressure of having to make all major decisions alone; feelings of loneliness, isolation, and boredom; maintenance and repair of autos and appliances; handling of family finances…” These factors weighed on every military wife with a deployed spouse during wartime, therefore the constant encouragement to write positive letters about life at home was necessary to help these women not write about any frustration, negativity towards the military, or despair they may have felt at the time.
The value of letters to the deployed was even higher than to the families at home. The psychological warfare individual soldiers faced had the potential to distract them in the field and in combat. Not only were soldiers facing their own potential death, but the pressure of what that loss would mean for their families back home. Keeping morale high was of the utmost importance.
Letters provided a connection to the outside world, a perspective that the war was not the only thing happening in the world, and most of all, letters kept soldiers connected to their homes and families. Mail call was such a morale boost and helped the soldiers so much that it has been said that the only thing more important to the soldiers than letters was food. The emotional power of letters was heightened by the fear of death on the part of the soldier, or the fear of loss on the part of the family. Soldiers wanted to feel connected to their families and homes, and therefore enjoyed reading about the daily life back home that they longed to return to.
Wartime deployments in the mid-20th century were long and difficult, putting strain on families and the deployed. Milner West left a beautiful young bride at home, wanting so badly to be with her, planning their future, starting a family. In some letters you can hear his worry that she will lose patience with his absence. Elliott Smelser left his beautiful wife at home with two small children and a home to care for. Without modern communication options such as phone and video capabilities that worked overseas, letter writing was crucial for these families and millions more.
The postal services that evolved during the mass deployments of our military made the process of composing and sending letters more efficient as time went on. From making postage affordable, to guidance on what was appropriate to write about, postal services changed drastically at home and abroad throughout the 20th century. “Throughout the last 100 years the United States Military has recognized the need for postal services as a morale enhancing and tactical asset… Though not at the forefront of battle, postal services are recognized as a crucial planning effort and a key sustaining factor within the U.S. military’s operations.”
References
- History.com – World War II History
- Smithsonian Magazine – Letters Home: The Legacy of World War II
- National Archives – World War II Records
- American Writers Museum – How World War II Changed the Way We Write
- BrainPOP Educators – World War I
- Voices Education Center – World War I
- Civil War Trust – Learn
