These two V-mails are samples of what to look for in every V-mail published by our local committee for our troops. Letters from home were the single biggest morale booster, and a force with high morale fights better. You will be proud of our defenders’ committee and their V-mail to the troops from Saucon Valley.
The February 1942 V-Mail talks about the War Manpower Commission’s mandate to keep war materials and food flowing to our enlisted Saucon Valley men and women and to our allies.
In the spirit of keeping our SV Troops informed about home events, the announcement was made that our high school (Hellertown) basketball team had a four-game winning streak. The local ban on pleasure driving was also announced, allowing only essential driving and no more “spooning.” Imagine hearing that great news if you were serving in Europe or the Pacific!
Hopefully, you will recognize many of the local heroes mentioned in the email: Weaver, Morykan, Gozzard, Kalynych, Kugler, Gad, Marish, and Kunsman, to name only a few. This letter is signed Faithfully Yours, Christopher Heller.
Jumping ahead to the December 7, 1942, V-Mail and the Saucon Valley Defenders Committee, it was announced that the Lower Saucon Township Civilian Defense Council was organized in October 1942. This volume dedicates a significant portion to the committee's organization and outlines those responsible for the monthly letters to our Lower Saucon troops. Many of those appointed may be familiar to you and your neighbors. The letter is signed, “Good Luck!” Robert E. Scheets, 38 Hampton Ave, Hellertown, Pa.
We encourage you to read the V-Mails and share your memories of events and conversations with family members, past and present. These V-Mails focus on Saucon Valley and community life as it changed during the war years.
The winds of war blew through Saucon Valley. I hope your posts on this blog will enrich our knowledge of the Saucon Valley community, how its members felt and lived through the impact of World War II, and, most importantly, how the community supported our local heroes!
Enjoy the read, and remember that all 80 V-Mails are currently available (now!) on this Blog site (by clicking on the REACH YOUR BOY OVERSEAS picture on the sidebar) to help you understand the War Years in Saucon Valley.
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ReplyDeleteBarbara Brader asks:
ReplyDeleteI love this .. how does the search work? What actually can I search …
Barbara, THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION!
I will answer your question here, but I will also post your question in the COMMENTS section (found at the bottom of the blog where it says "COMMENTS") on the blog itself where I would like to maintain an interactive presence with people visiting the blog.
There are two ways to search on the blog, and I have this graphic to indicate both places:
1) the search with the slash through it only searches text on the posted blog articles themselves - NOT THE VMAILS!
2) the search with the star designation is where you can download the complete 80 Vmail articles onto your computer and then use the search facility of the Adobe Reader (and even some Internet browsers) for targeted searches on specific things - like maybe your last name if you’re looking for a family member. Look for an icon of a magnifying glass to perform a search - once you elect to download the motherlode of information.
Graphic here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yK10HBC5r6Yt7hVYpDcgn-jqVoEW1pPv/view?usp=sharing