Archival Collections

This collection includes letters written to Arnold Busch, a basketball coach for Calvary Methodist Church in Lakewood, Ohio, by the students he previously coached. Whether drafted or enlisted, many of the men kept up a correspondence with Busch throughout the war years. This collection also includes Calvary Church newsletters and pamphlets, pamphlets regarding persons registered for service, ration books and other rationing documents, and letters returned to Busch because their recipients were MIA, deceased, or relocated. Also included are photographs of Calvary Church activities on the Homefront, the basketball team, and the Calvary Church's V-J Day service as well as a copy of an article in which the photograph was featured. The letters included in this collection discuss subjects such as classes, training, camp life, and local towns wherever they are posted. Some letters contain some sexually explicit material.

The collection relates to Arthur Edwin Brenton who served aboard the USS  Pennsylvania battleship during World War II in the Pacific Campaign as a member of the U.S. Marine Guard.  The collection includes a diary, typed transcript of the diary, personal papers, newspaper clippings, as well as ship's newsletters.

This World War II collection relates to First Lieutenant Carl Johnson and his wife Marion Bennett Johnson and includes various letters, photographs, telegrams, cards, documents, and memorabilia. Carl's letters to Marion comprise the bulk of the collection and detail his college experiences as well as his training and overseas military experience as a United States Marine Corp officer during and after the war. During his career as a Marine, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, then went to San Francisco to start his voyage in the Pacific. He went to Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Okinawa before arriving in China where he served as a Commanding Officer. Marion's letters to Carl highlight her experiences on the home front during and after the war.

The collection of Clarke M. Brandt contains an oral history transcript and various publications about army life during World War II. In it are examples such as George (Bob) Caron who was a tail gunner on the "Enola Gay" B-29 Bomber. The oral history includes Caron's eyewitness account of the bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. Also included are pamphlets and newsletters including "War Buddies," which covers the relationship between a soldier and his canine companion through his years as a member of the US Marine Corps. "War Buddies" is written by Earle Welch and Dick Roberts.

Frederick W. Ritter served in the Marine Corps as an engineer officer during World War II. He specifically served as a Vought F4U Corsair engineer. He trained at Parris Island, Jacksonville Naval Base, and attended Officer training at Quantico. He met his wife when he joined a church choir in Jacksonville, corresponding with her throughout the war. During the battle of Okinawa, he oversaw the maintenance of the Corvairs that protected the Navy from Kamikaze attacks. The collection includes Ritter's military documents, official paperwork, various letters, photographs, pins and badges, as well as magazines, articles, programs, and photographs from reunions and other postwar events related to his wartime experiences.

This collection contains two oral histories; one with Dr. Philip Gilman, Jr. and one with James Izumizaki. It also includes the reprint of a letter by Pvt. Lavern Borg, Jr. written on April 2, 1945. The letter tells about his experiences with the 5th Marine Division of the U.S. Marine Corp in the battle of Iwo Jima. The next document includes a service record and medallist dated June 1967, January 1969, and August 1973. A pamphlet collected by the Pajaro Valley Arts Council, California entitled Nihen Bunka Japanese Culture: One hundred years in Pajaro Valley is also in the collection.

This collection contains the personal papers of Kenneth A. Skoog.  Skoog served in the European Theater (ETO) in the 121st and the 118th US Army Signal Radio Intelligence Corps. His collection includes nine World War I photos and 82 World War II photos. The World War II photographs related to the 118th and 121st Signal Radio Intelligence Companies. Also included are personal photographs of Skoog, Charles A. Bowen, Jr., and Army comrades. There are photographs taken in Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, and Austria. The collection also includes letters from Charles A. Bowen, Jr., who was a U.S. Marine Corps photographer, to Kenneth A. Skoog. The letters include descriptions of fine art, drawings, poetry, and a sketched map. Ephemera such as unused postcards are also in the collection. There are also three short manuscripts written by Kenneth A. Skoog about his life before and during the war.

This collection is related to Raphael "Ray" Edward Cavanaugh, a World War II U.S. Marine. The colelction includes one Japanese World War II flag signed by men from his unit, which was the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd U.S. Marine Division. In addition the collection contains a U.S. Marine Corps ID Card; 1 uniform lanyard (Croix de Guerre); 1 metal ribbon bar; 1 sharpshooter medal; a 4th Marine Division patch; a 2nd Marine Division patch; 5 pieces of Japanese currency; 2 ration coupon booklets; and one picture of Raphael "Ray" Edward Cavanaugh himself in uniform.

This World War II collection documents the life of U.S. Marine Wilson Koontz in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945, as well as the stories of his ancestry, children, and grandchildren. The collection is mainly comprised of personal papers, letters, and documents as well as a leather pouch and a scrapbook of the family's history. The scrapbook details his post-war experiences through various documents and writings from his daughter, as well as the lives of his descendants.