V Mail Memories

      More Letters From Paradise
           V Mail Memories
Unless you are as old as me, you probably never heard of "V Mail." These were photo copies of letters sent by servicemen over seas, during WWII. They were small, about 5x7 inches, and were often with black lines of a censor. I got to thinking about this and some other things on this Veterans' Day. My father was in the Combat Engineers, in Patton's 3rd Army. He took part in the D Day Landings, and the "Battle of the Bulge." Tonto"s father was a gunner on a B 17, his brother Ray was also a gunner on a B 24, and was killed when his plane was shot down over Nuremburg. My  grandfather sat on the Draft Board, and his one son was in the British Royal Airforce, the other was in the Navy. That was pretty much the way it was back then. Most houses had a banner in the window with one or more stars on it. I was in elementary school back then, but I am full of memories of that time. My father sent back home to me a German helmet, which  I wore for short time around the neighborhood, and some small model German airplanes, which had once belonged to some boy in Germany. There were some other stuff, Nazi arm bands, Iron Crosses, medals, and a couple of dishes from the wall of some castle. He returned with two Afrika Corps. sun helmets for us to wear fishing. These must have come from some wearhouse. We never did go fishing.

           Aloha
           Grant