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A World War II Draftee––70 Years ago
Blitzbuggy at the Draft Office, Chicago, 1/23/1943Seventy years ago today, my grandparents and newly married parents faced a foreboding task, one that was shared by just about everyone in America with...
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A WWII Draftee's First Day.
Arial photo of Camp Grant, probably WWIPublic domainFrank Ebner Gartz, my uncle, was drafted into World War II on January 23, 1943 (see previous post: A World War II Draftee- 70 Years Ago)The next day...
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Here to help.
Ebner and his Mom,Lisi Gartz, 1/16/1943My grandmother's letters to her son were written in a foreign language––English. Lisi Gartz's schooling back in Austro-Hungary, before it became Romania after...
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"Unlimited opportunities..."
Will Gartz, Harlem Airport, 1943-1944Writing Ebner became focal point of Gartz family life. Here's a letter from the oldest Gartz brother, Will. Born in 1913, he was eleven years older than Ebner. Age...
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"One instructor we tied in a bed!"
Frank Von Arx, DOB 3/1/1924Photo courtesy of son, Frank E. Von ArxFrank Von Arx was my Uncle Frank Ebner's best friend. Ebner's brother, Bill, mentioned in his 1/31/1943, letter ("Unlimited...
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Slow Starvation?
Elsie and Bert Von Arx, parents of Ebner's best friend, Frank Von Arx.Ebner's best buddy, Frank Von Arx, wrote him on Feb. 2, 1943. Seventy years ago today, Von Arx's mom took her turn filling Ebner...
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My troubled heart
Elisabeth (Lisi) Gartz, Jan. 1943Ebner's mother was undoubtedly finding that writing her son in English was so difficult, she fell back to writing to him in German. Below is a translation into English...
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In charge of 200 men...
Mississippi. See detail at right forlocation of Keesler FieldFrank's Mom wrote a desperate plea to her son, Frank Ebner to send her "some lines," i.e., WRITE! Little did she know the responsibilities...
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Lots of Love on Valentine's Day
Lisi, Ebner's MomLisi Gartz, my grandmother, struggles again with English, writing in her tortured spelling and syntax to Ebner, her youngest son, who's in basic training at Keesler Field, Mississippi....
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Writing as much as I can
Ebner responds to his mother's desperate plea for more letters, and his oldest brother's (Will) apparent chastisement about the "dearth" of letters.To read about the history of Keesler Field click...
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Mississippi Miserys
Ebner writes to brother, Will, about “The Mississippi Miserys,” [I'm spelling it the way he does in the letter.] It's a word apparently created by the men to dub an ailment that affects many soldiers...
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Money all gone
In Frank's letter to his Mom, below, he refers to "boilers." These were the furnaces in the many buildings my grandparents cared for. In this era, and for many years afterwards, they burned coal,...
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Watch your spelling!
Will Gartz writes this letterIn an earlier letter, after his family expressed concern they hadn't heard from Frank, he assured them he was writing at least every 4 days and suggested they start...
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Screwball Instructor looking for stripes
Frank Von Arx, Ebner's best friend, is writing to Ebner again from Von Arx's locale in Florida. The photo below is from the Von Arx's archives, of soldiers stationed with the Army Air Force drilling at...
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Mom bubbles over with joy to hear from you
The Gartz Boys. Left to right, Fred (my Dad) Will, theoldest, and Frank "Ebner." My grandma did a bit ofmagic by cutting in Frank's grad photo ten years afterthe photo of Fred and Will was taken.My...
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I pray hard for you
My grandmother placed two lights with green beaded shades flanking Ebner's high school graduation picture, as my father mentioned in his 2/21-23 letter. Here my grandmother tells her son how she keeps...
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Let me know how you come along
LaVerne "Cookie" Karbach(bridesmaid photo) Ebner'shigh school girlfriendChicago, ILLMarch 3, 1943Harvey DuckDear Ebner, I was waiting [for] Will to send you a Letter but he is with his Air Port Working...
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Zero-Dark-thirty-five below
Frank Gartz left Keesler Field in Mississippi and arrived on February 27th, 1943, at the Army Technical School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for an 18-week stay. His long days of classes, studying, and...
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I'd hate for you to go haywire.
Austin High School, Chicago, IlFrank's former science and division teacher at Austin High School, Miss Hartley, was a regular correspondent, not only to Frank Ebner, but to many of his buddies from his...
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What's the Pitch? What Gives?
Frank Von ArxFrank Gartz's first letter from a pal.Fun Lingo from the 1940s crops up throughout this very first letter written to my Uncle Ebner BEFORE he was even drafted. That's because his best...
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