Reaction to news that Harold had been killed in action. Informed that his company is to be broken up; Margaret Binns has died. Had planned to fly to Paris to see Mike, but was unable due to Mike's change of address. Remembers Harold only as a kid brother, not a grown man: "And to think that he went into combat as a reinforcement, among strangers, and did so far from home in such a strange land made me feel bitter about his going also. But I know that GIs in combat have a high devotion and comradship among themselves, and no doubt, there were those who were personally close to him as friends near when he died." Will probably be reassigned to Military Government. "It is only when one suffers a personal loss that one knows whether or not the ideals he fights for are worthwhile. I hope that after this first overwhelming sadness and bitterness that we will all be able to see our ideals of justice among men as worthwhile. Death, now, is something we personally share with thousands upon thousands...."
Requests to publish, redistribute, or replicate this material should be addressed to Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries.
Contact host institution for more information.