Vietnam Veterans Against the War marched to a Peace Rally at BGSU on October 23, 1972. University Archives Photograph Collection.  

Whenever the United States has been involved in war, civilians have filled the ranks of both combat and support troops. Large troop commitments affected every facet of life at home, from politics to the family circle.  Because wartime was such an intense experience, the troops involved often felt inspired to record their impressions, not only through letters home, but also in journals (sometimes kept through combat), photographs, scrapbooks, and later memoirs. Their families preserved these war-related writings,

adding their own diaries and letters from the time, even when they did not preserve their peace-time papers. Many such valuable resources are available to researchers at the Center for Archival Collections.

Soldiers' letters and journals are most commonly found in family papers. Lonely young men far away from home, perhaps for the first time, wrote as often as they were able and eagerly awaited news from home. During the Civil War when military units were recruited from particular geographical regions, brothers, cousins, and neighbors served together. The letters they sent and received were shared widely. Over two dozen such collections are available at the CAC, many from men serving in the same unit. Examples include the George Kryder Papers (MS 163) and the Isaac Skillman Papers (MMS 1083) of the Third Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, or the papers of William Shanks (MMS 1172), Samuel Linton (MMS 1070), and Liberty Warner (MS 624) of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. They supplement one another, detailing camp life, military supplies, troop movements, events of battle, and news about other soldiers. Letters from home such as the Webb Family Papers (MS 518) or the Hill Family Papers (MS 190) have also been preserved, providing a glimpse of daily life in northwest Ohio.

Journals reflect day-by-day the soldiers' experiences and impressions and often were used by survivors when they wrote their memoirs or compiled regimental histories. Each war has produced its share of such documents, and a comparison between wars is interesting in itself. Enlistments in the Civil War ranged from as short as one month, three months, 100 days, or up to three years. Training often consisted of parade drills when the unit was encamped. During the First and Second World War, however, troops were assigned to permanently-established units according to the needs of the armed forces. Minimum enlistments of "two years or the duration" and extended training in boot camp provided troops with the skills and experience to perform effectively in combat and efficiently behind the lines.

The G. I. Bill gave thousands of World War II veterans the opportunity to attend college. The gymnasium at BGSU was put to use as a dormitory to house the flood of new students. University Archives Photograph Collection. 

Mary Francis Goldman Klein (MS 197), Josephine Suter Kronfield (MMS 364) and Annie Laurie Turnbull Panning (MS 241) were among the women to serve in the WACs and the WAVES during World War II.  Their letters and scrapbooks provide a unique perspective on military service and the changing roles of women.  Collections of letters from this period often include "V-Mail."  Letters written on standard stationery were microfilmed for shipment

overseas and an enlargement was printed for the recipient.

A generation later, tours of duty in Vietnam were limited to one year. Thousands of Americans served in that conflict. Their letters and journals, as always, will play a vital part in helping future generations to understand the evolving attitudes during that troubled period. The Carroll Lanning Collection (MMS 1030) consists of over 400 color slides taken by a member of the Army Corps of Engineers during one tour of duty in 1969-1970.

Upper Sandusky (MMS 1139) and Bowling Green (MS 520), or the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6909 of Toledo (MS 161), became focal points for peace-time social activities.

Wartime made everyone feel in closer touch with history. The experiences they recorded--in battle, behind the lines, and at home--provide us with a portrait of their times, from the everyday routine to the extraordinary events which changed the shape of our world.

--Lee N. McLaird