Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse . . . Doug Speece, an official with the War Vet Museum in Canfield, goes through recent donations that include letters sent home from soldiers serving in various wars and conflicts, mostly in foreign lands.

CANFIELD — The War Vet Museum has passed the 45,000-artifacts point and among the items are correspondences from veterans serving on other shores who wanted to stay in touch with their families.

“We have hundreds, if not thousands, of letters and postcards sent home by veterans serving during war time,” said Doug Speece, a museum official.

The letters, postcards and photos sent home cover all the wars and conflicts in which U.S. veterans were involved.

An April 1968 letter from SP4 Terry O’Connell let his family know he would be coming home soon.

“Well, in 74 days I’ll be on my way home,” he writes. “I can’t wait. It’s been a long time.”

He mentioned he was receiving a promotion to E-5 sergeant in a month and was selected to represent his company in a special ceremony. His company was Co. C, 2/8 Infantry Battalion, 4th Division, which was engaged during the Vietnam War.

“(The Colonel) is supposed to give some guys a Purple Heart and put a banner on our flag for being the best company in battle,” he said. “Big deal!”

O’Connell goes on to note his unit is having Easter services in the woods. He also asked Kathy O’Connell how school was coming along at Fitch.

“Do you like Fitch now? You should after going there a year,” he said. “I think it would be better than East. At least they are better in sports.”

The Vietnam War did not see nearly the correspondences that were sent during World War II. The museum collection is full of letters, postcards and photos sent back from the various fronts and overseas bases.

Fred Tarr was a new recruit during World War II and able to send a postcard home from Fort Hayes in Columbus. It was obviously where he was mustered into the service.

Tarr wrote, “Boy this is fun so far. We got up at 6:00 this morning and had our breakfast. I haven’t got my uniform yet, but will probably get it when this card arrives.”

The postcard Tarr sent was one showing Fort Hayes Military Reservation in Columbus.

Many letters in the museum collection are addressed from the military company they are serving with at the time. One such recent letter the museum received in a donation comes from PFC Richard McCartney, who served in Company D of the 260th Infantry during 1945. He was writing home to his brother Clarence from Salem. The letter was stamped Apr. 12, 1945.

“So far, here is what I am allowed to say,” he wrote, “I’m in General Patton’s 3rd Army. I’ve been in combat already and am now back from the (front) lines for a rest. That is all I am allowed to say.”

He did mention getting his rations the day before that included seven packs of cigarettes, a pack of gum and three candy bars.

Another interesting WWII item came from the Pacific Theater and Technician 4th Grade Arthur M. Stone Jr., who served with the 381st Station Hospital unit. He brought back a diary of his time in the service.

In his diary, Stone talks about leaving Seattle, Washington, on April 7, 1945, aboard the USS Wharton, en route to Pearl Harbor. The ship arrived on April 23.

“We saw several carriers and other ships (no battle wagons),” he wrote. “This is where we first heard the rumor that we were headed for Okinawa. We saw where the Japs wrecked the harbor. Some of the (USS) Arkansas is still at the bottom.”

He spent 24 hours at Pearl Harbor before heading out with a five-ship convoy to Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. With a few additional changes in convoys, Stone’s unit finally ended up at Okinawa.

In his diary, Stone wrote, “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you what we saw as we came around the south end of Okinawa. There must have been 25 battleships and other large combat ships just pouring bombs into Naha (capital of Okinawa) and Shuri (center of the Japanese defense). We could see our troops leave the ships and hit the land. That was really something to see.”

Stone’s unit set up a base camp on the west coast of Okinawa in the middle of Yontan and Kadena airports. He said their barracks was constantly experiencing air raids and even saw a Japanese airplane land and attempt to engage the combat units at the airports.

“We went to work setting up our own hospital,” Stone wrote. “It was opened on July 3.”

Being on the battle front in the 68th Field Hospital can be tough and Stone experienced it first-hand. A B-24 crashed with all of its bombs on board. One crew member was killed and two more wounded. Two hours later, a Gruman Hellcat was taking off, blew a tire and crashed into the wrecked B-24. It too was carrying bombs that exploded.

“We got 11 burn cases in our operating room,” he wrote, “and several others were brought in dead. Five of the 11 we tried to save died.”

Stone’s words bring the reality of what war is really like, even when trying to save lives.

Letters, postcards and diaries can tell a lot — as can photographs.

More than 168 photographs were brought home when August Muntean, who served with the 19th Air Repair Squadron, 9th Air Force, served in Africa, Italy and France.

Among some of the interesting photos Muntean took during his time overseas was one showing pack camels, which he claimed were “the most stupid looking animals.” He wrote, “After seeing these animals day after day, it is just like seeing automobiles back home.”

He also had a photo of a fellow named Mohammed, who he claimed shined his shoes for a couple of Life Saver mints.

The letters and other writings in the museum collection do give a glimpse into the lives of veterans during war. While most are from the 1900s and newer, the museum does have a few hundred correspondences that go back even farther.

One framed letter comes from Major General Elijah Wadsworth during his service in the War of 1812. Wadsworth was a captain in the Revolutionary War and was among the men who helped survey Ohio.

He moved to Canfield in 1802 and was promoted to Major General in the War of 1812. His letter appears to contain the fee for the handling of dispatches for Brig. Gen. Reasin Beall of the 2nd Brigade Ohio Militia in the amount of $3.45.

There are many, many more letters, diaries, postcards and photos that have and are being donated to the museum for its archives.

“We are constantly getting new items for our collection,” Speece said. “It is constant as families realize the need to preserve the memories of their loved ones.”

Whether a general in 1812, a medical assistant in WWII, or a soldier in the jungle of Vietnam, every veteran has a story and has seen the horrors of war. They realize the necessity to fight for what is right, defend freedom and to do their share in making this world a better place to live.

As Veterans Day approaches, it is a time to truly say thank you for the sacrifices made.