July 1 - July 31, 1945
Scope and Contents
In this series of letters, John reflects on the June 10 letter he sent to Irene. He also begins to deal with the reality of World War II coming to an end and the possibility of being sent home soon. On July 18, 1945, John writes that his tour of duty had officially ended and is only waiting for relief to arrive. On the envelope of a letter dated August 13, 1945, John writes “Aug 9 Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki”. In that letter he expresses that the situation overseas has gotten mixed up and he does not know when he’ll start to head home. On the envelope of a letter dated August 19, 1945, John writes “1st letter after cease fire end of War”. On the envelope of a letter dated August 25, 1945, John writes “Aboard Ship to the [Philipines]”. On the envelope of a letter dated September 13, 1945, John writes “Sept 2, 1945 McArthur signs peace treaty aboard USS Missouri”. In September and October, John’s day to day activities became more consistent and he had more time to play baseball and to write to Irene. John eventually finds out that his squadron is to report to the West Coast as soon as possible and his ship arrives on November 4, with expectations to be heading home by November 11. Among the notes that John writes on a portion of the envelopes, his letters express that he and Irene are back to normal expressing their feelings with each other.
Dates
- 1945
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Extent
From the Collection: 10 boxes (six document boxes; two oversized boxes; two photograph boxes)
From the Collection: 6.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Creator
- From the Collection: Burns, John J. (Person)
- From the Collection: Jennings, Irene (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections Repository
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson CA 90747
310-243-3895
archives@csudh.edu