George W. Schneider III Collection

The George W. Schneider III Collection (1944-1971; undated) contains two boxes and .84 linear feet of letters sent from Schneider to his future wife, Virginia Webb, as well as few other letters, notes, and clippings. A majority of the letters were sent during Schneider’s time in the United States Army as a Corporal. The letters begin in 1944, when Schneider was at Camp Campbell in Kentucky, and continue through his travels across the Atlantic and into France, Germany, and Austria in 1945, and then his return to the United States and time while at Camp Cooke in California. The majority of the letters which were sent almost every day throughout most of 1945, document Schneider’s experiences in the Army during World War Two. During that time Schneider tells Webb about his wartime experiences such as: participating in night infiltration training; KP duty; attending wartime classes; attending movies and U.S.O. shows; traveling through the European countryside and seeing at the destruction caused by the war; meeting townspeople; guard duty; and his duties as a jeep driver, which took him all over Austria and Germany including visiting places like Berchtesgaden and Nuremberg. He also reminisces about time spent with Webb playing bridge, visiting the arcade, and listening to the radio; playing bridge while overseas; inquires about Webb’s family and employment; and tells her how much he misses and loves her.

Schneider continues to write to Webb after returning to the United States following the end of the war in Europe and writes about his experiences at Camp Cooke in California including attending night school; the weather; going on passes to visit Hollywood and Santa Barbara; discusses the Army point system and possibility of getting discharged; and speculates about when he will get a furlough. In these letters, he often talks about his future with Webb including getting married and their future home.

Also included in this collection are a few letters written from 1950-1971. In these letters to Webb (now Schneider), George Schneider talks about his experiences as a traveling salesman, and tells her about a visit to his mother's home.