Letters Between Pilots' Mothers With Newspaper Article

Letters Between Pilots' Mothers With Newspaper Article

Patriotism was alive and well throughout the U.S., and the families of military personnel supported each other, even if they were a few states away

This article, from a newspaper in Ohio, tells the story of a local pilot getting shot down in the Battle of Bastogne, but insisting on getting back to base as he was expecting to hear news that he was a father. This airman, 1st Lt. Duane E. Oyster, was a pilot in the 362nd Fighter Group, and although there is only a passing reference to Colonel Joseph Laughlin in the article, Lt. Oysters' mother felt compelled to pass on the article to Colonel Laughlin's family. The final letter was written in reply to Ruba Oyster's original letter nearly 30 years later by Colonel Laughlin's mother, Gertrude. It shows that the bonds shared by the pilots were also shared by their families, even decades after the war.

National Museum of the United States Air Force - Research Division

United States Air Force

1945-1975