A good friend of mine -- a WW2 American Serviceman himself -- lent me these documents relating to, and a photograph of, his brother and gave me permission to scan and publish them. The first document is the dreaded Western Union telegram to the wife of a serviceman informing her that her husband is missing in action. James Watson was reported missing in action on 8 December 1944, but in actuality his unit was disconnected and went on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge -- the Telegram is dated 26 December 1944. The second document is a V-Mail dated 1/26/44 from James to an aunt reporting that he is recovering nicely from wounds sustained in the battle. His brother, Bob, says the date is a mistake on the part of James -- it should be 1945 for that is when he was a patient recovering in the hospital. As you can see, James was a big band fan.
It would be interesting to find out what happened to this GI on the telegram. Probably shot down over Germany. The question then begs itself: was he captured or killed?
Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@Sep 3 2004, 03:02 PM It would be interesting to find out what happened to this GI on the telegram. Probably shot down over Germany. The question then begs itself: was he captured or killed? [post=27971]Quoted post[/post] I asked his brother, Bob, those questions. Pvt. Watson was an infantrymam. He was not captured. He survived the war only to be killed in an automobile accident at home eight months after the war ended.
That's a very horrible piece of luck...to go through all that and die in a traffic accident a few months later. He never got to enjoy the blessings of peace.
