Shared Photo: Letter from Ivan Shipley

Question

 

I wanted to share this family photo of Ivan Shipley with the community. Location: Okinawa. Date: Before 1945.

Click here for the image details page or here for the full-sized version (2585 x 3898).

Answer 1

Must to be nice to have some correspondence from your ancestors and to see his actual handwriting and signing of his name. :)

Comments

Ivan is not direct but my father was mentioned in the letter.  Thank you.  

The battle of Okinawa occurred around April-June 1945.  Operation Iceberg it's codenamed lasted for 82 days.  It resulted in the largest casualties of World War II with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allies.  During that time letters managed to get back home to loved ones.  This is one such letter.  My father Fay was there shortly but then left as stated in the letter.  Meanwhile Ivan was trying to get proof of life that Raymond Ball was still alive.  Not without hope he writes a letter to home.
A Letter to Back Home, From Ivan
(During The Battle of Okinawa (1945).  Trying to get proof of life for relative Raymond Ball.)

Okinawa

Dear Mom and All;
Well I just sent a letter to Jane so I will try to get one off to you all on the same mail.  I've been trying to catch up with Bob Ball.  Seen a guy from his outfit and found how to contact him.  He is not so close but may get to see me sometime sent him a letter telling him my location last night.  Tried to find Fay all the way out but while I was still on the boat I got a letter from Jennie he was home. I want only one more boat ride then boats and me we are through.  I sure want no pleasure boat rides.  My word will be "See America First" and I'm never going to get through seeing America.

 I'm sure glad the war is turning out the way it is we will sure be home in 11 and I've hopes of sooner.  I'm sending you a picture I found in a Bombed house.  The roof was all caved in and every thing all broken up.  But they have hardly any furniture in the house at all.  No beds just sleeping mats.  No chairs, no table except a tea table about knee high a few had radios.  No stoves except a fire place, where the cooking was did the tools were all hand made.  From plants to hoes, small garden patches of about 20'x20' of sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and sugar cane.  Pair tomatoes are ripe now, so are the cucumbers.  I'm where Bob came through.  I found a insignia of his unit on the ground here, though he is quite sways from here now.  You remember the letter he wrote to Ella describing how it was here.  Well by for now, write soon.  A flower I found here, there is a lot of them.  
*Ivan

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Through bombs, bullets, and hand to hand combat the flowers that are imprinted on the page survived. The letter folded into thirds protected the flowers and left the marks on the outer pages with the writing.  The flower imprint is simply beautiful... and from time to time I look at it.  I only have a duplicate copy although I was not allowed to duplicate it.  As you can see I did not listen.   I bring to our relatives a part of their history that is truly remarkable and unforgettable in my disobedience.  The insignia on the ground was probably not a good sign.

Answer 2

Gosh that's powerful. Makes me wonder who the family were from the bombed-out house and if they were ok. It also reminds me of how reliant we have become on mass-produced food and equipment to survive and how much simpler life was back then in some ways. What an incredible piece of history and of course so precious because it's personal. Thanks for sharing...

Comments

Unfortunately sometimes war is inevitable.  I too am curious as to who lived their.

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Regrettably, yes. The writer in me is allowing my imagination to run wild right now. Whose was the insignia? Why was it dropped on the ground? Were they pressed flowers that they mentioned and are the flowers still in tact?