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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Stone, Robert L. (1921-2009) to Jacob Stone and Beatrice Stone

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09620.122 Author/Creator: Stone, Robert L. (1921-2009) Place Written: Oahu, Hawaii Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 2 August 1944 Pagination: 1 p. : envelope ; 27.4 x 19.4 cm. Order a Copy PDF Download(s): Transcript of document

Addressed to "Folks." Everything is fine with him. He just started the 7th Air Force Gunnery School, which lasts about a month. They go to classes from 7:45AM-5PM, with a break for lunch. The classes are a little boring, but it's "good cheap life insurance."

They went to Honolulu to see the 7th AAF baseball team play, and when they left at the beginning of the game, the "fliers" were up 13 to 1. Says it's like a pro-team as they have Joe Dimagio and Joe Gordon. The mail is messed up, but hopes it'll straighten out in a day or so.

The letter is dated as "Wednesday Aug. 2nd." "Letters in a Box" dates the letter as August 2, 1944.

Robert "Bob" Stone was a Bombardier in World War II and served in the Pacific Front. These letters, were compiled by Bob's wife, Sheila M. Stone, and Ali Adair into a book named Letters in a Box. This book details Bob's service to his country, and his life after the war. Bob's letters were donated to the collection by his wife, Sheila M. Stone, in 2017. It contains a variety of letters, postcards, patches, pins, photographs, and scrapbooks that relate to Bob's training and combat missions.

[Draft Created by Crowdsourcing]
Wednesday Aug. 2nd
Dear Folks -
Have time for a few lines to say that everything is fine with R. L. S. At the moment we are attending the 7th Air Force Gunnery School. It's a darn good course of ground school, range, and flying that lasts about a month. We go to school for the first two weeks from 7:45 until 5:00 with only an hour out for lunch. Ten classes a day is really alot, particularly when it's as hot as it is here. The classes aren't too interesting but they are most essential. The school is good cheap life insurance.
Last Sunday we had an outing to Honolulu to see the 7th AAF ball team play. When we left after two and a half innings the score was 15-1. The fliers have Joe DiMag, Joe Gordon, and a number of other big time ball players - they're just like a pro team.
My mail has been bawled up since we moved but I hope it will straighten out in a day or so. Continue to write to APO 953 and I'll get my mail eventually. Write often.

All love -
Bobby

Stone, Robert L., 1921-2009
Stone, Jacob, fl. 1894-1985
Stone, Beatrice Hecht Marks, 1901-1962
DiMaggio, Joseph Paul, 1914-1999

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