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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 #: GLC09620.165 Author/Creator: Stone, Robert L. (1921-2009) Place Written: Mariana Islands Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 9 March 1945 Pagination: 2 p. : envelope ; 24.6 x 15.6 cm. Order a Copy PDF Download(s): Transcript of document

Addressed to "Dad + Bee." All goes well with him, C-rations are still terrible. They now have twenty-eight missions with "a long road to forty." He saw Al Vinal's nephew and heard he finished up his forty missions not too long ago. He and a few others located a beach and they've been swimming a lot as it's more fun than sitting around in a tent. News is scarce, but it's better than no news.

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]
The Marianas
March 9th, 1945
Dear Dad & Bee -
Haven't had a whole lot to write but just a few lines to let you know that all goes well here. All of your various letters are greatly appreciated.
Life goes on about the same as ever with the usual c-rations and the various missions. The crew now has twenty-eight missions under its belt with a long road ahead to forty.
You asked if I'd seen Al Vinal's nephew of late. He's, or rather he was in the 30th Group, but he finished up some time ago. His crew broke up when we were back on Oahu last August, and he came down under as a spare crew member. I saw him after his fifteenth mission, but I know he has completed his forty and already gone back.
A week or so ago some of us located a nice sandy beach and

[2]
we have been swimming quite regularly since then. We're trying to get a little tan because most of us have a bar room palor [sic]. When we're not on a mission we just sit around in our tent so we're just a white as if we'd spent the winter in N.Y.
This letter barely rates a six cent stamp but news is scare [sic] and I thought you'd rather have a few lines from me than no letter at all.
Best love -
Bobby

[envelope]
Lt. Robert L Stone 0-696041
431st Bomb Sqdn. 11th Group
APO 246 ? Postmaster
San Francisco, Cal.

Mr. J. C. Stone
375 Park Avenue
New York City (22)
N.Y.

Stone, Robert L., 1921-2009
Stone, Jacob, fl. 1894-1985
Stone, Beatrice Hecht Marks, 1901-1962

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