Condolence letter written by Pvt. John Olsen
Title
Condolence letter written by Pvt . John Olsen
Creator
Olsen, John
Subject- LOC
World War , 1914-1918 -- France ; Soldiers -- United States ; World War , 1914-1918 -- Germany ; Bennet , Artie ; World War , 1914-1918 -- Casualties ;
Subject [IDA]
Military World War I
Description
Typed condolence letter written by Pvt . John Olsen on the death of Artie Bennett . Addressed to "Dear Friend. " Sent from Leuteadorf , Germany . See also DeWitt County War Record 6-3_WWI-6-wr-2010-46_007
Contributing Institution
Vespasian Warner Public Library District
Date
11 Jun 1918
Type
text
Format
1 typed page
Identifier
6-1_WWI-6-wr-2010-4_002
Language
English
Transcript
Leutesdorf , Germany , July 11 , 1919 . Dear Friend : It is useless for me to offer sympathy to you , who have given your beloved as a sacrifice that Democracy may live , as it is beyond my mind to fathom the depth of your grief . But there may be a spark of consolation in knowing that Artie lived as a soldier should live , and died in the most fitting way for a soldier to die;- on the field of battle doing his duty . No doubt , you are already familiar with his experiences while training , and his coming to France . I will endeavor to relate a few facts concerning his, to the time of his death . After spending a month in what is known as a quiet sector of the “front,” near Verdun , the Eighty-second Company of which Artie and myself were members , together with the remainder of the Second Division , was withdrawn for a short rest . Then on May 31st , this division was again rushed to the front to check the German advance , which was then threatening Paris . Not only were we successful in doing this, but we forced the enemy to give ground . It was in accomplishing this latter while attaching a machine gun nest , on June 8th , in the Bois de Belleau , that Artie received the wound that caused his death about an hour later . He passed away quietly , without complaint , and was laid to rest near where he fell . The members of the Eighty-Second Company of the Marines are forwarding a map to you , showing his travels in France , together with other information that may be of interest to you . We take this means of expressing our sympathy to you , knowing that nothing we can do can lighten your grief , but hoping to give you a little strength that it may more easily be borne . Yours respectfully , John W . Olsen , Pvt .
Coverage- Geographical
Germany ; United States -- Illinois -- DeWitt County
Coverage-- Temporal
1910s (1910-1919)
Rights
The Vespasian Warner Public Library Distrcit (VWPL) holds the copyright for this image. It may be downloaded for personal use, but may not be published or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from VWPL. You may contact VWPL at 310 N. Quincy St, Clinton, Illinois or at 217-935-5174.
Collection Name
DeWitt County World War I Collection
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