Frank A. Colbert Second World War correspondence
This collection contains 8 letters written by U.S. Army Sergeant Frank A. Colbert during the Second World War. Sgt. Colbert was assigned to the South East Asia Command (SEAC), which oversaw the Allied Powers’ operations in that area of the Pacific Theater during the war. In August 1945, he was selected to type up the surrender documentation that the Japanese military delegation, Great Britain, and SEAC signed. The correspondence spans the 3 years from Sgt. Colbert’s first days in the U.S. Army to when he was returning home. Topics discussed in the letters include: Sgt. Colbert’s initial experiences at Camp Lee, Virginia, only 2 days after he was called into the service; reassuring his parents that he will be fine during the war; the sights and sounds he experienced when he was stationed in Delhi, India; attending various musical shows; a humorous account of an Australian who served in the British Royal Air Force; perspectives of the U.S. dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; opinions about the Soviet Union declaring war on Japan; relief that the war has ended; drafting the surrender documentation and having to meet with the Japanese delegation before the signing ceremony; and his living situation on the ship taking him back to the U.S.
Statement of Potentially Harmful Content:
This collection may contain materials that are difficult to view, are potentially harmful, or use outdated and culturally insensitive language. Chapman University preserves and makes these materials accessible to researchers to ensure long-term accuracy of these historical records. This repository aims to not promote or otherwise celebrate this content, but to use it for educational and research purposes.
Please see the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) "Statement on Potentially Harmful Content" for more information: https://www.archives.gov/research/reparative-description/harmful-content
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1943-04-21, Frank to Parents
Frank A. Colbert
Sgt. Frank A. Colbert wrote this letter to his parents two days after was called into service. He describes his first couple of days at Camp Lee, Virginia, including: receiving medical shots; completing classifcation exams and acquiring his uniform; and being on barrack guard duty.
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1943-09-15, Frank to Parents
Frank A. Colbert
While writing from Camp Senango, Pennsylvania, Sgt. Colbert reassurres his parents that he will be fine serving in the U.S. Army. Additionally, he expresses his relief that his parents and the rest of his family will be with him throughout the Second World War, or what he describes as the "greatest show on Earth."
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1944-02-28, Frank to Tommy
Frank A. Colbert
Sgt. Colbert wrote this letter to his sister, U.S. Naval Reserve Lt. Alice "Tommy" Colbert, while he was stationed in Delhi, India. In the letter, he recounts the sights and sounds he witnessed while sitting in what he calls the "front porch" of his tent. He tells his sister a humorous story of how he could not located a fellow Army serviceman who was sick. The rest of the letter is Sgt. Colbert narrating what he did for the remainder of the day. He ends by stating that he will join some British soldiers for tea. The letter also includes a sketch of Sgt. Colbert's tent, which he uses as a refernce for his some of his stories.
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1944-08-25, Frank to Parents
Frank A. Colbert
Stationed at Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Sgt. Colbert writes to his parents. He narrates a humorous event incolving a member of the British Royal Air Force (an Australian) keeping meticulous track how many flies he "destroyed, possibly destroyed, and damaged." He concludes his letter by saying he attended a show at the British service theater.
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1945-08-09, Frank to Parents
Frank A. Colbert
Sgt. Colbert expresses his perspectives of the Soviet Union declaring war on Japan and the U.S. dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Japan. He wrote the letter on the day the same day the U.S. dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
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1945-08-29, Frank to Parents
Frank A. Colbert
In this letter, Sgt. Colbert recounts to his parents how he was directly involved in drafting the surrender papers for the signing ceremony between the Japanese military and the Allied Powers' South East Asia Command (SEAC). He describes how he had to urgently meet with surrendering Japanese General Takazō Numata and the rest of the Japanese delegation and have them sign a corrected document before the signing ceremony. Sgt. Colbert then goes on to describe the signing ceremony that took place in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar). He also describes witnessing Allied prisoner of war returning Japanese prisoner of war camps.
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1945-09-02, Frank to Tommy
Frank A. Colbert
Writing to his sister, Lt. Alice "Tommy" Colbert, Sgt. Frank Colbert presents his perspectives on the U.S. dropping the atomic bombs on Japan and expresses his deep relief that the war is over. He states how some servicemen where he is located celebrated when they heard Japan surrendered to the Allied Powers. He concludes by stating he saw a few shows and musicals, including Oklahoma.
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1946-02-05, Frank to Parents
Frank A. Colbert
In his last letter to his parents before returning to the U.S., Sgt. Colbert writes about his cramped living conditions on a U.S. Navy ship; the ship leaving Karachi, Pakastan, and returning to Ceylon; and remaining idle for days on the ocean, waiting to dock in Singapore.