Title	C. Walder Parke V-mail letter to sister Betty Parke, April 20, 1944
Subject	Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996--Correspondence Gifts
Time Period	1940s
Place	Cleveland (Ohio) Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
Description	V-mail letter from C. Walder Parke to his sister Betty asking her to take money he sent and buy gifts for his wife and their parents. Such "victory mail" was a WWII-era invention designed to save cargo space for more valuable wartime supplies. V-mail letters were microfilmed, sent in condensed form, and then restored to their original size upon reaching their destinations. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72.
Creator	Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996
Date of Original	April 20, 1944
Collection	Charles Walder Parke WW2 Collection
Source	MSS 1510; Box 2, Folder 1
Format	Manuscripts Letters Reproduction
Extent	11.4 x 13.7 cm; 4.5 x 5.4 in
Submitting Institution	Ohio History Connection
Rights	Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information.
Type	StillImage
File Name	MSS1510_B02F01_009.tif
Image Height	4329
Image Width	3580
File Size	46523604 Bytes
Full Text	Miss Betty Parke 13901 Shaker Blvd. Cleveland Ohio [return address reads:] 2nd Lieut. C.W. Parke APO 12945-AJ-7 c/o Postmaster, NYC, NY 20 April 1944 [letter begins:] Dear Betts: I sent you sixty dollars today to buy those presents with. It'll take about two weeks to get to you, but you at least know that it's on it's way. Here's the deal. - please get Eileen a birthday and aniversary present. Mother's and Father's day are coming up soon so get them something from the both of us. You might also send Mr - Mrs Gerny a card from me. Now I realize that $60 won't be enough so as soon as you buy these things let me know how much they were and I'll send the rest. Money is hard to send. That's why I didn't send more. I've got plenty so be sure to send nice presents. I'm sorry that I have to bother you this way Betts, but you're the only one I could get to do it for me. Thanks a lot. I'll make it up to you someday. Things are running smoothly. Per usual we're awaiting shipment but it shouldn't be too long before we're permanently settled. Love to all Walder
Date created	2014-07-17

C. Walder Parke V-mail letter to sister Betty Parke, April 20, 1944

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