By KAREN KELSHEIMER
Director, Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum

The Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum is excited to announce the following events to the general public.

New Visiting Display

World War II Victory Mail Comics by U.S. Naval Lieutenant Don Fassler to his wife “Ruru” in Syracuse, on loan through December by Diana Castell.

Lt. Fassler, stationed aboard the S.S. Hannibal Victory, was an excellent artist; his comics capture what life in the Navy was like during World War II.

V-Mail was a hybrid mail service used during WWII. When sent, V-Mail letters were opened and censored, copied onto microfilm for transportation overseas, and then printed back to paper at one-fourth of the original size for delivery to the addressee. This allowed for letters to be reduced to only three percent of their original weight and volume – a great space saver on military transports.

The decision to microfilm V-Mail ultimately rested with the military authorities who opened and censored the mail and was based on distance to be traveled, mail volume, and available space. The V-Mail comics by Lt. Fassler were never microfilmed – they were sent from San Francisco to Syracuse in original form due to one such military decision. Over one billion letters were delivered during the time that V-Mail service operated in the United States, from June 1942 through Nov. 1945.

Upcoming Program

Billy Yank, Common Soldier for the Union, a living history presentation by Kevin Stonerock.

Program will be  at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Syracuse Community Center’s Celebration Hall. It will be free of charge. Come and find out what life was like for a Civil War soldier!

Stonerock’s portrayal of Indiana native William Fentress covers camp life, battlefield experiences, army humor, food, equipment, music, weapons, and uniforms.