D S T Peal Life R s e l p m Exa
. Roy Written By G roject ns History P ra te e V e h T om References fr life Center of lk o F n a c ri e Am (A Project of of Congress) ry ra ib L e h T
W
ars have affected many directly or indirectly. We have heard many stories of the affected soldiers. At the same time, many such voices have gotten lost with time. The psychological impact of wars on the American soldiers have been explained through statistics since the civil war. However, the statistical information does not show the real influence in terms of loss of personal lives and severe mental agony caused because of war. To understand the severity of how the war impacted the soldiers, we need to go through their stories to understand just how the wars affected their lives. The soldiers that fought in the wars since the American Civil War were not only
32 – GATHER Veterans
some random numbers, but they were one among us. Letters Written from the Heart! A Page from the Life of George Doll The United States was involved in World War I for just a little over a year. However, the war had an astounding impact on the entire history of the 20th century. The war also profoundly affected the lives of the individuals that took part in the war. One such individual was Corporal George Doll. He was the native of Indiana, stationed in France. He was a part of the Army Transportation Corps and was one of the individuals whose life was deeply impacted by WWI.
He had exchanged almost 400 letters with his wife Blanch throughout the war and into the beginning of the 1920s. All of his wartime letters expressed his feelings for his wife, whom he described as “Dearest Honey Bunch” in his letters. His letters were full of wit and pure love for his beloved wife. George wrote to his wife in 1919 that he was waiting for his discharge from the service, and he noted that he would have to stay in New York for a few more days, but he had nothing to do there. Doll stated that he would be on his way to Indianapolis as soon as he received his discharge papers. Once there, he would get “all dolled up” and get a room for both of them.
