Gordy Brule Letters

The collection contains letters written by and to Gordon "Gordy" Brule who served in the 447th Bomb Squad in New York during World War II. There are only three letters written by Brule to family members, while the majority of letters written to him are from two women, Freida Miller Rochester, New York, and Pauline (later Paula) Cothran of Spartanburg, South Carolina, who were possibly competing for his affections. Frieda one talks of marrying after the war is over and Pauline is very flirtatious. The letters that overlap by about four months, give some insight into the strains and pressures placed on the relationships of soldiers and their loved ones during wartime.

There are also a few letters from other "girl" friends although one is married to another soldier, as well as a letter from Brule's sister-in-law Betty Brule. Betty asks Brule not to send any money to her abusive husband (Brule's brother) who is having an affair with another woman and threatens to go to Reno, Nevada, for a divorce. Her request is done with the intention of insuring he doesn't have the wherewithal to afford a divorce as she doesn't think he has any right to get married again.

Finally, there are letters and documents to Patricia Brule, Gordy's wife whom he married in July 1945. One of the letters, written by the Commanding Officer of the Army Ground Forces, Pacific, in 1947, informs her that Gordy's request for government transportation for her and their children to Hawaii where he was stationed after the war was approved.