This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Eyde brothers wartime letters reveal Pacific battles and postwar struggles
A collection of letters from Frank Ralph and John Eyde, Rockford natives, chronicles their World War II service from Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, Attu, Kwajalein, and Tinian. The trio face combat, injuries, delays, and postwar hardship, with Frank's mental illness and discharge contrasting Ralph and John’s later lives.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lorentz Eyde
Margaret Larsen
United States
Norway
Rockford
Frank
Rockford Central High School
Procter & Gamble
Germany
Poland
Ralph
California
2Nd Marine Division
San Diego
Camp Elliott
Army
7Th Infantry Division
Fort Ord
Monterey
Pearl Harbor
U.S
Pacific
Sanford
John
Solomon Islands
Tulagi
Gavutu
Tanambogo
Guadalcanal
San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge
Alaska
Aleutian Islands
Kiska
Attu
Cubs
Chicago
Navy Pier
Mili
High Seas
Marshall Islands
7Th Infantry
Kwajalein Atoll
Kwajalein
Hawaii
Army Air Forces
505Th
Wendover
Utah
Eydes
Indiana
Naval Hospital
Charleston
S.C
Bethesda
Tinian
Japan
Hiroshima
Nagasaki
Veterans Affairs
Madison
Wis
Carpentry Company
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
South Pacific
Alesi
Washington Post