Lt. Douglas McKee Missing in Germany
World War IIDearest Reader,
Among the wartime newspaper clippings preserved by my parents is this article about Lt. Douglas McKee of Martinsburg, West Virginia. The reason this one would have been saved is because Martinsburg was my father’s hometown, and throughout their lives my parents kept newspaper articles that helped preserve the stories of communities that shaped their families.
The article reports that Lt. McKee, a young Army Air Force pilot, had been declared missing in action over Germany during World War II. For families and communities across America, such notices were among the most difficult wartime news to receive. A serviceman listed as missing left loved ones in a state of uncertainty.
Local newspapers closely followed the experiences of servicemen from the community, reporting on promotions, awards, injuries and losses. These articles helped residents maintain a connection with those serving far from home. My parents were preserving a piece of the history of the town my father considered home.
Dr. Nancy Watson
Washington
Read More From Nancy
An Editorial for John Gilbert Winant
Among the papers my mother saved was this editorial from the Concord Monitor, published on November 4, 1947, the day after John Gilbert Winant died. Unlike a news story reporting the events of the previous day, this editorial served as the newspaper’s reflection on the life of one of New Hampshire’s most respected public servants. The editors chose not […]
Convalescent Hospital
In July of 1944, letters to my father were addressed to Fort George Wright Hospital in Spokane Washington. Fort George Wright Hospital in 1944 was a key convalescent and rehabilitation facility for the US Army servicemen. Fort George was a US post established beginning in the late 1890s. The hospital was built on-site in 1898 […]
Father of 10 Will Go into Service
Among my mother’s papers that have survived all these years, it the newspaper clipping about Chester J. Barrett and his family of ten children. The Barrett family lived directly across the street from my mother in Concord, New Hampshire. I remember her speaking about the Barrett twins. In fact, the Barrett twins can be seen in photographs […]
