| The Betty Bell Papers
are a collection of letters written to Mrs. Betty Bell by U.S. soldiers
serving in Vietnam during the years 1967-1973. Mrs. Bell was a volunteer
for an organization in the Rochester, NY area called "Operation
Morale," a non-profit, government registered, volunteer
organization founded in 1965 that provided gift packages and greeting
cards to servicemen and women on holidays and birthdays. The contents of
the packages were obtained through donations, and included items such as
cookies, candies, books, paper and pens, socks, and foot powder. In addition to her involvement with Operation Morale's gift package program, Mrs. Bell also corresponded with many of the soldiers on both a personal level and on behalf of the entire Bell Family (including Betty, her husband Robert, and their eight children: Karren, Robin, Mark, Lee, Carl, James, Robert Jr., and Cathy). While the majority of servicemen and women sent simple thank you letters for the packages or cards they received, many soldiers maintained a regular correspondence with Mrs. Bell and the Bell Family. The letters contain various accounts of military duties and day-to-day life for soldiers while stationed in Vietnam. Perhaps more significant is the glimpse the letters provide into the diversity of ideas, opinions, and feelings of U.S. servicemen and women about war in general and the United States' military involvement in Vietnam in particular. |
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Letter from Lou June 29, 1971
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One of the envelopes
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