Carl Bretz World War II Letters
This collection consists of 39 letters written by Carl Bretz to his parents during World War II. Bretz served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the Pacific Theatre during the war. The letters document his daily life as a soldier, specifically in the latter half of 1945.
Dates
- 1945 September 20-November 8
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (2 folders)
Abstract
This collection consists of 39 letters written by Carl Bretz to his parents during World War II. Bretz served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the Pacific Theatre during the war. The letters document his daily life as a soldier, specifically in the latter half of 1945.
Biographical/Historical Note
Carl Victor Bretz was born in 1925 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Bretz graduated from high school in 1943 and shortly after was drafted into the Army. Bretz served as a typist at camps in Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Mississippi. Bretz was stationed on Oahu Island in Hawaii when the atomic bombs fell on Japan in August 1945 and his brigade later traveled into Nagasaki.
After the war with assistance from VA benefits, Bretz attended and graduated from Albright College in Pennsylvania. He then attended Boston College where he earned a master’s degree in the psychology of religion. Bretz became an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and held chaplain or parish positions in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Iowa. Toward the end of his life, Bretz resided in Oak Ridge.
Bretz married twice; first to Janice Bretz-Howe and second to Rosemary Burns. Bretz died October 4, 2020.
Arrangement
This collection is in two folders.
Previous Citation
This collection was previously listed as CSWS.WWII.2.0007.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository