Position cards: 1941

Virgil E. Oxley was born October 6, 1902 in Maxwell, Iowa. He entered the army as a resident of Sargent County, North Dakota with the rank of Staff Sargent in 1932. He served throughout the New York/New Jersey area with HQ Co. of the 16^th Infantry, until he was transferred to Panama in the spring of 1941. He separated from the army on October 23, 1948. Virgil Oxley died March 10, 1989. Enclosed in this collection are letters Virgil wrote home to his wife, a Cogswell, North Dakota resident, while serving in the army from 1939-1941. The letters provide a revealing account of the daily regimen of a soldier during the period before United States entry into World War II, while also depicting the feelings and emotions of having to leave loved ones behind. Also included are two newspaper clippings, a pressed 4-leaf clover and several Aposition cards, which appear to have been used in Army training exercises. Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum (Rare Manuscripts and Archives dealer), Watchung, New Jersey, August 12, 1997 (Acc. #97-2157).