Correspondence, April, 1944

Patrick D. O'Connell, the son of Norman and Orpha O'Connell, was born October 22, 1922 in Crookston, Minnesota. The O’Connell’s moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota when Patrick was five. Patrick O'Connell graduated from Grand Forks Central High School in 1940 and attended the University of North Dakota from 1940-1943. He returned to UND in 1947 to complete his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, which he received later that year. From 1943-1946, O'Connell served in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to combat infantry - L Company, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Division, where he rose in rank from private to captain. This unit participated in the recapture of the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island in the Philippines and received a Presidential Unit Citation for its role in this conflict. O'Connell himself received a purple heart with oak leaf cluster and a bronze star. O'Connell returned to the army in 1951, following the outbreak of the Korean War. This time, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an Equipment Officer for the 802nd Engineering Aviation Battalion, which was assigned to build the K-13 airfield in South Korea. Patrick O'Connell married Muriel M. Jenkins in 1951. Following his service in Korea, he worked as a home builder in California and Arizona. He is presently retired and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. The O’Connell’s have two children and three grandchildren. The majority of these papers are correspondence between Patrick O'Connell and his mother, Orpha B. (O'Connell) Dobmeir, who saved the letters in bundles wrapped in butcher twine. Topics within the letters include Army basic training, UND's ROTC, Officers Candidate School (OCS), Air Cadet school at Washington State College in Pullman, WA, barracks life, troop train travel, ration coupons, dating, and family matters. Of special interest are references to Senators Langer and Nye, to whom Mrs. O'Connell had written requesting their assistance after her son's paperwork was lost and he was erroneously assigned to Engineer and then Infantry basic training units. She also reported to the senators, thefts of Army food that had been described to her in Patrick's letters. Letters between Mrs. O'Connell and Senator Langer may be found within the Langer Collection, OGL #19. Letters from 1945 and 1946 describe the war in the Philippines, criticism of General Douglas MacArthur and the Army's use of "green" troops, the Atomic Bomb, the surrender of the Japanese, and occupation forces. Photocopies of Time, Yank, Pacific Stars & Stripes, as well as copies of newspapers from organizations with which O'Connell was associated, provide additional background information. All correspondence has been arranged chronologically. This material was deposited into the Department of Special Collections by Pat O'Connell, Scottsdale, AZ, in February and March 1994 (Accession #'s 93-1903, 94-1940 and 94-1951). Two photographs were separated and placed in the Orin G. Libby Photograph Collection. These include one photo of Patrick O'Connell holding his dog, Heather (OGL #1278-42) and one photo of Patrick O'Connell with his wife, children and grandchildren. Both photos were taken circa 1994. (OGL #1278-43) There is also one oversized folder of materials (OGL #1278 Oversize Folder #2), consisting of photocopied 1945 articles from the Grand Forks Herald and the Los Angeles Herald Express that describe the fighting in the Philippines, a list of 1947 UND graduates (including Patrick O'Connell), an article on O'Connell's graduation from officer candidate school and a list of North Dakota veterans who died in World War II.