Correspondence (Posthumous documents and letters): July 1944 - 1947

Larry Schlasinger was born on December 5, 1922, in Streeter, North Dakota, to Russian Jewish immigrants Noah and Sarah Schlasinger. He was the youngest of five children, including one brother, Kenneth, and three sisters, Marcella, Ethel, and Florence. He attended public schools in Streeter and graduated from Streeter High School in 1939. He enrolled at the University of North Dakota in the Fall of 1939 as Journalism major. He earned outstanding grades, won a marksman medal, and served as a writer/editor on the college newspaper, the Dakota Student. Schlasinger obtained membership in, and in 1942 became President of Sigma Delta Chi, a journalism honorary society, as well as Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in January 1943, and then enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. Schlasinger underwent basic training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, before entering a Specialized Training Program or STAR unit, at Rollins College near Orlando, Florida. In December 1943, he received additional Military Intelligence Training at Camp Ritchie, Maryland. His work was confidential so he could not disclose any details about his training or assignments. In April 1944, he was shipped to England until June 21, 1944, when he arrived in France. He was attached to the 79th Infantry Division, Military Intelligence Team # 434 G-2. Schlasinger was wounded in the right chest by artillery shrapnel during the Battle of Cherbourg on June 25, 1944. He was immediately treated, and on July 4 was transferred the 158^th General Hospital in England. He appeared to be recovering well and even prepared a summary for the improvement of intelligence specialist training, but on July 11 he suddenly and unexpectedly died from a pulmonary embolism caused by a blood clot. He was survived by his entire immediate family. He was awarded the Purple Heart and, posthumously, the Legion of Merit “for exceptional meritorious conduct." In 1947, his body was re-interned from England to the Minneapolis Jewish Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Larry Schlasinger letters date from 1932-1947, and are divided into ten folders containing a total of 300 letters arranged in basic chronological order. A folder of biographical material is also included. His letters while written as a high school student in Streeter described a well-adjusted youth who worked on the school newspaper. He also described his close knit family life. His letters to and from his siblings, as well as his parents, present a picture of Larry's experiences at the University of North Dakota. Schlasinger candidly described his views about his professors, study habits, and campus life. He and his sisters made frequent use of pet names, and the sisters provided very generous financial assistance. His Army correspondence primarily dealt with everyday local and family affairs. His description of army life was positive, although he was unable to discuss specifics about his work as censorship was tight. According to Larry's Letters (pg. 299) such strict security was logical since Schlasinger's mission in France was to contact the French underground resistance during the Normandy invasion, just after June 6, 1944. Schlasinger expressed vexation with what he perceived as over protectiveness from his father in the fifth folder. He wrote that he wished "you'd (Mr. Schlasinger Sr.) stop imagining, anyway that your son is a baby” and could be a man. Mrs. Schlasinger wrote about family and local affairs. She discussed the traits of the baby twins of Florence and her husband, Sam. She also mentioned Ken's activities in the Army Air Force and various aspects of his social life. Trips and family gatherings were also discussed. Unlike her husband, Sarah Schlasinger did not write about any political or military aspects of the war. Noah Schlasinger frequently mentioned war developments. He also expressed emotional displeasure with the attitudes of certain American leaders regarding the enemy. Most of his letters, however, dealt with common local or family dynamics. Both parents emphasized the importance of pictures. The siblings' letters were also pleasant in tone, and did not discuss the war in much detail. Even after Larry Schlasinger was hospitalized in England after receiving what proved to be a mortal wound, he wrote in the same pleasant tone. The ninth folder contains his last letters written two days before he died from a pulmonary embolism. The family letters contained in the last folder portray intense grief and anger from Noah Schlasinger. He even wrote of seeking revenge against Nazi sympathizers; he previously had expressed sharp dislike for Gerald Nye and other American Hitler sympathizers. Ethel Schlasinger wrote a sobering response to her father's rhetoric which exhibited a profound theological, moral, and philosophic thesis. All of Larry's siblings expressed serious concern for the parents' adjustment after his death. Another interesting letter in folder 55 was Larry Schlasinger's moral rationale for enlisting in the Army in the war "against the authorities of a supposedly civilized country" who threatened humanity’s freedom. The last folder also contains the Army telegrams notifying the family of both Larry's wound and subsequent death. In response to a request from Florence (Schlasinger) Sigal, an Army physician described the exact cause of death in an additional letter. Also contained in this folder are letters written to Schlasinger before the family learned of his death. Correspondence between the Schlasinger family and the University of North Dakota regarding the "Larry Schlasinger Award” are also included. A note in the last folder mentioned that Larry's picture would be included in the University of North Dakota Alumni Hall of Fame. The letters were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collections by Regina M. Anavy of San Francisco, California in May and June 2003 (Acc. #2003-2661). She is the daughter of Larry Schlasinger’s sister, Florence Schlasinger and her husband, Samuel Sigal. She published many of these letters in a book, Larry’s Letters: The Personal Correspondence of Larry Schlasinger. A copy of this book was separated and added to the North Dakota Book Collection. The folders were kept in the original order and division as they were received.