We received a donation of some newspaper clippings
(2014.035.002 & 2014.035.003) from Billie Jackson Lynn of Bedford, Texas.
Ms. Lynn lived in Bossier City as a girl, graduating from Bossier High School
in 1950. Her mother saved two clippings about a letter Billie wrote to President
Franklin Roosevelt in 1942. Billie had four uncles and a cousin serving their
country during World War II, all but one in the Army Air Forces. Two were
prisoners of war, captured after the Philippine fighting. Worried about them,
Billy decided to appeal to President Roosevelt to do his best to get them back
safe and sound to their homes in Shreveport. He referred her letter to the War
Department, which, in turn, referred it to General Ulio, adjutant general.
Here is his reply: "Dear Billy, Your letter
of September 12, 1942, addressed to the President, concerning your loved ones
who are now serving their country, has been transmitted to the War Department
for reply. Your comments have been noted with interest and you may be assured
that the War Department is always glad to receive the opinions of our young
women and future citizens. Very truly yours, J.A. Ulio, Major General, The
Adjutant General."
The newspaper noted the status of the soldiers in
Billie’s family: “Billy's [sic] uncles are: Staff Sergeant H.F. Leeman, now a
prisoner of war in Japan, formerly with the Army Air Forces; Private Charles H.
Haynes, in the Air Forces in England; Private Homer W. Haynes, last heard from in
Fort Lewis, Wash., with the Air Forces; and Corporal Clyde A. Jackson, in San
Diego, with an anti-aircraft unit of the coast artillery. Her cousin: Private
First Class James H. Markham, of the Air Forces, a prisoner of war [in Japan].
All are from Shreveport, and Billy hopes they all
get back safely, after the job is finished. If she, the President, and General
Ulio can affect it, they will. Meanwhile, she is an earnest collector of scrap
metals, which will free her uncles and cousin.”
Both SSgt. Leeman and PFC Markham had been stationed at Barksdale Field and were reassigned to Savannah Army Air Base in Georgia in early 1941. They then went on to the Philippines where they were captured by the Japanese and taken prisoner. The men survived the Bataan Death March and were held in separate prison camps in Japan. They were finally released after the war and returned to the US.
Her newspaper photo shows Billie holding the letter she received along with a bomb, which her uncle had been fashioning into an ashtray before he was called into service. Billie donated the bomb to a scrap metal campaign. Ms. Lynn remembers that “in those days, we were all patriotic.”
Newspaper clippings are commonly saved and passed
down as family mementos, but newspaper is acidic by nature. This acid causes
the paper to turn yellow and break – things you don’t want to happen to your
family keepsakes! Since the information in the clipping is the real treasure
and not the newspaper itself, be sure to make copies of fragile clippings. Use
an acid-free, lignin-free paper for the copies. Much of the standard copy paper
today is acid-free and can be purchased at any office supply store. By making
copies, you ensure all of the important information is preserved for future
generations. We made photocopies and scans of Billie’s articles so that we can
easily preserve and share the story of her presidential correspondence.
