Size: 0.5 linear ft.

Provenance: Received by Canaday Center from Andrew “Bud” Fisher, who received the letters from Neil Helman

Access: Open

Related Collections:

Processing Note: 

 

Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns.  Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code.  The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.

Completed by: Brad Sommer, February 2010

Biographical Sketch

Gordon Meyers Deye was born January 31, 1922 in Sylvania, OH.  He enlisted in the Navy on December 12, 1942.  From February 1943 to February 1944, he was stationed in Norfolk, VA.  From February 1944 to early summer 1944, he was in Camp Peary, VA.  From summer 1944 to December 1944, he alternated between being stationed in Oakland and San Francisco, CA.  After a brief post at Pearl Harbor, HI, he spent the rest of his active military service in the Philippine Islands.  While in the Navy, he worked mainly as a Storekeeper, leaving with the rank of SK2/c (Storekeeper 2nd Class).  Total time he served in Navy was 3 years, 5 months and 1 day.  Notable citations include:  Victory Medal, Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal, American Area Campaign Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal.  Deye left the Navy with an Honorable Discharge. 

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Scope and Content Note

This collection features letters written from Gordon Deye to his family (specifically his mother and father) while serving in the Navy during World War II.  The letters chronicle his time in the Navy from his training in Norfolk, VA, to his final days in the service.  The letters focus mainly on reflections of Navy life, the war, and his desire to return home to his loved ones.  Also included are newspaper clippings, a letter from his parents, a letter from a friend of his to his parents, and also his official discharge papers. 

 

Folder List

 

Box	Folder	Item
1	1	1943-Feb 1944 Norfolk, VA
1	2	February 1944 to June 1944 Camp Peary, VA
1	3	June 1944 to December 1944 Oakland and San Francisco, CA
1	4	January 1945 to May 1945 Pearl Harbor, HI and Philippine Islands
1	5	June 1945 to April 1946 Philippine Islands and San Francisco
1	6	1943-1946 Miscellaneous Items