Videos
Born: 1919
Duties on the home front: Married
to Ray Schleihs in 1941. Worked for Solar Aircraft Company in 1944 for
five months while Ray was flying bombing missions in Europe.
"I would rush home from work each day, hoping that there would be a letter there."
Background:
Vivian worked for Solar Aircraft Company in 1944 while her husband Ray was flying bombing missions in Europe. During some of the breaks between flying missions there was time for relaxation and, of course, letter writing, the most common long distance communication device of the day. Back in Iowa, Ray Schleihs' wife, Vivian would hurry home from her factory job at the Solar Aircraft Company in Des Moines to see if any letters had arrived.
Transcript
During some of the breaks between flying missions there was time for relaxation and, of course, letter writing, the most common long distance communication device of the day. Back in Iowa, Schleihs wife, Vivian, would hurry home from her factory job at the Solar Aircraft Company in Des Moines to see if any letters had arrived.
(Vivian Schleihs) I know that I would rush home from work each day, hoping that there would be a letter there. But if one wasn’t there, I didn’t really worry. I figured, well, maybe next day there would be one.
One of several letters written by Ray Schleihs to his wife Vivian between April and June 1941.
(Vivian Schleihs) Dearest wife. Today, four more letters arrived: three from good old USA and one from Wade. Guess, darling, you have read quite a bit about each day doings in the local paper and it usually involves us, of course. That's what we are here for to do as much damage to the enemy as possible.
Links
Iowa's WWII Stories: Home Front Interviews
www.iptv.org/video/browse.cfm/tag/home%20front
Iowans who were at home had major roles to play in winning the war. Their sacrifice helped determine what kind of conditions, both political and social, would exist once the war was over.
Iowa's WWII Stories: Battlefront Interviews
www.iptv.org/video/browse.cfm/tag/battlefront
More than 276,000 Iowans went into military service during World War II. 8,398 never returned. Iowa Public Television brings you the stories of a few Iowans that did return from the battlefront.
