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"We are safe and hearty." (Telegram from John William Boehne III to his father, 6/23/1944)
   John William Boehne, III
Collection image
John Boehne in uniform [n.d.]		War: World War, 1939-1945
Branch: Navy
Unit: Amphibious Force; USS LST-375 (Landing Ship Tank)
Service Location: Little Creek, Virginia; Cornwall, England; Omaha Beach, Normandy, France; Washington, DC; European Theater
Rank: Lieutenant
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The son of a U.S. Congressman from Indiana, Lieutenant John William Boehne III enlisted in the Navy in 1942, and served with the Amphibious Corps. While his memoir recounts his experiences on D-Day aboard USS LST-375 (Landing Ship Tank), and the carnage he witnessed on the beach, his original letters and scrapbook present another facet of his story--that of his time stationed in England before the invasion. Maps of London, ticket stubs, menus, and postcards provide a sense of his travels and pub crawls throughout the countryside. Letters received from Rena, a member of the women's branch of the British Army, hint at the close ties that often developed between military members and their British hosts. As Rena relates in a letter, "Yes our acquaintance was short, but so very sweet."
Interview (Video)
»Interview with veteran 
Download: video (37 min.)
»Excerpt from interview in which veteran discusses the lead-up to D-Day (2 min.)
»Excerpt from interview in which veteran discusses his experiences on D-Day (1 min.)
Photos
»Photo Album  (10 photos)
Memoirs
»Memoir: "A record of events during twenty interesting and memorable months"
Official Documents
»View List (37 items)
Personal Correspondence
»View List (14 items)
Other Materials
»View List (11 items)
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Official Documents (37 items)
Top Secret "Neptune" Hq. CT16 & CT18, Div Trps. Landing Diagram, Annex E Sheet 1 Top Secret "Neptune" Hq. CT16 & CT18, Div Trps. Landing Diagram, Annex E Sheet 2 Map chart and shoreline sketch
Request for leave [12/20/1944] Change of duty [1/19/1945] Memo from USS LST 375, Re: assuming duties of gunnery officer [2/1/1945]
Leave request [2/14/1945] Change of duty [June-July 1945] Travel itinerary [7/30/1945]
Statement of active sea duty [8/13/1945] Points for Discharge [10/1945] Authority to wear theatre of war ribbons [10/10/1945]
Notification of appointment [11/7/1945] Retention on Active Duty [3/13/1946] Discharge from active duty [1946]
Wallet-size, laminated certificate of satisfactory service [1946] Change of classification [1948] Appointment in the Naval Reserve [8/1948]
U.S.N.R. Permanent Appointment Acknowledgement [11/26/1948] Memo Re: Assignment to the Voluntary Reserve Medical Division[4/21/1949] Annual Qualifications Questionnaire [11/11/1949]
Transfer to Inactive Status [12/29/1950] Acceptance of Boehne's retirement from the Naval Reserve [8/15/1952] Appointment in Naval Reserve [3/12/1943]
Orders for Ensign John William Boehne, USNR [3/12/1943] Orders for Ensign John W. Boehne [4/20/1943] Change of Duty [6/15/1943]
Change of Duty [7/22/1943] Orders [10/31/1943] Change of Duty [11/28/1943]
Request for Leave [1/15/1944] Watch List [2/14/1944] Orders [3/10/1944]
Report of physical examination for promotion [5/31/1944] Temporary Appointment [6/3/1944] Telegram to his father, John W. Boehne, Jr. [6/23/1944]
Request for Leave [10/26/1944]  
  
Personal Correspondence (14 items)
Letter from Congressman John W. Boehne, Jr., to his son John W. Boehne III [12/8/1941] Letter from F.R. Webber [10/20/1943] Letter from John W. Boehne, Jr., to his son John W. Boehne III [12/27/1943]
Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.]
Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.]
Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.]
Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [n.d.] Letter from Rena to Bill, London, England [4/10/1944] 
  
Other Materials (11 items)
Scrapbook. Mementos from Boehne's service years, primarily while overseas. "Welcome!" Newsletter given out to troops arriving in England Three letters concerning Boehne's participation in a "Normandy Portraits" Exhibition in 1994
Clothing invoices Collection of items from the "SP News Ticker" on 11/14/1946 Poem: "Reconversion"
Insignia of Boehne's Midshipmen Class at Furnald Hall, Columbia University, New York [1942-43] A Poem by Thomas Hardy and apocryphal words of Abraham Lincoln Military patch
Partial poem written on a blank V-Mail form [n.d.] "Contract" signifying Petrena Park Moyes, "Rena", as a member of Episolon Beta [12/25/1944] 
  
 

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