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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC09120.046 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of WWII letters of Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero |
| Title | Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero |
| Date | ca. 1942 |
| Author | Diamond, Sidney (1922-1945) |
| Recipient | Spero, Estelle |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Describes the experience of being subjected to a dose of chloracetophenone (tear gas) in order to demonstrate to the soldiers the value of the gas mask. Outlines the rest of the day's schedule - a class in military customs and the History of chemical warfare, a class on the identification of airplanes, a session during which the company were forced to lay out field wire and telephones and sessions with both the rifle and revolver. Explains the etymological root of the expression, a "gig", meaning a special detail assigned after hours as a mode of punishment |
| Subjects | World War II Asia Soldier's Letter Love Letters Science and Technology Chemical Warfare |
| People | Diamond, Sidney (1922-1945) Spero, Estelle (b. 1924) |
| Place written | Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland |
| Theme | World War II; Science, Technology, Invention |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Additional Information | Folder information: Sidney Diamond (1922-1945) enlisted in mid-April 1942, interrupting the chemical engineering degree that he was undertaking at City College. Diamond was sent to the South Pacific in June 1943, where he served as First Lieutenant to the Eighty-Second Chemical Battalion. On January 29th 1945, Diamond was killed by a Japanese knee mortar while acting as a forward observer during an assault on Fort Stotsenburg, north of Manila. Throughout his time in service, Sidney maintained an epistolary correspondence with Estelle Spero, his sweetheart and subsequently fiancée, the letters from which she preserved. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |