This is a tale of a world at war, of family hardship, of sons sent to fight and family left at home, of day-to-day life interrupted by difficult, emotional events. Harriet Paul Fredericksen, our beloved Grandma Fred, coped with her losses by saving mementos – pictures, news clippings, telegrams, V-mail and letters. She had no idea what this treasure trove would mean to us over time.
Harold “Keith” Fredericksen, the middle son of Harriet and F. Christian Fredericksen, was drafted on November 11, 1943. He elected to join the Army Air Force and became a tailgunner on a B-17, eventually serving with the 548th Bomber Squadron, 385th Bomber Group stationed in England. Shortly before he was drafted, his youngest brother Wesley died of leukemia. Several months after his service began, his father died of lung disease. From family stories, we know that Keith loved the family farm in Boundary County, Idaho and fully intended to make a life there after the war. He worried after his father’s death about the ability of his mother to maintain their two farms, with brothers Charles and Orval drafted and the youngest brother Jack at home seriously ill with Rheumatic Fever. We delve into archives filled with an abundance of details to share our story of Keith.
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A SOMBER TELEGRAM:
20 April, 1945, 4:16 PM
THE SECRETARY OF WAR DESIRES ME TO EXPRESS HIS DEEP REGRET THAT YOUR SON S/SGT FREDERICKSEN HAROLD K HAS BEEN MISSING IN ACTION SINCE 4 APRIL 45 IF FURTHER DETAILS OR OTHER INFORMATION ARE RECEIVED YOU WILL BE PROMPTLY NOTIFIED CONFIRMING LETTER FOLLOWS
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THE LETTERS BEGAN:
December 20, 1943: Fort Douglas, Utah[First preserved letter] This will probably be the last time I'll get to write you from here. Andy is shipping out this evening. He can't write to Francine and tell her. [Andy Darnell a family friend and his mother Francine.]…..Dean and I both made the cadets. I was right under the wire with my left eye…..Andy just came in and said good-bye so he is on the way. He really looks swell in his uniform.
Christmas Eve 1943 - I'm really feeling low tonight. A guy has got a radio here and all we hear is Christmas Carols. I'm not homesick but I sure feel tough. All the Bonners guys are here in the same barracks and that helps a little.
Xmas nite - Had a swell dinner. turkey, dressing, white and sweet spuds, ice cream, pie, corn, punch, salad, candy, nuts and everything that goes with Christmas. During dinner some singers sang songs. It was really nice. This morning went to church, I think I'll go tomorrow too, it's nice and helps to pass the time, too. This afternoon Dean and I went to a show.
December 29, 1943 Yeah, I'm still here and probably will be here for a couple of days more. Yesterday they shipped 350 , all the Bonners guys but Dean and I……I hope you are making out with the work alright, Mother. That pump ought to help out a lot. It seems like a year since I have driven a car….I saw Arden again today. He didn't have his uniform yet. They sure hold those cadets up a long time…It has been two weeks here now. I am getting sort of attached to the place now. About the time you get to know some guys they ship them out….
Sunday, January 2, 1944 - Tomorrow or Tuesday ought to be our shipping day but I ain't saying for sure. Arden leaves for sure tomorrow and us guys ought to get to go with them……Arden and I went to church this morning. It snowed here all day…I hope this is my last letter from here.
Wed. Eve. - Well it's been a week now and I'm still in this hole. Tomorrow we have to go in front of the cadet board. They are the ones that decide if you are fitted for the Air Corps. It turns down very few.
January 5, 1944: Buckley Field, Denver, Colorado
Wed. Morn. - I got a letter from you just before we shipped Monday nite. We got here yesterday afternoon at three o'clock. Saw all the Bonners guys already, Bob Rataliff, Ray Houck, Wilson Hugkey and Wayne. Dean was lucky, I would have given fifty bucks to have been sent anywhere near where Chuck was.
Thursday night - postmarked January 7, 1944 - I wrote a letter to Chuck today. I guessed from your letter he didn't get the card I wrote from Fort Douglas. I wrote some of the guys too, the main idea is to get some mail quick…..
January 8, 1944 - I didn't write yesterday so there ought to be quite a bit to tell….They finally put us to work today. Went about thirty miles out to the practice bombing range….
January 11, 1944 - …I sure caught a honey of a cold, sleeping on those benches. We could have had passes tonight but I felt so tough I didn't go. Dean did tho….I got a letter from Chuck today that he was sent to Fort Douglas. He sure has a good deal with all those passes and everything. Arden (Lannigan) has been sick with a cold. He just got out of the hospital today. Tomorrow will be my birthday and all I want is a letter from you with some money in it. I'm down to three bucks now.
January 11, 1944 - I got your letter today with the beautiful ten bucks and on my birthday, just like I wanted…I saw Wesley Marcy tonight, he has been here for a while going to mechanic school. Are you sure Bill Dillon is here? You'll have to send me his address, because he probably isn't in the cadet section and I wouldn't stand a chance of finding him. There are about 40,000 guys here…..I am going to send home some of the arm patches they gave us. We got eight….I'm sending something the chaplain gave us this morning. …Arden was on KP today. Hope you are making out alright at home.
January 13, 1944 - I got your letter today. It was sure good to hear from you Jean. I got a letter from Chuck today too. Two letters on one day here is pretty good for me, but today one kid got seven letters and a cake. I got a letter from Vernice yesterday too…..I don't see where Chuck finds so much to write about. Be sure to send Bill D's address and a shoe stamp [a rationing stamp]…There are a few army things I can't get used to - wearing a tie, cap, no milk to drink and as the officers say to us "Get those damn hands to hell outa those pockets!"One other thing is getting up at 5:30, it's sure a great life.
January 18, 1944 - I got your letter yesterday, only took it three days to get it here….The way the lieutenant explained it yesterday, if we make it all the way through it will be in August 1945 before we will even leave the U.S. so you won't have to worry for a long time. Maybe it will be over by then…Ray Houck and Wayne both made cadets, they are still waiting here to be shipped. Scats and Hugey made it too. Bob Ratcliff got ground duty only on account of a bad knee. Wesley Marcy is here going to a armor school. Scats gets the Herald so we all get to read it. I don't need anything, unless you slip in five bucks with that shoe stamp….It's too bad about the sow, maybe it would be a good idea to sell her. Make less work for the kid.
January 23, 1944 - …Arden said tonite that Mrs. Lannigan said that Orval was going to be drafted. I sure hope it’s a lie. I really feel sorry for the married guys here. All they talk about is their wives, kids and how much they would give to be home. It just breaks up a married man's life, it does us young not bad.
January 31, 1944 - I got your letter today, this noon, Mother and I'll write back tonite. It's too bad Daddy feels so but I think you'll feel better when spring comes, don’t you Dad? If I were you I wouldn't worry about the work this summer, because if worse comes to worse I believe I could get a long furlough. It would have to come thru you and the Red Cross…….I sure felt low all day worrying about you at home. But I'm a sap to worry because I know you'll make out okay with Orval and Nada and Gary to keep you company. It's sure too bad Orv can't choke that deferment out of the draft board to work on the dear old farm. I guess that should have been me. I hope you are making out as good as possible Jack….
February 9, 1944 - Well you can stop worrying about your poor innocent son going overseas. They are shipping the guys to schools in the U.S. I sure got a dirty deal, Dean ships Friday and I don't. They think they are going to Las Vegas for gunnery. They're taking everybody but about six, they are all good kids, those that are left, so I'll do alright. Ardyn goes with Dean too, boy I am sure left out in the cold. Got a letter from Chuck today. I have the impression from you he was going to get married but I guess you slipped up.
February 11, 1944 - ….Ardyn is still in the hospital - haven't been up to see him. Hope Dad is still on the up and up.
February 14, 1944 [Keith sent carnations and a card to his mother for Valentine's Day - "Valentine Greetings and Love Keith"]
February 17, 1944 - Dear Chuck and all, I got your letter Chuck and the things sound just like I thought they were. Discharge doesn't sound too bad to me, but I can't do a damn thing here. It all has to be started from your end. So if the folks get the ball to rolling I'll do all I can to get out or maybe a farm furlough. A farm furlough would be the best because if I get discharged sure as hell that damn draft board would take Jack. I'd hate to see Jack have to go because it's plenty late to get in, I've found that out. They've got so many men in the army they don't know what to do with them. So get things started and I'll do all I can. ……………P.S. Arden just came in and says his Uncle Cecil was killed in Italy. That's really tough. (*Cecil Marcus Lannigan, 1914-1944)
February 19, 1944 - I hope you are trying to get me home for the summer, I really meant what I said in my last letter. I know Dad would feel so much better and it would be a lot easier on you too mother. It will have to be done in the next month because when I get assigned to a school it might be pretty hard to get out……I don't get many letters besides the ones from you, maybe it's because I don't write any. Ardyn said Orval got another deferment, that's swell.
February 27, 1944 - It's too bad Uncle Ed and Virginia couldn't have stayed longer. It would have kept it from being so lonesome at home. I will go over and see the chaplain tomorrow or when we get back from the brush and see what he thinks about my furlough…..I hope you feel better, Dad. I'll do all I can but I don't think I've got much chance for a discharge. Furlough would be better anyhow. Don't work too hard mother.
The letters continue on Friday with the death of Keith’s father and Keith receives the wings of a aerial gunner.
Sources:
“Two B-17’s Collide, Uncle Keith Died” by Gary Fredericksen, August 2009.
Family Archives and copies of official records
*Lannigan Family Tree
Harold Keith Fredericksen:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
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