It Wasn't All Combat

Letters form an important source of knowledge about the great events in the life of our nation. They are unique because they capture what was being experienced and felt at the time of the crisis. There are no filters through which later thinking is passed.

This book consists of the letters of one American soldier who served in World War II, Frank P. Sherwood. They cover the whole of his life in the U.S. Army from September 1943 to September 1946.

They are unique because of Sherwood's range of experiences in that period. He was drafted and served more than a year as a private in the infantry, including a stint with the 10th Mountain Division in Camp Hale, Colorado. After being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia, he departed for Europe. There he served as Liaison Control officer for the 99th Infantry division and was awarded two battle stars for this service. Later European assignments included Entertainment Officer of XV Corps and Public Safety Officer with Military Government.

These letters were written to Sherwood's mother, whom he asked to save them. They seek to capture the various events, important and not so important, in three tumultuous years. He believed letters of this type would have historical interest, and he particularly took advantage of his close relationship with his mother to provide as full and objective report of his experiences as he possibly could.