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Carl Emil and Marion Bennett Johnson letters, 1943-1946, Date acquired: 02/16/2016

 

Summary

Creator:
Johnson, Carl E.
Johnson, Marion B.
Extent:
6.5 Linear Feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Carl Emil and Marion Bennett Johnson letters, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_16_0002.

Background

Scope and content:

This World War II collection relates to First Lieutenant Carl Johnson and his wife Marion Bennett Johnson and includes various letters, photographs, telegrams, cards, documents, and memorabilia. Carl's letters to Marion comprise the bulk of the collection and detail his college experiences as well as his training and overseas military experience as a United States Marine Corps officer during and after the war. During his career as a Marine, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, then went to San Francisco to start his voyage in the Pacific. He went to Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Okinawa before arriving in China where he served as a Commanding Officer. Marion's letters to Carl highlight her experiences on the home front during and after the war.

This collection has been digitized and is available through the FSU Digital Library.

Biographical / historical:

First Lieutenant Carl Emil Johnson was born in Old Westbury, New York, on November 23, 1921. When Carl was five years old, his father died of stomach cancer, leaving his mother widowed with four young children in the start of the Depression Era. Despite the difficulty of the times and their unfortunate situation, the family managed to keep a living from a monthly stipend by the generous Phipps family and Mildred's jobs. After finishing high school, Carl worked in the Phipps stables and contemplated attending college. He later attended Alfred University for their Ceramic Engineering program. After his sophomore year finished in spring 1943, Carl reported to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he continued his studies in Chemical Engineering. When he finished at Bucknell, he commenced training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and later transferred to Quantico, Virginia. During this time, he married Marion Bennett on February 23, 1945. The two spent three months together until Carl was shipped to San Francisco to await his deployment to the Pacific theater. First, he and his crew traveled to Pearl Harbor before they sailed to Okinawa in September 1945. On their voyage to Okinawa, he and his men stopped in Guam and Kwajalein for a time. Christmas week of 1945, Carl left for China, where American troops were stationed during the Chinese Civil War from 1945-1949. He spent his seven months in China where he served as as Company Commander with the Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, of the 11th marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. According to Carl, their goal in China was to "repatriate Japanese soldiers who were stationed in that part of China." In July 1946, Carl was able to travel back home to his wife, Marion, in New York. Upon his return, he finished his education at Bucknell University. He and Marion had four children and lived on Chenango Lake for 20 years until they retired to Florida.

Note written by Christina G. Armes

Custodial history:

This collection was donated by Carl Emil Johnson. The collection was acquired by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience on February 16, 2016.

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Carl Emil and Marion Bennett Johnson letters, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_16_0002.

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA