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Preferred Citation:

Wyman Taylor Letters, 1953, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, William and Mary.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Gary Barranger, class of '73 Law '76.

Biographical / Historical

Wyman Taylor, Jr. is an Army private first class, the corporal, with Company B of the 453rd Engineers Construction Battalion and then the 558th Amphibious Truck Company during the Korean War. He was from Detroit, Michigan.

Content Description

15 handwritten letters from Wyman Taylor, Jr. to his wife during the Korean War. Taylor was stationed in Korea with the Army. The correspondence is arranged chronologically. Taylor discusses his various duties, including equipment cleaning and serving as a rifleman for a blast team. The letters mainly detail Taylor's loneliness and desire for his wife. In August 1953, Taylor's daughter Dawn is born in Detroit. Topic include finances, budgetary matters, and paying off debts. Taylor also discusses material goods sent home: a Korean painting, a letter opener, and a Japanese "itching" (or etching). He also asks for supplies: pen refills, watch repair, buttons, and a small calendar to keep track of the days.

Taylor briefly discusses the bombing of Kimpo village and the Kimpo Air Base. He often mentions the weather extremes in Korea and his sympathy for the Korean civilians during the war. In late 1953, Taylor discusses the "Commies" pledge to be south of Seoul by December. Primarily, he details how he wants to be home, what he calls "short timer's flu" or his heightened anxiety as he approaches his scheduled departure from Korea. He is unable to share his locations or specific missions, but he does express his emotional state. After the birth of their daughter, Taylor tells his wife they have more in common because they have both known "what death looks like."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Gary Alonzo Barranger
• Korean War, 1950-1953