Ostronic family, USS Nields., World War, 1939-1945--Correspondence, Soldiers--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh, United States--Navy
Description
The Joseph Ostronic World War II correspondence consist primarily of letters sent from Joseph Ostronic to his wife Esther, from the beginning of his basic training in 1943 until the end of his active duty in June 1945. There is one folder of letters from Esther to Joseph, several letters from Joseph to his mother, as well as correspondence and cards from friends and family to Joseph. Joseph Ostronic wrote of his experiences at the U.S. Naval Training Stations he was assigned to, and of going on leave with his friends. Esther, who ended her letters with lipstick red imprints of a kiss, would inform him of news of his family and friends, problems with the house and bills, and developments at her job working in a local factory converted to war time production. Frequently throughout their correspondence the mutual heartache of separation was discussed, as were insecurities about infidelity., Joseph Ostronic correspondence, 1943-1946, MSS 0675, Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center, Cataloging of this collection was funded by a Basic Processing grant from NHPRC., Cindy Helffrich Gift 2007 2007.0238, Joseph M. Ostronic was born December 17, 1905. He worked as a barber for 25 years and owned his own barber shop for five years. He was married to Esther Pearl Ostronic, born September 4 1907, in 1925. Joseph Ostronic died in May 1982, and wife Esther Ostronic passed away on September 11th, 2001. After the war, Ostronic worked for the Fort Pitt Supply Co. from 1948 until his retirement in 1969. Joseph Ostronic was drafted into the U.S. Navy in September 1943, and served until June 1945. He was 37 years of age when he entered the U.S. Naval Training Station at Sampson, N.Y., for eight weeks of naval basic training. In November 1943 he was transferred to another U.S. Naval Training Station at Great Lakes Chicago, IL. After completing his training, Ostronic was stationed aboard the USS Nields (DD 616) as a barber. The USS Nields, a Benson-class destroyer, was harbored in Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y., before being assigned to transatlantic convoy duty, primarily making port throughout the Mediterranean Sea. During the war, Esther worked in a local factory converted to war time production., Gift of Cindy Helffrich., Processed MSS 0675 12/2011 A. Toner, Collection level finding aid available.
Publisher
Contributor
Ostronic, Joseph, Ostronic, Esther., Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center (depositor)
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