Letter from Lt. Gerald Hennesy to His Sister Dated June 29, 1945

Archive

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Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

Name/Title

Letter from Lt. Gerald Hennesy to His Sister Dated June 29, 1945

Scope and Content

Letter from Lt. Gerald Hennesy to his sister, Shirley Hennesy, dated June 29, 1945. Letter details shore leave, exploring a nearby town on the island, and his free time on the USS Yorktown. The sensitive language used in the letter is indicative of a different period of American history when derogatory terms for minorities was commonplace.

Context

As a F4U Corsair fighter-bomber pilot in the Pacific, Gerald Hennesy flew almost 100 missions off the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10). He received the Air Medal for downing an enemy aircraft during a rescue mission for one of his fellow pilots.

Collection

Gerald Hennesy Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2022.0014

Source or Donor

Theresa Hennesy

Acquisition Method

Donation

Update Date

07/31/2024