Identified V-Mail
V-Mail identified to Bernard A. Snyder - Company E, 330th Infantry Regiment
Original WWII V-Mail letter dated December 31, 1944. The V-Mail was sent by S/Sgt. B.A. Snyder to Mrs. B.A. Snyder, Astoria, Oregon. The V-Mail has a nice drawing of Bernard Snyder, done by one of the men in his squad. The address the envelope was sent from was APO #83 which was somewhere in Belgium on this date. The drawing is signed 'W Feldman 1944'.
Note: Put into practice in June 1942, V-mail became the most popular way for the troops to correspond across the ocean. As a way to limit bulk mail, V-mail blanks were submitted, photographed, then condensed and sent in special envelopes.
S/Sgt. Bernard A. Snyder
Staff Sergeant
Bernard A. Snyder
(click to enlarge)
Staff Sergeant Bernard A. Snyder
Bernard Andrew Snyder was born on March 25, 1922, in Pendleton, Oregon, to Myrtle Irene Smith (1888–1952) and Fredrick Wilburt Snyder (1880–1948).
He lived in Umatilla, Oregon when he enlisted (#6579153) on August 13, 1939. Bernard Snyder married Eugenia May Meeker in Astoria, Oregon, on June 22, 1943, when he was 21 years old. During World War Two, he was assigned and joined from 92nd Replacement Battalion as of December 21, 1944 to Company E, 330th Infantry Regiment. During WWII Bernie took part in the Battles of the Hurtgren Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. The Morning Report from January 23, 1945, lists him as dropped from his assignment due to a non battle related injury or illness. He transferred to the 45th Evac Hospital. For his service he was awarded, among other decorations, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart Medal.
During the Korean War he participated in the 1951 summer and fall offensives. He retired from the army in 1963. After his retirement he moved his family to Africa where he worked for Sedco (South Eastern Drilling Co.). He was the catering superintendent of several oil rigs. He retired from Sedco in June of 1992. Bernie then worked for the Corps of Engineers catering on a dredge on the Columbia River. Bernie received an accommodation from the state of Alaska for his participation of the Valdez oil spill cleanup.
In June of 2008 Bernard 'Bernie' A. Snyder celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with the love of his life Jean, with his family present. He died on November 3, 2008, in Benton, Washington, when he was 86 years old. Bernie was survived by his wife Eugenia 'Jean' M. Snyder (1926-2015).
click on the images to enlarge
S/Sgt. Bernard A. Snyder
Staff Sergeant
Bernard A. Snyder
(click to enlarge)
Private Walter S. Feldman, the artist of the drawing
Walter S. Feldman was born in 1925 in Lynn, Massachusetts, as the son of the late Hyman and Fannie (Gordon) Feldman. After high school, he became a student at the Yale School of Fine Arts in 1942.
After one semester, he joined the Army on June 16, 1943 (#31362271) in Boston, Massachusetts and served for two years, including the Battle of the Bulge. During World War Two, he was a member of Company E, 330th Infantry Regiment. The Morning Report from January 9, 1945, lists him as SWA (Seriously Wounded in Action) dropped from his assignment to an unknown Evacuation Hospital as of Januari 6, 1945, the Company moved into Lierneux, Belgium at that time. For his service he was awarded, among other decorations, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the European African Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal wih four campaign stars and the Purple Heart Medal.
He reentered Yale in 1946. In 1953, he was appointed to the Art faculty at Brown University, where he served for more than 50 years. Profoundly shaped by his experiences and his injuries as a WWII soldier, which influenced his art throughout his life, Feldman was a constant source of strength, inspiration and courage to all who knew him. Feldman received numerous awards and critical praise spanning a lifetime of achievement over seven decades. His paintings were shown in numerous one-man and group exhibitions in New York, Mexico City, London, Milan, and Boston. Walter Feldman was a Visual Art Professor Emeritus at Brown University. His artist's books are in more than 150 public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Albert and Victoria Museum in London.
Walter Feldman, 92, passed away May 20, 2017 surrounded by his wife of 67 years, Barbara, and his family.