Biographical/historical information

Walter Paas was born in Indiana and served in the United States Navy Armed Guard from 1942-1945 during World War II. He enlisted on November 27, 1942, and served in New York, NY; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; and Guam (Mariana Islands). He reached the rank of Signalman First Class and left active duty on October 22, 1945, in Lido Beach, NY.

Scope and arrangement

Correspondence in the collection consists of letters from Walter Paas, Seaman 2nd Class in the U.S. Naval Armed Guards, from Bronx, New York, during his tours of duty in the Pacific aboard the U.S. Army Transport WILLIAM L. THOMPSON and the SS WILLIAM F. EMPEY, an American merchant ship used during World War II. References are made to signaling and semaphore operations, ship food and activities aboard ship and in ports, leisure activities, problems with mail delivery, observations on women in port towns, unwillingness to marry in wartime, and air raids.

Administrative information

Custodial History

May 22, 1995, 10 items; Personal correspondence (1943-1945) of sailor serving with U. S. Naval Armed Guards. Gift courtesy of the Friends of the ECU Library.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Friends of ECU Library

Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Descriptions updated by AShlyn Racine, August 2023

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.

Key terms

Personal Names

Corporate Names

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