A page from a wartime letter written by a serviceman to a loved one back home, part of a larger personal correspondence collection preserved from World War II. In it, the writer speaks of hoping to be promoted to corporal, reassures his correspondent of his devotion, and asks about a birthday gift for a family member. Letters such as this one offer an intimate counterpoint to official military photography, revealing the personal hopes, anxieties, and everyday concerns of servicemen separated from home during the war. Project: 218347