Mail Call On The Home Front

About the Book

Over 5000 letters from veterans and their families of the 760th Tank Battalion, edited by Sergeant Graham P. Hutchinson, Colonel Helmuth O. Froeschle and Sergeant Ernest J. Mader, assembled by Kathy Lyons, daughter of Sergeant Mader and Mrs. Anne Mader. The letters were placed in book form by Colonel John E. Krebs. During the year of 1960, Sergeant Hutchinson and his wife Ethylene, began requesting letters from members of the 760th Tank Battalion Association telling their everyday life, their families, their health, their travels, their war buddies and their stories of the battlefields of North Africa and Italy during WWII. It was Sergeant Graham P. Hutchinson, known as "Hutch", with his knowledge of communications, getting the troops back into action, so to speak, and it was a great success. Hutch passed away March 7, 1982 and in order to continue the newsletters and to keep the Battalion Association going strong, Colonel Froeschle and Sergeant Mader along with his wife, Anne and their daughter, Kathy Lyons (a marvelous secretary) compiled the letters in booklet form of several pages then mailed them out to the several hundred association members. This was done every three months and what a wonderful job she did - thanks Kathy for a job "well done." In 2003 at our last Battalion reunion we decided this would be our last reunion and yes also that our next newsletter would be the last. We all have missed the newsletters and the reunions but by placing these newsletters in book form they will be preserved for generations to come. We have missed hearing from our buddies and their families but these letters are a treasure of all the veterans of the 760th Tank Battalion. Most of the veterans of the 760th were overseas for more than two and a half years, then came home to civilian life although many remained in military service and retiring from their service to our country. These newsletters will enrich the lives of everyone who reads them.

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