V-Mail Written by Henry W. Stadnicki to the Bryant College Service Club Dated December 19, 1943

[Transcription begins] From: T/Sgt. Henry Stadnicki Det., Finance Dept. 31st Troop Carrier Wing A. P. O. 760 New York, N. Y. 19 December 1943 To: Bryant Service Club Bryant College Providence Rhode Island Hello, Gang: Here’s another Bryant Alumnus expressing his gratitude for your thoughtfulness and your kindness in regards to “ye olde grads.” This is the third Christmas that I’ve spent in the service, far way from home and from Bryant. However, on each year at Christmas time I have received some little gift from BSC knowing that you folks are really thinking of me. Incidentally, I think you would [be] interested to know just where I have been when I received my gifts. Well, in 1941, it was Florida; in 1942 it was North Africa; and in 1943, it was Sicily. It would be impossible for me to express my appreciation in writing for your gifts and letters, as it just can’t be done in words. I just hope you know what I mean when I say, “Thanks a lot, gang.” I’ve received your letters, dated May 31st and November 9th, with their priceless bits of news about the Bryant Alumni. You see, you are the only source of information that we have in regards to them, and by that, you can readily judge how anxiously we look forward to your letters. When I wrote my last letter to you, I was stationed in North Africa. At that time it was unwise and impossible to state where I had visited and what I had seen. Well, things are still about the same in regards to censorship regulations but I am permitted to mentioned [sic] a few of the cities that I had paid a visit; namely Oman, Algiers, Sidi-Bel-Abbes, Constantize [?], Kairouan, Couiza, and [Indecipherable]. It would surprise many of you to see how modern some parts of Algiers are, in spite of the countless Arabs who make up its population. However, I assure you, that after visiting the “Casbah” (native quarter) in Algiers, I was sadly disappointed. Nowhere could I find a semblance of the colorful native quarter shown in the movie “Algiers,” nor could I find a romantic pair such as Hedy Lamar and Charles Boyer. In Sidi-Bel-Abbes, I visited the headquarters of the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, along with its most interesting mosaics. Kairouan, in Tunisia, is the Moslems’ Holiest City in North Africa. They believe seven visits here equal 100 to Mecca and means their salvation. Also in Tunisia, I saw the remains of a Roman Coliseum built by Nero during the hieght [sic] of his Roman Empire….say, I hope you pardon me for the way I ran this letter into a geographic tour. Well, time doesn’t make this V-Mail larger, so I must regretfully close. Please give my kindest regards to the faculty and the students. Here’s hoping that it won’t be long before we in the service will be able to return in peace to our homes, and we will all happily meet again…. Sgt. Henry Stadnicki [Transcription ends