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In an era when young people can pick up II V-<..... ~ _ ;,:~7~ i
a cellular phone or shoot off a quick e-mail, it tJj J/~-,,~,-<. ~ J ., . ...1
seems almost innocuous for anyone to write ~ ~_. ~ ~ , ..
something down. but it hasn't always been /': ./' ./ / v'~./ d' -L./~~ u ~- i
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like that. I) . . J'_.~<~ /."- -- 'f'..&:'_ -../ I
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During World War II, mail from home , ~ ___~ -' ~ ~ ?L./~ /. ~.Z ~ I
was just as important in fighting as ammuni- I 7~ <<-~L ?A;!__~ -:7 ~
tion and steaks. the postal system developed !!/<?-~j ~.7-/ /~r- .P'~-a....::.L '~
an efficient method of service called "V-Mail" ~ '."" ->-',,?,,~ ..,:{ -zx:: ~. ,,~
which guaranteed delivery by air as quickly r~n~.~.~.,,-,,-Z ~"._~.~?/-'''2;,.;/.-....-'
as with letters sent by three-cent postage. J U-J~~/,:':::~.?~z---~ -:5~ ",' .
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V -mail involved photographing letters ! cI~;>;;-,,~~ ~ :....;::.~ -':1:... ?7~ ~ /"7-: ~;?
written on special forms, flying them film 1& a....._,,~ ~,j-2;~~-;./ --;':;';'::"";...4,,,: 2'
overseas and then reproducing the letters IL. , P:.:;..:)-~ r~ /fL~ '
on paper. These IndiVidual faCSimiles, ~-'.<'Z: _': ~ ~.7~ ---"'~ -"?--c?.=
5 1/2 Inches In Size, were space saving II ---<-<}- ,9-~.J--::'-1... .~ U:. ~. I
miracles. . .150,000 microfilmed V-mail I . . ..:::...,; r<.d. ~-~/ I
letters weighed only 25 pounds and fit ~--_.,- --. -....:It.cm:;y;~ "7-
in a single bag. =----,.. .. w~u__""_" I
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V-mail letter forms, available at all post offices, had enough space for
about 700 words and dispatched t he same day they arrived at an A.P.O. or F.P.O. in
New York or San Francisco. The forms were opened by machine, sorted by hand, and
rushed to Eastman Kodak Laboratories for processing.
One 16 millimeter film carried 1,600 letters for only half a cent. The
censored V-mail was received in England in about five days and kept until the
forwarding station was notified of safe arrival of the negatives, then the original letters
were destroyed.
B
Marie Bennett Alsmeyer
102 Ahrens Ave
Brenham, TX 77833