Letters form a fascinating chapter of war story

They were young men and women far from home, surviving in the greatest conflict the world has ever seen. Some knew each other, others didn’t, but all were drawn into a remarkable network where they shared their experiences.

At the core of it all was Glenn Husted, the principal of Whitfield Elementary School in Sylvan Lake. That small community abutting Bloomfield Township sent its share of residents to action in World War II. Many of them were Husted’s former students, and he wanted to keep in touch with them.

In November, 1943, Husted began writing to 43 of them, creating a running stream of communications in which they all shared stories of their experiences.

“This was a way for them to keep in touch,” said Helen Jane Peters. Peters is Sylvan Lake’s historian and has worked to preserve the letters and relate their history. A long-time Sylvan Lake resident, Peters, by chance, ended up owning the home Glenn and Helen Husted lived in, and while there became acquainted with their daughter Sharie.

Sharie told Peters about the 70 letters she still had from the war-time correspondence network.

“He knew all these men going off to World War II,” Peters said. “He knew them personally. He knew their families.” As the soldiers wrote back to Husted, he shared their stores with the other soldiers and family members, forming a sort-of round-robin network.

“This was a way for the men to keep touch with their friends,” Peters said.

Using Facebook, Peters was able to locate the soldiers still alive – about eight of the original 43 – and the families of others. Ironically, Peters found that “one of the boys lived next door to me.”

The letters provide a fascinating look at the time. “This is like a synopsis of the whole war,” Peters said.

The story of Husted and the letters will be presented by Peters at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at Pine Grove, the headquarters of the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society, 405 E. Cesar Chavez Ave. in Pontiac.

The presentation is part of the OCPHS Small Talk lecture series. Admission is $5 and refreshments are served.

For more information, go to www.ocphs.org or call (248) 332-6732.