The collection contains primarily correspondence written to Morris Sobel in 1945, U.S. Army forms and publications, and a Missouri State Employment identification card. The collection spans from 1939 to 1945, with the bulk date of 1945, and a gap from 1940 to 1944. Items are arranged alphabetically by type of document/title. Letters written to Morris Sobel by his friends and family while he was at the U.S. Army’s Ashland General Hospital comprise most of the collection (f.2-6). The letters date from July 11 to December 15, 1945. Sobel’s main correspondent was his sister, Mildred Horwitz, who lived with their mother in University City, Missouri. Sobel’s brother and father each wrote twice. Other correspondents included friends from St. Louis and other soldiers. None of Sobel’s replies to these letters are included in the collection. Mildred’s letters discuss Sobel’s state of health. She often admonished him to discuss everything with the doctors and to not leave the hospital until he felt completely well. Mildred provided updates to Morris on their mother and to neighbors and mutual friends, both civilians and servicemen. She also told him about her activities, going to the movies, and meetings. In her July 16th letter, Mildred referenced one of Morris’ letters in which he revealed that he had been hospitalized in France, something he did not tell his family to prevent more worry (f.2). She mentioned news of the day, particularly antisemitism in relation to riots in North Africa (f.5/Nov.5, Nov.10). Mildred often enclosed cartoons by Bill Mauldin and Dave Breger and entertainment columns from the newspapers with her letters. Many envelopes from Mildred Horwitz read “Mrs. F. Sobel” in the return address. Upon Sobel’s return to the U.S. Army on May 23, 1945, after the Soviets liberated Stalag IV-B in April, he found himself at one of the demobilization camps, Ramp Camp No.1 in France, also known as Camp Lucky Strike. The camp was dedicated to recovered Allied military personnel, newly liberated American prisoners of war. On June 1, 1945, Sobel filled out forms from the War Department Adjutant General’s Office and received a typed handout about what to expect while at the camp. He noted on the handout that he had over 100 points in the Army’s discharge point system; a soldier needed 85 points to qualify for discharge. Information shared in the handout included, among other things, medical advice about the importance of adhering to the camp’s diet and taking vitamins. Sobel also received a small booklet entitled The Story of Rehabilitation, published by the Information Branch of the Information-Education Division, ETOUSA (European Theater of Operations, United States Army) (f.1). There are two war-time publications in the collection. The August 1945 issue of the Infantry Journal: The War in the Pacific contains several articles about the Pacific Theatre such as Okinawa, naval strategy, and Japanese prisoners of war (f.7). The American National Red Cross published the Prisoners of War Bulletin for the relatives of POWs and civilian internees. The March 1945 issue includes “Reports from German Camps” that mentions the arrival of 5,000 American prisoners at Stalag IV-B according to a cable from Geneva in early February 1945 (f.9, p.4). Presumably, Sobel was among these captives from Germany’s western front (Belgium). The only item not related to Sobel’s Army service is an identification card issued by the Missouri State Employment Service, a division of the Unemployment Compensation Commission (f.8). It bears Sobel’s signature and shows the dates on which he was to report to the office.