Call Number:

3575

Repository:

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Extent:

0.6 linear feet (; 2 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Herman Berger papers (Collection 3575), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Date:

1946-1947 (inclusive)

Creator:

Berger, Herman.

Donor:

Berger, Herman.

Form:

Correspondence.

Abstract:

Herman Berger was born in 1927 and grew up in Philadelphia. He was drafted into the Army in early 1946 and after basic training (at Ft. Meade, Maryland) was sent to clerk typist school (at Camp Lee in Virginia). He was posted briefly to Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California, then sent to occupied Japan and assigned to duty as a clerk typist at U.S. military general headquarters in Tokyo, where he served from September 1946 to February 1947. During this time he reached the rank of corporal. Berger returned to the United States in February and was discharged from the Army in March 1947. After military service, Berger attended Temple University in Philadelphia under the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. His first jobs after graduation included working at the credit department at Gimbel’s department store and as an office manager for a credit card company.

The collection consists of letters from Herman Berger to his mother, Miriam Berger, and other relatives, and from Miriam Berger to Herman, during his military service, from basic training through his posting in Tokyo. Herman Berger’s letters discuss his training, work life, and recreational activities during evenings and weekends. There are approximately 110 letters by Herman Berger and 70 letters by Miriam Berger, and they are housed in Box 1 and Box 2, Folder 1.

In addition to letters, the collection also contains souvenirs and ephemera (Box 2, Folder 2) that Herman Berger sent to his family in Philadelphia from Japan. A list of the items is included in the copy of an official letter that was sent as well. There are also three insignia patches. Most of the programs are from the Ernie Pyle Theatre, Tokyo, and there are also menus, holiday ephemera, brochures, and form letters. There are also several dozen photographs (Box 2, Folder 3) that date from Berger's time in occupied Japan in late 1946 and early 1947. Almost all the photographs are identified with either typed or handwritten information on verso. There are pictures of Berger, alone and with friends; Japanese citizens; and various buildings, including the Ernie Pyle Theatre.