
Everett Ellsworth Schafer was born in Statesville, North Carolina, on 1 August 1922. He spent much of his youth in Campbell County, Kentucky, with one older brother (Delwin Vard Schafer) and three younger siblings (Shirley, Etta Joan, and Ronny). Everett had two older half-sisters from his mother’s first marriage, and was particularly close to the eldest – LaFerhn Alvaretta Jones. In fact, Everett would spend a formative time living with LaFehrn and her husband, Henry Kolling (known as “Dutch”) in Dayton, Ohio before the war.
Everett enlisted from Dayton on 8 October 1922, and was posted to Baker Company, First Separate Battalion (Reinforced) immediately after completing boot camp at Parris Island. He rose quickly through the enlisted ranks, making corporal within six months of enlisting, and was placed in charge of a machine gun squad. He would eventually reach the rank of sergeant and command a machine gun section (two squads) in B/1/24th Marines.
Schafer saw combat in the battles of Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima; he was wounded in the latter two battles, and his last injury spelled the end of his combat career. He returned to the United States in June 1945 and stood guard at a peaceful post in Virginia until his honorable discharge in September.
The letters in this collection were saved by his mother, Dora Etta Emma (Belch) Schafer. Although he mentions writing to other members of the family, especially LaFerhn and Dutch, none of these are known to survive. His letters are fairly typical of World War II era correspondence: a few details about life in uniform, war stories (though usually not so graphic as to worry his mother), and a lot of references to family life. Schafer managed to connect with his brother Delwin while overseas, and seemed a bit overwhelmed at times with how quickly life moved in the civilian world – particularly with the number of nieces and nephews he hoped to meet after the war.
Everett survived to raise a family, and passed away in 1982. All letters and pictures in this series are provided courtesy of his nephew, Gary Schafer, and other members of the family.
Note: Everett was not shy in his descriptions of Japanese soldiers and civilians; his language, while typical of his time and circumstances, would be considered offensive today. Unless otherwise noted, these letters have been transcribed verbatim