I have a collection of letters from George Dienstbier that begin in 1942 and end after the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As I was going through the grouping I found the letter that was written the day that Germany surrendered and censorship had ended. The letter is six pages long and the part that I want to show is when his company is leaving for the invasion of Europe and the send off they got from the village and families that had "adopted them. These soldiers were strangers in the UK who most likely never left there town back in the US. Most were 17/18 years old and families took them in as if they were there own... everybody in our little village was out crying, shaking hands, and marching along besides us. I remember Mr & Mrs Marles (the people I lived with) they were standing on the front steps and when they saw me Mrs Marles cried "God Bless You" and without even knowing what he was saying Mr Marles yelled "Give em Hell".
Part of the collection of Pfc Dienstbier included his D-Day order from Eisenhower that was issued the day before the invasion. He kept it folded up with him during the invasion and across Europe. He finally sent it home to his father with the above letter once Germany surrendered.
