A Collection in the Special Collections Research Center
Accession Number Mss. Acc. 2009.516
Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary
Special Collections Earl Gregg Swem Library College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8794 USA Phone: (757) 221-3090 Fax: (757) 221-5440 Email: spcoll@wm.edu URL: http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/
This collection consists of letters, 1966-1968, written by U.S. Army Private First Class Stan Skalski to his fiancee Caren
Brereton in Philadelphia, as well as biographic material. Earlier letters concern Skalski's basic training at Fort Jackson,
Georgia and Fort Gordon, Georgia, and later his airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Skalski describes various training exercises and his overall acclimation to army life, but also writes at length about personal
matters. He frequently mentions family members and mutual acquaintances in Philadelphia, as well as wedding plans. Letters
written during Skalski's service in Vietnam describe the activities of his patrol near the Phan Rang Air Base, located in
then South Vietnam. Skalski discusses guard duty on base and encounters with the Viet Cong in the surrounding area. In addition
to these written correspondences, the collection also includes biographic material, such as two postcards from Saigon and
a boarding pass for the 8346th Air Division, tactical airlift to Phan Rang. A scrapbook maintained by Skalski contains photographs
of his military training, including what appears to be a mock Vietnamese village, as well as service related ephemera and
artifacts. The collection also includes a newspaper clipping from the Screaming Eagle, a publication of the 101st Airborne
Division, which mentions the activity of Skalski's patrol.
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections
Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Preferred Citation
Stan Skalski Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information
The materials were acquired by Special Collections Research Center on 11/05/2009.
Processing Information
Accessioned and minimally processed in November and December 2009 by Ute Schechter, Warren E. Burger Archivist. Further arranged
by Nathaniel Baako, SCRC Staff, in December 2009. Further described by Peter Klicker, SCRC Staff, in March 2010.
Information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: <a href="http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Stan
Skalski">http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Stan Skalski</a>.
This collection consists of letters, 1966-1968, written by U.S. Army Private First Class Stan Skalski to his fiancee Caren
Brereton in Philadelphia, as well as biographic material. Earlier letters concern Skalski's basic training at Fort Jackson,
Georgia and Fort Gordon, Georgia, and later his airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Skalski describes various training exercises and his overall acclimation to army life, but also writes at length about personal
matters. He frequently mentions family members and mutual acquaintances in Philadelphia, as well as wedding plans. Letters
written during Skalski's service in Vietnam describe the activities of his patrol near the Phan Rang Air Base, located in
then South Vietnam. Skalski discusses guard duty on base and encounters with the Viet Cong in the surrounding area. In addition
to these written correspondences, the collection also includes biographic material, such as two postcards from Saigon and
a boarding pass for the 8346th Air Division, tactical airlift to Phan Rang. A scrapbook maintained by Skalski contains photographs
of his military training, including what appears to be a mock Vietnamese village, as well as service related ephemera and
artifacts. The collection also includes a newspaper clipping from the Screaming Eagle, a publication of the 101st Airborne
Division, which mentions the activity of Skalski's patrol.
This collection is arranged into three boxes. The first two boxes contain Skalski's written correspondences, arranged by
folder into chronological order. The third box contains Skalski's scrapbook.