Blog Post #2

Through the War Service Bureau records that we depicted up in class, we were able to gain better insight on noticing trends and analyzing the data from Rutgers a long time ago. Many trends and patterns occurred specifically, the similarity in letter style and writing. Without mass media communication systems like social media or even more advanced technology like we have today, these people had to rely solely on letters as there were no emojis to text to your friends in a second to exist back then! Having a good connection back home while on duty was the main goal for many if not all army people during this time as it was their only form of communication to the outside world while in battle. These letters and other artifacts collected by Rutgers show regular civilians like us, how life truly was for them in duty, with some focusing on the hardships and sanity. These findings amused me because it makes me want to dig further and find possible photographs and other artifacts to get an even better understanding of Rutgers back in the day. We were able to triangulate through various places around Rutgers during the times of War in which letters were passed through various different individuals, having roles such as military leaders, servicemen, or even family members. My findings do relate to the readings because the various readings show the struggles and how life truly is apart from regular civilian life and it goes to show us that digital archives like these from Rutgers are valuable for future generations to come and for us to tell the stories!