Sketches of soldiers...

Sketches of soldiers...  Elizabeth Black was a Red Cross volunteer in WWII, and she was also an accomplished artist.  She made over 1,000 sketches of soldiers like the one at right (of Fred Harper, who was killed in action shortly after the sketch was made).  These sketches were sent home to the soldier's loved ones, where many of them became priceless family treasures.  Story and more photos, more details.

In these days of ubiquitous cell phone cameras it may be hard to imagine how precious these sketches must have been to the soldiers' families.  My six years in the Navy during the '70s gave me a taste of it – long months at sea made snapshots of loved ones incredibly valuable to their owners.  Many a salty sailor possessed a prized collection of pictures of their loved ones – invariably worn and wrinkled from long hours of handling.  I'm sure the reverse was true as well. 

I've often reflected on how our modern communications capabilities have eased the burden of separation for our soldiers and sailors.  Nearly all of our troops have access (even if intermittently) to high speed Internet connections – which means they can regularly use email, texting, Skype, FaceTime, and so on to stay in touch with their families...