Fred Irvin Rish, age 25, Johnstown, Pennsylvania was among the World War II draftees in 1944. Leaving behind his wife and three young children, Rish entered basic training at Camp Fannin, Texas and joined American forces in the Pacific by the end of 1944. Between May 1944 and October 1945, Pfc. Rish wrote a series of postcards and letters to family members.  Since 1945, these letters have remained in family hands, even surviving the famous Johnstown flood of 1977. This collection details Rish's experiences with the Army's 169th Infantry, 43rd Division. Rish was discharged from the army on 22 October 1945. He died of leukemia exactly twenty-two years later, 22 October 1967.

On 9 January 1945, the 43rd made an assault landing in the San Fabian area, Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines. Under enemy fire, the Division secured the beachhead and fought into the Lingayen Plain by 12 February. The offensive was resumed against the enemy north and west of Fort Stotsenburg, 27 February. After ending Japanese resistance in the Zambales Mountains, the 43rd swung south against the Shimbu Line. On 6 May 1945, the attack continued in the Bulucan area. Ipo Dam was secured and enemy opposition smashed in the Ipo area, 19 May. Mopping-up activities continued until 30 June 1945. The Division left Manila, 7-13 September, for occupation duty in Japan until it left for home.  Source: U.S. Army Center of Military History

The Rish family - Leonard, Freda, Charles, Fred, and Carol

Pfc. Fred Rish, Manila, 1945

​Who's Who in the Letters

• Mom - Bessie Rish, Fred's mother
• Dad/Pop - Silas Irvin Rish, Fred's father
• Freda - Freda Hopkins Rish, Fred's wife; mother of Charles, Carol, and Leonard
• Lint - Linton Rish, Fred's brother
• Red - Glennwood Rish, Fred's brother
• Virginia - Virginia Rish Clough, Fred's sister; wife of Clyde; mother of Carol Rae​
• Maude - Maude Rish Harshberger, Fred's sister
• ​George - George Parker, a boarder at the home of the Silas and Bessie Rish

Bessie Rish