The papers of Carol D. Behrend Bahr are divided into two series: Papers and Photographs.
Papers (1943-1948) consist almost entirely of the 1,500 letters that 13-year old Bahr received from American soldiers and sailors after she wrote a letter to the Stars and Stripes soliciting a military pen pal in 1944. The letters are arranged alphabetically by the writers' last names. Most letters express gratitude to Behrend for thinking and praying about them. Many letters give censor-approved details about their activities in the war and ask about her life on the homefront. Behrend sent a letter back to all her “pen pals,” and after that carried on correspondence with a select few who continued to write to her. Two cousins in the service and several other men have their own folders due to the volume of their correspondence. Transcriptions of all the letters, typed by Bahr's daughter Dona Zsori, can also be found in the collection. Other items include two scrapbooks filled with mementos that soldiers sent to Bahr, such as foreign currency, small flags, picture postcards and other small ephemeral items. Several newspaper clippings tell the story about Bahr's search for a pen pal and the overwhelming response she received. Several envelopes returned to Bahr because the soldier she wrote to had been killed show a sadder side to the story.
Photographs (1943-1948) contain one snap shot of Bahr in 1943, at the time she wrote her letter to the Stars and Stripes. Several photographs of Wayne Fluckiger, one of her more frequent correspondents are in this series, along with other miscellaneous identified and unidentified pictures of soldiers and sailors who wrote to her.
