The J. Clyde Haney collection is divided up into two series: Papers and Photographs
Papers (1944-1995) are photocopies of letters, newspaper articles, certificates, biographical information, and other materials pertaining to his service and death. They consist primarily of letters written by Clyde Haney to his family while he was serving in the Army. They generally describe his life in the Army and how he wanted the war to end so he could return home to his family. He often complained that the mail delivery system was slow, and would request for certain items such as soup to be sent in packages. There are a few letters that he wrote and addressed specifically to Richard. However, some messages to his son were included in letters written to Vera. The letters to his mother often show concern for the health of his wife and son. He remarked in some of his letters that he hoped the stress of him being off at war would not be a burden on Vera. Both the letters to his mother and in-laws provide more detail of what he was training for and what missions he would undertake, but they also become fewer once he is sent to the front in Europe as compared to the number of letters he wrote to his wife. Haney would sometimes include things in his letters such as paper money (the original letters still have it taped to the letters and was included in the photocopying), and a sketch of his combat expert infantryman's badge (February 25, 1945). The code system for him to communicate information past the censors was developed and agreed upon prior to him leaving for training, and is described in the notes included in the collection provided by Richard.
Photographs (1943-1985) include reproductions of original images of Haney with his family prior to leaving for Europe and in uniform. They also include images of Vera and Richard visiting his grave in Margraten Holland/Netherlands American National Cemetery. Vera first visited Haney's grave in 1972, with Richard making trips by himself in 1972 and 1978. The two made the trip together for the first time in 1985. All of the photographs include contextual information provided by Richard on the back.
