Marco McCauley in Italy, circa 1943-1944

Born in 1918, Marco McCauley was a member of the Yerington Paiute (Numu) Tribe. He grew up in Dayton, Nevada and graduated from Stewart Indian School in 1938.

McCauley was one of more than 44,000 Native Americans who served in the U.S. armed forces in World War II. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 15, 1942 and was ultimately assigned to the 10th Engineer Division. As a Private in the U.S. Army, McCauley participated in military campaigns in Africa, French Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, France, and Germany.

McCauley’s letters home provide a glimpse of army life in the European Theater. This blog post highlights the 5 letters showcased at the “All For Our Country” exhibit at Nevada State Archives. All digital reproductions and items courtesy of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. Click on the images to read the full letter.

September 27, 1942. Camp Pickett, Virginia. Letter from Marco McCauley to his mother Mamie and sisters Irene & Helen (page 3). Marco was stationed in Camp Pickett, Virginia from September to October 1942. In this letter, Marco writes about dependence allowance for families, his weapon training, and thanks his mother and sisters for their previous letters and pictures. Marco also asks his sister Irene to help alleviate their mother’s fears of Marco fighting in the war. He writes: “The civilians are more scared about the War than the soldiers who are facing it. It isn't the way people imagine things, sure, there's many soldiers being killed. So there is in civilian life, people being killed in cars and many accidents, life is only a gamble on what we're leaving for” ... “So its 50-50 chances all around. Each man has the same chance of coming back home as his next buddy. I myself would like to take a voyage there to see what the country is like ...”
June 28, 1943. North Africa. Letter from Marco McCauley to his mother Mamie and sister (pages 1-2). In December 1942, Marco was sent to North Africa and he served there until August of 1943. In this letter, Marco writes that he received a copy of the Sierra Redskins, the Stewart Indian School’s newspaper and that it “was very interesting to read the news from there. Just like receiving a long letter.” He also writes that the war in Africa has been over for nine months and complains about the mosquitoes and flies. Marco asks about the letters that he’s sent. He asks how long they take to arrive home and if they have been censored. He states that mail from home takes three to four weeks to reach him, but that V-Mails are much faster.
February 18, 1944. Italy. Letter from Marco McCauley to his mother Mamie and sister Helen (page 6). After leaving North Africa, Marco spent the next nine months stationed in Sicily and various Italian towns. In this letter, he writes that he landed at Licata, Sicily on July 10th and that they were kept busy until Messina, Sicily was taken by Allied forces on August 17th. Marco writes that his squad was in charge of removing wrecked and burned German trucks off the road. He describes the carnage of the city: “That afternoon we rode on the Main St in Messina. Gosh, everything was wrecked. Roofs blown off, buildings caved in by our bombs & what not. No people there but soldiers.” ... “The people lived out of Messina in caves and such places in the mountains or hills. Many were killed also. We all were happy when that was over.”
June 24, 1945. Germany. Letter from Marco McCauley to his mother Mamie (page 1). Marco was stationed in France from June to December of 1944, before going to Germany until right before the end of the war in September 1945. Many of Marco’s letters reflect on his past experiences fighting for the U.S. Army. In this letter he provides details on the invasion of Anzio, Italy. He writes: “the German artillery sure gets us jittery when they come around close. Men were killed or injured after or behind the lines.” ... “There were almost air raids each night. The sky would just be filled up with red tracer shells, beyond small appear like a fourth of July celebration, only larger. The ground just shivers with the big guns of ours we would shoot.” Marco also writes that there was a trip to a deserted concentration camp and that 180,000 people were killed there.
August 30, 1945. France. Postcard from Marco McCauley to his sister Helen. On August 5th, 1945, Marco left his unit in Mühldorf, Germany and was going to leave from Marseilles, France. However, when Japan surrendered, all U.S. troop transport was sent to the Pacific. He writes in a letter to his sister Irene on September 2, 1945 that he got a pass to Paris, France and that there were 1,200 men in his group waiting to go home. In Paris, he sent his sister Helen a postcard with an image of the Rue de Rivoli, a street near the Notre Dame Cathedral. He writes that he visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Eiffel Tower.

America 250 LogoNevada Archives Month 2025 honors the 250th birthday of the U.S. Armed Forces (June 14, 1775) and Nevadans who served their country. Funding for Archives Month is provided by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission. 

Special thanks to Chris Gibbons at the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum and Linda McCauley, daughter of Marco McCauley. To learn more about Marco McCauley, visit the All for Our Country exhibit at the Nevada State Archives. The exhibit is open to the public through November 14, 2025, from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Admission is free.