Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 18 (The End)

This has been an incredible journey discovering and sharing all these letters. I have so many questions that I wish I found them when my Mom was still alive. However, this is the last letter I have and, fittingly, it’s not complete. The last page is missing. As I said before I never got to … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 18 (The End) →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 17

Posting this letter on the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor seems so appropriate to me. That was such a defining moment for my Dad's generation and a catalyst for countless who joined the Armed Forces during WWII in the same way that those who joined the service post-9/11. FDR stated that it was a day that … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 17 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 16

This letter came six months after the last one I posted, I’m guessing there were others but they seemed to have gotten lost over the past 70 years. My Dad was back in the states and hitting his folks up for cash. It’s interesting to think about how these servicemen moved around and the chaos … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 16 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 15

I found a third letter from 1944. My Dad was stationed overseas at the time he wrote this letter. He didn’t go into much detail about his missions, I’m guessing he wasn’t allowed. He spoke about friends and acquaintances from back home and a lot about track, again, especially his brother, George, breaking the two-minute … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 15 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 13

This letter was quite interesting. My Dad spoke of trying to acclimate himself back in to the army after his furlough. Clearly, he enjoyed being home and may have “lifted” a picture of his girlfriend Rosemary, my mom, from his mother. It’s nice to see they were putting the “fun” in dysfunctional as far back … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 13 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 12

In this letter, my Dad’s training had stepped up and his enthusiasm for flying was nice to see. The seriousness of what he’d signed up for was beginning to take shape as well. He commented on a person the family knew who had returned home “shell-shocked.” I was happy to read how up to date … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 12 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 11

These letters go to eleven! I need to bring back “How’s tricks,” I love it! This letter really stresses to me the challenges for some of these young men being away from home for the first time and that they could no longer take for granted many of the comforts of home. A care package … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 11 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 10

After a few letters I found where my Dad wrote to his Mom, it seems only fair that he penned one to his Dad, too. This letter certainly has a more serious tone than the ones he sent to his mom. Knowing that his father’s work was seasonal, it seemed to bother him to have … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 10 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 9

This letter is very telling to me about my Dad’s relationship to his siblings and his parents. The teasing is lovingly strong? Ha! I wish I’d read it as a kid because he teases his mother in a way I’d never have teased him or my mom. No way I would have gotten away with … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 9 →

Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 8

In this letter, my Dad discussed his travel adventure from Denver to Florida for gunnery school, called someone a “swell egg,” swore, and to describe the town in Florida where he wound up he dropped Sinatra lyrics. Well-played, Dad! Also, my Dad mentioned "Skunk Holler" in this letter so I decided to do some digging … Continue reading Dad’s Letters Home from WWII – Volume 8 →