Would this be the last letter he would write?
The sun was setting in England on June 10, 1944.
Back home, it was still afternoon.
He was sitting in the cab of his deuce-and-a-half — a 2.5 ton Army truck, ready to roll onto a ship that would take him and other truckers across 435 miles of the English channel to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
Some 2,400 Americans had already been killed, wounded or reported missing on that beach in the four days since June 6.
And now, he was on his way.
It was the fifth anniversary of the day he and the girl he loved had eloped
'Girl' was right.
She was 17.
He was 21.
And now, they — like so many other couples — were so far apart.
So, as he waited to roll onto the ship, he started to write a letter home.
He must have wondered if it would be the last he would ever write.
'Dearest Darling Wife: Hello, Honey, how are you by now? I feel better already. Just as I started, they came in. I mean the mail. Ha! Ha! I got three regular letters and a V-mail from you. I got my anniversary card yesterday and a V-mail from you. Sure was glad to get them. It was on time too and so cute.'
He added, 'I am reading over your letters and I wanted to write you some more today of all days. This is one anniversary I will remember a long time. From the looks of things, now maybe I will get to be with you the next one and I hope a lot sooner. I guess you are worried about me, but no need of that, Honey. It won't do any good. I guess maybe you will start getting mail now that the big push is underway.'
After crossing the channel, the trucks rolled off the ship into the water.
They couldn't get all the way to the beach.
Several trucks stalled in the water.
But his made it.
His next letter came from France on June 19.
'Dearest Darling Wife: Well, Honey, I haven't got to write you since our anniversary. I have been rather busy since. I think I will like this place pretty good when they quit celebrating so much. Ha! Ha! I wonder if I'll ever learn to talk to anyone here? It seems to me like these people have had a lot of stuff to put up with the past four years. Guess I can't say anything much except I'm in France.'
It would be December of 1945 before he made it back home to her.
And I was born 15 months later.
That's just one story out of hundreds of thousands from those days 81 years ago when America fought to save the world.
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Would this be the last letter he would write?
The sun was setting in England on June 10, 1944. Back home, it was still afternoon. He was sitting in the cab of his deuce-and-a-half — a 2.5 ton Army truck, ready to roll onto a ship that would take him and other truckers across 435 miles of the English channel to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. Some 2,400 Americans had already been killed, wounded or reported missing on that beach in the four days since June 6. And now, he was on his way. It was the fifth anniversary of the day he and the girl he loved had eloped 'Girl' was right. She was 17. He was 21. And now, they — like so many other couples — were so far apart. So, as he waited to roll onto the ship, he started to write a letter home. He must have wondered if it would be the last he would ever write. 'Dearest Darling Wife: Hello, Honey, how are you by now? I feel better already. Just as I started, they came in. I mean the mail. Ha! Ha! I got three regular letters and a V-mail from you. I got my anniversary card yesterday and a V-mail from you. Sure was glad to get them. It was on time too and so cute.' He added, 'I am reading over your letters and I wanted to write you some more today of all days. This is one anniversary I will remember a long time. From the looks of things, now maybe I will get to be with you the next one and I hope a lot sooner. I guess you are worried about me, but no need of that, Honey. It won't do any good. I guess maybe you will start getting mail now that the big push is underway.' After crossing the channel, the trucks rolled off the ship into the water. They couldn't get all the way to the beach. Several trucks stalled in the water. But his made it. His next letter came from France on June 19. 'Dearest Darling Wife: Well, Honey, I haven't got to write you since our anniversary. I have been rather busy since. I think I will like this place pretty good when they quit celebrating so much. Ha! Ha! I wonder if I'll ever learn to talk to anyone here? It seems to me like these people have had a lot of stuff to put up with the past four years. Guess I can't say anything much except I'm in France.' It would be December of 1945 before he made it back home to her. And I was born 15 months later. That's just one story out of hundreds of thousands from those days 81 years ago when America fought to save the world.
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