World War Ii Remembrance

Diane Ledgerwood

Description

Would the letters across the ocean keep these 2 lovebirds together? Or would the war be too difficult to cement their relationship? Follow the correspondence to find out what happens after the war.
He was from Tennessee, and she was from Wisconsin. They would meet in 1943 at March AFB in Southern California where he was stationed in the Army, and she worked as a civilian draftsman. After their love blossomed and the romance deepened, my dad was shipped overseas to be a part of the Allies’ invasion of Europe. He eventually lands on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. It was a rough day for all who landed there, many of whom did not return home.
Like so many other young couples of that “Greatest Generation,” Brown and Helen kept their love alive through love letters. The letters were written as often as possible, and each letter was eagerly anticipated. The letters give a glimpse into their feelings without always knowing what is really going on inside their hearts and minds. As their daughter, I believe this was a true love story that endured and produced a family for the ages.
The second section of the book, letters to parents and friends, deals more with details about what was happening in the world and at home. He still couldn’t say where he was stationed. Sometimes Luxembourg, sometimes somewhere in Europe. But all correspondence comes to halt when he arrives back home and prepares for the wedding they have both been dreaming of. It took place at the first Methodist Church in Appleton, Wisconsin on Sunday, November 25, 1945.

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Segunda Guerra Mundial
• Biography
• Love letter (disambiguation)
• World War II
• Autobiography
• Remember
• Seconde Guerre mondiale

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489742858
• Langue: English

Extrait

WORLD WAR II REMEMBRANCE
 
A Labor of Love
 
 
 
 
 
DIANE LEDGERWOOD
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2022 Diane Ledgerwood.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4277-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4285-8 (e)
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date:  07/19/2022
Contents
Dedication
Preface
Section I: Transcripts Of The Love Letters Between Helen Irene Boettcher And Howard Brown Blakely
1943
1944
1945
Section II: Transcripts Of The Letters To His Parents And Others
1942
1943
1944
1945
 
 
About The Author
Dedication
Dedicated to the memory of Brown Blakely and his “Toomey” Helen, in order to preserve the legacy of their love for future generations. And especially to my sisters, Donna and Nancy and their families.
Preface
After retiring from a couple 15-year long jobs, I found myself at home with not a lot to do except a couple volunteer jobs which I thoroughly enjoyed and still do. One day I happened to remember that I had my parents love letters from World War II and had never read them. So, I got out the boxes and started sorting them by date. When I started reading them, I realized that I wanted to share them with my 2 sisters. So, I started scanning them and made copies to put in binders and sent them to my sisters.
But that wasn’t enough for me. I decided to transcribe the letters so they would be easier to read. That was definitely a BIG project. But I was able to enjoy the letters again as I was transcribing. Eventually, I entered my name online to get more information about publishing. Just curious, you know. The next thing I knew was my hubby saying I should go for it since I had already put about 2 years of my life into it. So I said, ok, and here it is…
SECTION I
TRANSCRIPTS OF THE LOVE LETTERS BETWEEN HELEN IRENE BOETTCHER AND HOWARD BROWN BLAKELY
1943
 
                                                                                              March Field, Riverside
                                                                                              8 December 1943
Helen darling,
Tonight, as most every night we’re not together, I’m wondering what you are doing and if you are having any fun. Here I am sitting on my bunk listening to my radio that I’ve just installed under the upper bunk directly over my head – (where I can reach it without getting out of bed – the height of laziness isn’t it?)
Speaking of fun, I haven’t been having any to speak of since Sunday and it looks like I won’t be having any until Saturday unless I run smack into some gas coupons. The situation is growing more acute.
Monday night right after work I went to Riverside to see about my clarinet and it isn’t back yet. Last night I went to school and tonight we had an interview for filling out our form 66-2 which is a personnel history form.
Also last night I caught up some on my correspondence and my diary which I hadn’t touched since we moved into this temporary building.
We will probably have to stay here for another month before our permanent barracks are ready.
Did the pictures turn out good? I just can’t wait to see them. I really do like to take pictures. I only hope we get some good ones out of the lot.
Well, I just heard some bad news tonight: there won’t be any dance Saturday night because the band will be away with the football team. However, there will be one Sunday night and also there is the record player that is pretty good.
So, if you want to we can dance to the player and either stay for the dance Sunday or go back to San Berdu and bowl or something, or go to a dance in San Berdu Saturday night if you want me to come up. However I would like for you to come on down if you want to. If you don’t come down call me at 6172 before 5 o’clock or 6196 afterward or drop me a line.
                                                                                Until Saturday,
                                                                                              Sincerely, Brown

                                                                                              US Naval Air Station
                                                                                              San Pedro, California
                                                                                              2200 hours 20 Dec 43
Dearest Bunny,
Still here waiting to get out, nothing cleared the field at all today. And so, since I can’t get you off my mind I guess I’ll just have to write you again tonight before I go to sleep.
Two letters in one day – how’m I doin’? You’re going to have to go some to keep up with me at this rate. I wrote the first letter shortly after noon today and mailed it in the Pilot’s Ready Room.
This is the only piece of writing paper I found in the room here and since I left my bag and chute over on the hangar line I’ll have to finish on some tablet paper I also found. In fact I was just wishing I had some kind of paper because there some things I wanted to write you about what I did tonight, nothing exciting of course.
Yesterday I saw Buddy Rogers and another fellow here at the field. Evidently he is stationed here from what I could gather.
Right now I am lying here in the most wonderful bed writing to my Honey. It is only a single bed, but it is a large one, big enough for two people the way I like to sleep. Yes indeed, I surely like the Navy. This is one of the Visiting Squadron’s rooms and there are four beds in it and four of us waiting for rides – one to Seattle, one to Chicago and I don’t know where the other one is going yet. So far, I haven’t seen any other Army officers.
Well, here we go on ‘school paper’, but it’s going to take it as I have only begun. So won’t you please read between the lines? Ha!
Tonight we had, guess what for dinner? “PLANK STEAK” O boy! Me for the Navy. And do you know how much it costs? $6.25 for (no, not the steak) five days, and that includes room and meals with a proportionate refund if we check out before that time is up.
After dinner I went over to the show, which incidentally was free. After several shorts, including Mickey Mouse the “Magician”, supported very ably by the one and only Donald Duck, they showed Dickens’ “Christmas Carol.”
Helen, it was splendid. It was just like the book with a lot more thrown in, the sound and the sad and happy expressions on peoples’ faces – Tiny Tim, his father Bob, the nephew, his fiancé, Scrooge, and the Spirit of Christmas.
Remember when Scrooge fired Bob for knocking his hat off with a snowball on Christmas Eve? But Bob bought a big goose and hot chestnuts and everything and went home to his family. Then they were all so happy because it was Christmas and they were all together. It made me want to be home again so bad.
That’s what I want most of all, a happy home with three youngsters who will fall down, skin their knees, and have to be scolded for tearing their clothes and for not hanging them up and for being kept after school for talking in class or chewing gum and who have to be nursed thru the measles, mumps, and whooping cough and who like to run and play and go fishing with their daddy in the summer or hunting rabbits in the fall when the chestnuts are on the ground and hiking up the mountains in the Spring when everything is green and fresh and crisp and tired feet are refreshed in the cool sparkling mountain stream that makes its way over, around and under rocks slowly at times then suddenly as if it were trying to make up for lost time it would drop over a cliff and realizing there was really no hurry after all hesitated and then slowly started on its journey once again.
You see, Helen, that’s what I’ve wanted for lo these many years and you see also what I’ve got. And then came the war. O, well, it won’t last forever.
Darling, it’s after 2330 so I had better close and get a little sleep. I hope I dream about you tonight.
Hope you don’t get tired reading this – writing to you makes me feel a little closer to you.
                                                                                    Goodnight, Sweet
                                                                                              Brown

                                                                                              Tuesday, 12/22/43
My dear Brown,
I hope this finds you home and having a glorious Christmas. I was thinking of you all weekend and hoping you were fortunate to get a plane ride home. I’m very anxious to know when