Monday, May 31, 2004
MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE
Today is the day to remember our war hero’s. Most of us can look within our own family to find them. My uncle Tom enlisted first…he is my mother’s younger sister’s husband. He and my aunt left Nebraska to live and work in Washington D.C. but when the war broke out a short time later he joined the Sea-Bee’s. Uncle Tom spent time in the Philippines. The next to go was uncle “Buster.” He joined the Army Air Corps and was sent to Amarillo, Texas and later transferred to Alva, Oklahoma. I was visiting grandma the day he called to tell her he flunked out of flight training. He was feeling pretty low that day and was later shipped to the Pacific theatre.
In South Missouri a young man graduated high-school and joined the Army Air Force as well. He flunked out of flight training where he was training at Washington State University. At the time I was a 10-year old girl in the fifth grade. We would meet up with each other 7-years later and marry. He spent most of his overseas time in Guam.
In Northern Nebraska another young man had also graduated the Spring of ’42 and enlisted in the Navy that summer. He requested submarine duty and spent his time in training and the Pacific Theatre. We would meet in 1969 where we both worked for the same Government Agency. He was my second husband, Warren.
The interesting thing is these four men were all in the fleet (in varying degrees) escorting the USS Missouri for the signing of the Japanese Peace Treaty. They would all meet each other through me years later…….
My brother, Louis, joined the Occupational Army in 1946 and served overseas in Italy. In our family everyone returned home safely and so we were never touched with the grief so many had to bear. The other day I was cleaning out my desk and came across an old letter I had written Uncle Buster when he was in Texas. He was transferred to Oklahoma before it reached him. I was a girl of ll-years and wrote a letter after Thanksgiving. Our family had written a “round robin” letter on Thanksgiving day when we were all together but I wanted to write my own. It’s actually pretty silly but I think his family may enjoy it.
Dear Buster,
Well, I scribbled in the Thanksgiving letter as I was too full. Fortunately for me it passed on. (I mean my stomach-ache.) Anyway, you’re the first person I’ve written to on this stationery.
Daddy went duck hunting yesterday and got a duck. All alone, too. He would have had a big mallard if his gun would have fired. However, it didn’t and I guess it was the shell’s fault. He got up early Sunday morning and saw a want ad for 10-gauge shells. He called immediately and they said they still had four boxes for $2.00 a box. I wish you could have seen him getting out of here. You would of still been laughing. Well he got them and went hunting. Only it was his own old shells that wouldn’t go off. He said it was his first duck he’d shot in his life.
Beverly is cute but ornery. (A little girl I baby-sat.) She is almost broke of her bottle. She sleeps on the floor in my room. It’s a wonder she doesn’t have a cold.
I wrapped a lot of Christmas packages yesterday. It seems as though Christmas is next week. After you hear the Christmas Carols you’re sure it is…and then when you see how much behind you are, you don’t know again….it’s awful odd and confusing.
Well, I have a lot of home-work to do so I ‘d better ring off. Hope you passed your test. Everyone says “hello.”
So long and good luck.
With love,
Suzie (Esther)
P.S. Am enclosing cards for you to mail out. Hope you like em. Suzie
******************************
The fact he kept the letter and brought it back home with him shows how the average G.I. Joe treasured letters during the war. Grandma kept it for years and it finally came to my mother and then to me. It is just an old faded letter from long, long ago with a 3-cent V-for Victory stamp on the envelope but it’s one of the tangible things that keeps my uncle close to me. Sadly, we lost uncle Buster over a year ago to lung cancer. My second husband, Warren, died of a fast acting brain cancer 7-years ago. My brother died in 1989 of lung cancer also. My first husband and the father of our three children is still living and my uncle Tom is still very much with us. We are thankful for them and their clear call to duty, honor and country. They make us all proud……………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
In South Missouri a young man graduated high-school and joined the Army Air Force as well. He flunked out of flight training where he was training at Washington State University. At the time I was a 10-year old girl in the fifth grade. We would meet up with each other 7-years later and marry. He spent most of his overseas time in Guam.
In Northern Nebraska another young man had also graduated the Spring of ’42 and enlisted in the Navy that summer. He requested submarine duty and spent his time in training and the Pacific Theatre. We would meet in 1969 where we both worked for the same Government Agency. He was my second husband, Warren.
The interesting thing is these four men were all in the fleet (in varying degrees) escorting the USS Missouri for the signing of the Japanese Peace Treaty. They would all meet each other through me years later…….
My brother, Louis, joined the Occupational Army in 1946 and served overseas in Italy. In our family everyone returned home safely and so we were never touched with the grief so many had to bear. The other day I was cleaning out my desk and came across an old letter I had written Uncle Buster when he was in Texas. He was transferred to Oklahoma before it reached him. I was a girl of ll-years and wrote a letter after Thanksgiving. Our family had written a “round robin” letter on Thanksgiving day when we were all together but I wanted to write my own. It’s actually pretty silly but I think his family may enjoy it.
Dear Buster,
Well, I scribbled in the Thanksgiving letter as I was too full. Fortunately for me it passed on. (I mean my stomach-ache.) Anyway, you’re the first person I’ve written to on this stationery.
Daddy went duck hunting yesterday and got a duck. All alone, too. He would have had a big mallard if his gun would have fired. However, it didn’t and I guess it was the shell’s fault. He got up early Sunday morning and saw a want ad for 10-gauge shells. He called immediately and they said they still had four boxes for $2.00 a box. I wish you could have seen him getting out of here. You would of still been laughing. Well he got them and went hunting. Only it was his own old shells that wouldn’t go off. He said it was his first duck he’d shot in his life.
Beverly is cute but ornery. (A little girl I baby-sat.) She is almost broke of her bottle. She sleeps on the floor in my room. It’s a wonder she doesn’t have a cold.
I wrapped a lot of Christmas packages yesterday. It seems as though Christmas is next week. After you hear the Christmas Carols you’re sure it is…and then when you see how much behind you are, you don’t know again….it’s awful odd and confusing.
Well, I have a lot of home-work to do so I ‘d better ring off. Hope you passed your test. Everyone says “hello.”
So long and good luck.
With love,
Suzie (Esther)
P.S. Am enclosing cards for you to mail out. Hope you like em. Suzie
******************************
The fact he kept the letter and brought it back home with him shows how the average G.I. Joe treasured letters during the war. Grandma kept it for years and it finally came to my mother and then to me. It is just an old faded letter from long, long ago with a 3-cent V-for Victory stamp on the envelope but it’s one of the tangible things that keeps my uncle close to me. Sadly, we lost uncle Buster over a year ago to lung cancer. My second husband, Warren, died of a fast acting brain cancer 7-years ago. My brother died in 1989 of lung cancer also. My first husband and the father of our three children is still living and my uncle Tom is still very much with us. We are thankful for them and their clear call to duty, honor and country. They make us all proud……………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
