{"id":12201,"date":"2026-03-08T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/?p=12201"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:33:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:33:37","slug":"fragments-from-the-past-dads-wwii-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/letters\/fragments-from-the-past-dads-wwii-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragments from the Past: Dad’s WWII Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"tulips
Photo by Brandie Robbins on Pexels.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My sister has been the keeper of Dad\u2019s WWII letters. I didn’t read them until a few weeks ago when we were driving north through Skagit Valley on our way to Chuckanut Manor for lunch. On a straight stretch along I-5, Sue reached behind her for a Manila envelope. \u201cDad\u2019s letters,\u201d she said. \u201cI’ve read them, but I want to see what you think. Why don\u2019t you read a couple of them out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay. Why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were still in their original envelopes, neatly opened, read, and then slid back in. Mom must have kept them in a box in the attic. When she died, Sue was interested in keeping the scores of photo albums Mom had put together over the years along with the box of letters and also Sue’s favorite old dolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first envelope I opened was a letter to our grandparents, Rose and Bill. It was written while Dad was in bootcamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, what does a young soldier write to his in-laws?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He started by telling them he was about to go on bivouac<\/em>. French for a camping trip, he explained. Then he commented on their problem with chickens that wouldn\u2019t lay. \u201cGosh,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that.\u201d He suggested wet mash and crushed oyster shells. \u201cAre they still eating their own eggs?\u201d he asked. \u201cThey don\u2019t seem to realize there\u2019s a war on and everything is rationed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that his younger brother Joe was “coming up to see you-uns. He probably wants one more good meal before he\u2019s drafted. Look out, Rose!!” (I suspect \u201cyou-uns\u201d is something Dad picked up from a movie.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next he made sure to thank them for taking care of Mom. \u201cIt makes me feel like pitching in and getting this war over so I can get back and do something for you, and I will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he described the weapon the recruits were studying, a carbine. \u201cIt\u2019s sure a cute lil\u2019 thing. It weighs 5 #, shoots 7 rounds to a clip. The shells are the same diameter as a 30 cal. But are much shorter. It\u2019s good up to 300 yds. But it\u2019s not accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are only excerpts from what was a long-ish letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading Dad\u2019s letter, I was surprised by how revealing it was\u2014what he chose to say and how he said it. I recognized his handwriting, but I\u2019d never appreciated before how even, smooth, and well-formed his masculine-looking cursive was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos are only a moment in time, a shadow seen from the outside. Letters are more intimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*************************************<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have a box of letters in the attic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will anyone save your letters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh! Wait! Does anyone even write letters anymore? Is there an adequate substitute?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P.S. The letters to Mom were quite different. As were the letters from the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My sister has been the keeper of Dad\u2019s WWII letters. I didn’t read them until a few weeks ago when we were driving north through Skagit Valley on our way to Chuckanut Manor for lunch. On a straight stretch along I-5, Sue reached behind her for a Manila envelope. \u201cDad\u2019s letters,\u201d she said. \u201cI’ve read […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1775,1322,2761,1837],"tags":[2763,2764,2335,2762],"class_list":["post-12201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ancestors","category-letters","category-letters-from-the-past","category-world-war-ii","tag-bootcamp","tag-saved-photos-and-letters","tag-skagit-valley-tulip-fields","tag-wwii-letters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Kn1e-3aN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":966,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/war\/letters-from-the-attic\/","url_meta":{"origin":12201,"position":0},"title":"Letters from the Attic","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"February 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"My dad sent 191 letters back from Italy and France during WWII. 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