The Wartime Letters

My great uncle served in World War Two, leaving behind a wife and two children, one still in the womb. The letters below are a fictional recreation of the ones they sent during his tenure in the South Pacific.

Joseph:

My dear Martha,

I am unsure of when this letter will be grasped by your gentle, loving hands, but I have full confidence that the Lord above will let my message reach them.

Martha, there is not a day where you do not stay on my mind. How I wish I was home with you and Sharon, but I suppose we cannot always have our way, so here I sit, writing this love note to my beloved partner. I keep you and our daughter in my prayers, along with our unborn child. I truly regret leaving you in such a vulnerable state, but the Good Lord has blessed me with a wonderful mother and two sisters.

How is life? If I am not mistaken, Rhonda was working in an aircraft factory building war planes, correct? I hope her wages are keeping the family afloat. I know you are in great hands, and I know your frugal living will help, but I cannot keep myself from worrying at times.

My life is monotonous. Training, briefs, waiting for the enemy. Guam is insufferable. Not only does the heat affect us, but the humidity reminds me of places like Georgia. There’s a reason we stayed in Illinois. It might be paradise to some, but for now, it is a military base. No vacation here.

I love you, Martha. I promise that I will make it back home.

Joseph

Martha:

Oh Joseph!

You should not be worrying about us. Worry about you! We are quite comfortable here. Sure, some days are tight, but we always make do.

How I wish you were home next to me! Sharon is absorbing information like a sponge. I believe we may have a prodigy on our hands!

Joseph, I worry everyday about you and your safety. I pray the enemy won’t give you much trouble. I understand they deserve what they are getting, but I question at times why they sent a man with such high risks and responsibilities. It hurts to think about this, but I know that our country is in great need of men like you. Stay safe, wherever you are. I need you. We need you.

I love you so much. I wanted to write more, but I do not need to expound my problems when you already have plenty. Regardless, I know you’ll be back home. Keep your word.

Love,

Martha

Many weeks later, a letter comes from the mail. She sees it’s from the United States Navy. She panics, then opens it.

NAVY DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON DC

MRS. MARTHA GREEN

122 ADMIRAL BLVD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

THE NAVY DEPARTMENT REGRETS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR HUSBAND, PETTY OFFICER JOSEPH GREEN, UNITED STATES NAVY, HAS BEEN REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION IN THE PACIFIC AREA SINCE FEBRUARY 14, 1944.

FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE FORWARDED AS SOON AS AVAILABLE. THE NAVY DEPARTMENT EXPRESSES ITS DEEP CONCERN AND ASSURES YOU THAT EVERY EFFORT IS BEING MADE TO LOCATE HIM.

VICE ADMIRAL RANDALL JACOBS, CHIEF OF NAVAL PERSONNEL

Martha begins to panic. She tells her family, and they share grief. Later, when she recoups herself, she writes another letter to her beloved husband.

Martha:

JOSEPH!

Do I need to send your mother, belt in hand, to travel halfway across the world to find you?! Because if you do not respond to this letter, then you know she will. And that’s a sight I guarantee you do not want to witness.

Missing in action? I don’t have a clue how war works, but you should have stayed with your group! Maybe it’s more complex than that, but you know what you have at stake. You can’t just leave us here!

I love you Joseph. If I do not hear a response, your mother is coming for you. Please reply.

Love,

Martha

She sends it off, and weeks pass before she gets a letter.

Joseph:

My darling Martha,

Please, I beg of you, do NOT send my mother here. I was missing for a good reason, and I’m grateful that this letter made its way to me.

It is quite a funny story, indeed. I was doing a swimming routine, but something in the water must’ve gotten me horribly sick. I was bedridden for days, and I suppose that, because I did not show up for the role call, I was declared MIA. I was honestly unaware of the situation until your scathing letter fell into my hands, and thank you for that. I’m writing this letter the moment I finished reading yours.

I reckon this will be a “two in one” letter, seeing that I didn’t respond to the prior one. I’m glad to hear that everyone’s doing alright. Especially Sharon! My goodness, I’m happy that she’s turning into an intelligent person. I think she got it from you, ha! I hope it lasts through her “chasing boys” age. I will never forgive Uncle Sam for pulling me away from you, but I know it's necessary, however painful it may be.

We’re just waiting for the enemy to attack. There’s plenty of battles farther west in the Pacific, but I don’t think our enemies would dare travel this far to attack. Unless they perform something I’ve heard called “kamikaze.” It’s truly a horrible subject, but in short, it’s when a pilot effectively commits suicide in their plane. It kills them, but the damage that occurs because of it is horrible. Quite a culture shock to be honest.

Anywho, I know I’ll make it home. If I died here, I know God, you, my mother, Sharon, and too many others would never forgive me. I am a family man, first and foremost. I will never leave you like this again.

With much love,

Joseph

These accounts are a mere glimpse into the exchange between the two. Joseph did eventually make it home, but he suffered hearing damage while deployed. He came home with his brother, who served in the Philippines, to a wife and two children. Joseph was able to meet his son for the first time, and he was already sizable by the time his father came home. Joseph would later start a successful business and have more children. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 95.