GB_logo ®
Home Family
Relationships
About Your
Grandkids
Health and
Fitness
Travel Your Finances Retirement Books Contact Us


More Love Letters from WWII - Debbie and Jack

Our Grandboomers special feature, Love Letters, generated a lot of interest, so we've been looking for additional letters to feature in the same manner. Recently, we came across a set of letters that reveal more of the difficulties couples had with their relationships during World War II. They are from Fort Bragg. North Carolina, and dated a few days apart in August 1944.

ww2letter
Debbie and Jack are married, but not all is well. There were many more letters in this correspondence, but we have only four. However, you will quickly see the angst these two are experiencing. As before, we will present the letters one at a time. Punctuation and spelling appear as they do in the original letters.

Let us know what you think of these letters, and if you have a series of letters from the Korean War, or Viet Nam that you'd care to submit (we'll change the names and return the letters if you wish), email us for an address where to send them and we'll post those in another series.

All letters in this series are Copyright ©1999-2008 Jane Murphy 



 
August, 1944

Dear Deb,

I received two of your letters yesterday and was glad to hear from you. Well honey our tests are over and maybe I'm not glad. We haven't heard how we've done yet. They were telling us yesterday we have another test in three or four weeks that's the Army ground force test. Things are coming to a close pretty quickly around here, too fast to suit me.

Honey, I hope you will like your new job. I'm glad to hear you're not moving to Phila in fact I hope you stay where you are. But its not for me to say anymore, seeing how your feelings are toward me. Honey I really got the blues and pretty disgusted and the weather isnt helping, its raining and cold its really miserable. Honey you know thinking a lot of a person isnt enough because you can think a lot of anybody just like a friend. Honey I know you loved me before. I wished you could love me like that again, but you said it will take a while. I don't know how your going to do if I am not with you to give you my love.

Honey I don't want you to get mad when I ask you this question is there somebody else. If there is tell me. You know honey even how much you hurt a person there love for you wouldn't fall off like yours did for me. I did everything in my power to get this fixed up but it doesnt seem like I can change your feelings. Honey thats been your trouble you never seem to forget what happened. As long as you keep them things in mind, your feelings for me will never change. Don't you think I am right. Honey I am glad you forgive me for what I did. I surely had plans made for after this war, but it looks like my plans are going haywire. If your feelings for me soon don't change, I am going to volunteer for the army of occupation, I have to do that so I can forget the whole thing. If I get that it will last for 2 or 3 yrs. Then I will come back and start all over.

Honey I know how you felt when I use to hurt you, because I am relly hurt well I learned my lesson about hurting people. I am glad you are truthful about the whole thing. Honey I am going to feel funny coming home knowing how you feel toward me. I will feel like I am in your way, but it might be the last time I will see you. Honey I hope your feelings soon change, because I can't go on like this too long. You know my feelings will change if that goes to long. You know honey we made our mistake by not having any children. I think that would have brought us a lot closer, and we would have stayed that way but I guess its to late to think of that now.

I am glad to hear mom is OK. I haven't wrote her a letter yet. I don't know what to write to her. Honey I still love you and miss you. Well dear I am running out of words for now so I guess I will have to close. So long and take care of yourself.

Love + Kisses,

Jack

xxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx
 

Back to top


 
August, 1944

Dear Deb,

I received your letter too and was glad to hear from you. Honey this question why you married me and why I married you. I know you married me because you loved me and I married you because I loved you. That's the reason I married you. I hope that makes it clear. And I mean every word I am writing so help me. I know I should have told you I loved you during the time we were married. I realize now that I have been a fool. Honey, can't you forget the past and the way I have acted. I see a lot of mistakes I made and am not afraid to admit it. I have learned a lot since I am in the army. I really know what it is to be lonesome and miserable, and I have been that way quite often. And there were a lot of times I felt like bawling. Honey I want you to know I really miss and love you and that comes from my heart.

Honey I know you have given into (sic) a lot. I am very greatful to you for it. I guess I was just a spoiled and blind fool. I guess I am asking a lot of you to change your feelings toward me again. Honey if you really love me it shouldn't be hard to change. Or am I asking too much of you. Honey it really hurts me a lot reading your letter because it's the truth. I know you always went after me. I guess I took too much for granted then.

Honey I hope that's the only reason you made that remark about getting your loving somewhere else. I have been pretty dumb at times. Honey I am matured the same way you are about loving. I hope I showed you while you were here.

Honey I know I neglected you when I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. I should have known better, but like I was saying I was blind but that wasn't helping you any. Honey I thought more of you than I did of that crowd but they seemed to talk me into a lot of things. You know how I am when I get a few drinks in me. Honey I am glad to hear you don't have anyone else.

Honey your way of love and my way of love are the same now. Honey I am trying my best to keep this marriage together. I hope you can see it my way. I only wished I had the chance to show you and prove it. Honey I am sorry what happened when I was home on furlough. That was the first time I was drunk since I came in the army. And if you ever see me drunk again, I hope the dear lord strikes me dead. You will never see me drunk. I have learned my lesson. I know I have said this many times but I really mean it.

Honey I know I didn't treat you right when I was drunk. That's what makes me feel so bad bout the whole thing. Honey I am seeing things more your way every letter I get from you. I have been wrong at every turn. I hope it isn't too late.

Honey I hope you will change your feelings toward me but reading over your letter twice, you say you can't do anything about it. Honey try your best to forget the past and the things that happened. We will start all over. I will show you that you have the best husband in the world. If you can change your feelings you will really make me happy dear. I know its going to he bard to do. I think if I were with you I could change your feelings toward me.

Well honey, I guess I better get ready for bed. I'll say good nite dear and sweet dreams. Take care of yourself. The best of luck to you honey.

Love & Kisses,

Jack

xxxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxxx
 

Back to top


 
August, 1944

Dear Deb,

I received your letter today and was glad to hear from you. Honey you said in your letter as far as your feelings are concerned you couldn't promise anything. Those things just come natural. It looks to me as tho I am back where I started from cause I can't be with you to make you change your feelings after all. I know I could change your feelings toward me if I were with you all the time. The way it is now, I can't prove to you that I am sincere and that things will be different.

I don't know what else to do, if you would only forget the past three or four years. I know that is hard to do, but it is just as hard for me dear, knowing that I didn't do right, it really hurts me when I think of it, but I can't do anything to make good. I am just hoping I can redeem myself if its not to late. But you can't promise anything.

I take it you don't love me anymore, it really seems that way to me, because I have asked you so many times in the past two weeks and you never say a word about it.

Honey I wished you would tell me, don't be afraid to tell me. After all I think I am entitled to know. Why are you keeping me in the dark if you don't love me say it. I am man enough to take it. You know I don't like anybody to beat around the bush. I would really like to have this question answered before I come home on three day pass.

Honey I realize if you don't love me anymore it was all my fault and I will be the loser. You know its no use carrying on this way if you don't love me. The only way to get along is when two persons love each other and not one love the other and the other is undecided. Honey I wished you'd think this out because I am serious about the whole thing. Hoping to hear your answer very soon.

We had a pretty tough day in the field and the worst part of it our section screwed up. I hope they don't stop my pass on account of it. We are having another inspection tomorrow. They are really keeping us going during this test. I am glad to hear Jr. is doing good. I received the papers today and was to read the local news for a change, thanks a lot dear.

Well honey I have quite a bit of work to do yet so I will close for tonite. Good nite and lots of luck to you.

Love & Kisses,

Jack

xxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx
 

Back to top


 
August, 1944

Dear Deb,

I received your letter today while I was out in the field and was glad to hear from you. Honey, you said in your letter as far as your feelings are concerned you couldn't promise anything. Those things just come natural. It looks to me as tho I am back where I started from cause I can't be with you to make you change your feelings toward me. The way it is now, I can't prove to you that I am sincere and that things will be different. I don't know what else to do. If you would only forget the past 3 or 4 years. I know that is hard to do, but it is just as hard for me dear, knowing that I didn't do right.

It really hurts me when I think of it, but I can't do anything to make good. I am just hoping I can redeem myself if it's not too late. But according to your feelings, you can't promise anything. I take it you don't love me anymore. It really seems that way to me because I have asked you so many times in the past two weeks and you never say a word about it. Honey, I wished you would tell me, don't be afraid to tell me. After all, I think I am entitled to know. Why are you keeping me in the dark. If you don't love me say it. I am man enough to take it. You know I don't like anybody to beat around the bush.

I would really like to have this question answered before I come home on three day pass. Honey, I realize if you don't love me anymore, it was all my fault and I will be the loser. You know it's no use carrying on this way. To get along is when two persons love each other and not one love the other and the other is undecided.

Honey, I wished you'd think this out because I am serious about the whole thing. Hoping to hear your answer very soon.

I am glad to hear you got your release. Now you can start your new job. Did you have to borrow any money while you were out of work. I know you didn't have much money when you left here. I'm glad to hear mom went back to work.

It was pretty cool down here all day. A jacket would have felt good this morning. We had a pretty tough day in the field and the worst part of it our section screwed up. I hope they don't stop my pass on account of it. We are having another inspection tomorrow. They are really keeping us going during this test.

I am glad to hear Jr. is going good. I received the papers today and was happy to read the local news for a change. Thanks a lot dear.

Well honey, I have quite a bit of work to do yet so I will close for tonite. Good nite and lots of luck to you.

Love & Kisses,

Jack

xxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx

 

Back to top

 
As frequently happens with military letters, groups of them get broken up or lost. Unfortunately, this is the last letter we have for this series. Readers will have to make their own determinations of what happened to Deb and Jack. Send your opinion to letters@grandboomers.com.



GB Home | Family Relationships | About Your Grandkids | Health and Fitness | Travel
Your Finances | Retirement | GB Mailbag | Contact Us

©1999-2008 Jane Murphy
All rights reserved