To The One I Love - 1944
Thank you to all U.S. military personnel who died in service. We remember you today.
Here is a SHORT story about a portion of my father's time in the Navy during WWII.
To The One I Love
1944
Mother once told me about her being worried for my daddy while he was on a destroyer outside the coast of Italy during World War II.
“I worried sick about him while he was gone on his Navy missions,” she said. “We exchanged letters as much as possible, however, because it was such a tempestuous time, your father couldn’t relay information about his naval activities or his locations. I was scared for him. The war office would make sure the letters sent from the young men to their loved ones at home did not carry any information in them so that they could not be used against us in the war should they be intercepted. There was a saying at that time, ‘Lose lips sink ships’ and we believed it.”
She continued, “One time, I received a letter from your father that began, ‘Dear Darling’ but the entire middle part of the letter was totally cut out. Then it was signed, ‘Love, Your Husband’ at the bottom of the stationary. I thought, ‘What did he say? Did he write secrets that should not have been revealed? Will he get into trouble?’”
My eyes widened. What did daddy share that he wasn’t allowed to?
“Of course, I wrote back to my Dear Darling but stayed nervous the entire time, weeks on end, until I heard from him again. In his defense, he let it be known that the previous cut-out letter happened because he didn’t have time to write a letter that he owed me, so he cut out the middle because he just wanted to let me know he was alive.”
Yes, my daddy was a prankster, too. Can you inherit that?
P.S. On a serious note, Daddy’s ship was hit by a torpedo and sunk. I don’t remember if he said there were any casualties.
Lee St. John
#1 Amazon Best Selling Author
Georgia Author of the Year - Essays - Final Four
Erma Bombeck Humor Writer
Chicken Soup for the Soul Writer
Georgia Writers Museum
Finally Home – Bienvenue Press Anthology
Heartstrings from Heaven Anthology
Goodreads author
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Peachtree City Library: Fairytale Storyteller
Storyteller for Newnan Book Company
Guest Speaker: popular Southern humorist of observational humor
Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop
Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop Judge
National Society of Newspaper Columnists
Georgia Writers Association
Humorous Writers of America
Panel Member of Southern Living Magazine's THE FRONT PORCH
Featured in National, Regional, and local publications
Can be found on Amazon.com
Here is a SHORT story about a portion of my father's time in the Navy during WWII.
To The One I Love
1944
Mother once told me about her being worried for my daddy while he was on a destroyer outside the coast of Italy during World War II.
“I worried sick about him while he was gone on his Navy missions,” she said. “We exchanged letters as much as possible, however, because it was such a tempestuous time, your father couldn’t relay information about his naval activities or his locations. I was scared for him. The war office would make sure the letters sent from the young men to their loved ones at home did not carry any information in them so that they could not be used against us in the war should they be intercepted. There was a saying at that time, ‘Lose lips sink ships’ and we believed it.”
She continued, “One time, I received a letter from your father that began, ‘Dear Darling’ but the entire middle part of the letter was totally cut out. Then it was signed, ‘Love, Your Husband’ at the bottom of the stationary. I thought, ‘What did he say? Did he write secrets that should not have been revealed? Will he get into trouble?’”
My eyes widened. What did daddy share that he wasn’t allowed to?
“Of course, I wrote back to my Dear Darling but stayed nervous the entire time, weeks on end, until I heard from him again. In his defense, he let it be known that the previous cut-out letter happened because he didn’t have time to write a letter that he owed me, so he cut out the middle because he just wanted to let me know he was alive.”
Yes, my daddy was a prankster, too. Can you inherit that?
P.S. On a serious note, Daddy’s ship was hit by a torpedo and sunk. I don’t remember if he said there were any casualties.
Lee St. John
#1 Amazon Best Selling Author
Georgia Author of the Year - Essays - Final Four
Erma Bombeck Humor Writer
Chicken Soup for the Soul Writer
Georgia Writers Museum
Finally Home – Bienvenue Press Anthology
Heartstrings from Heaven Anthology
Goodreads author
CONNECT WITH ME!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leestjohnauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/leestjohnauthor/
Website and Blog: http://www.leestjohnauthor.com/
Twitter: @LeeStJohnauthor
Newspaper: former columnist for The Rockdale Citizen, The Newnan
Times-Herald, and the Fayette-News (Fayetteville, Georgia)
Television: Guest panelist for Atlanta and Company
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0a...
Pinterest: LeeStJohnAuthor
Pinterest: voice for OB the talking dog. Over 205K views
Peachtree City Library: Fairytale Storyteller
Storyteller for Newnan Book Company
Guest Speaker: popular Southern humorist of observational humor
Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop
Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop Judge
National Society of Newspaper Columnists
Georgia Writers Association
Humorous Writers of America
Panel Member of Southern Living Magazine's THE FRONT PORCH
Featured in National, Regional, and local publications
Can be found on Amazon.com
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