War Letters Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars

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ISBN: 9780743410069 | 0743410068
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 5/1/2002

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In 1998, Andrew Carroll founded the Legacy Project, with the goal of remembering Americans who have served their nation and preserving their letters for posterity. Since then, over 50,000 letters have poured in from around the country. Nearly two hundred of them comprise this amazing collection -- including never-before-published letters that appear in the new afterword.Here are letters from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf war, Somalia, and Bosnia -- dramatic eyewitness accounts from the front lines, poignant expressions of love for family and country, insightful reflections on the nature of warfare. Amid the voices of common soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, nurses, journalists, spies, and chaplains are letters by such legendary figures as Gen. William T. Sherman, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernie Pyle, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Collected inWar Letters,they are an astonishing historical record, a powerful tribute to those who fought, and a celebration of the enduring power of letters.

Foreword

(10)

Douglas Brinkley

Introduction: Behind the Lines

(12)

The Civil War

Abolitionist Aaron Stevens, Writing to His Brother in 1858, Warns That Slavery Will Only Be Done Away with ``By the Sword''

(1)

Stevens Bids Farewell to His Brother from Jail Before Being Hanged for Participating in John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry

(3)

Marcus Morton Sends Fort Sumter's Maj. Robert Anderson a Message of Support in His ``Hour of Imminent Peril''

(2)

P. Burns in Tennessee, Observing the ``Spirit of War'' Overtaking the Country, Laments to a Friend the Misery to Come

(2)

Lt. Ai Thompson Writes to His Father After the U.S. Army's ``Disgraceful'' Loss at Manassas (Bull Run)

(5)

Imprisoned Confederate Spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow Excoriates U.S. Secretary of State William Seward for the ``Military Dictatorship'' He and President Lincoln Have Established

(3)

Lt. James Trathen of the MS Bark Describes to a Friend a Burial at Sea and Several Encounters with the Confederates

(3)

Patience Black Sends Her Husband, James, News from the Homefront and a Reminder of How Much He Is Missed

(1)

Sgt. Maj. James Black, Writing from ``Lone Some Camp,'' Vows to Patience That His Love for Her Will ``Burn Forever''

(1)

Union Soldier William Mayberry Scolds His Wife After Hearing Rumors That She Has Been Unfaithful

(3)

Twenty-Two Year-Old 2nd Lt. George A. Custer Tells His Sister Ann of a Memorable Scouting Mission Near Rebel Troops

(2)

Union Soldier Columbus Huddle Writes to His Father After Nearly Being Killed at the Battle of Shiloh

(3)

A Union Soldier Unleashes a Fury of Insults on the Officers, Doctors, and ``Rebbles'' Making His Life Unbearable

(1)

Francis Christiance Assures His Wife That, Despite a Newspaper Story to the Contrary, He Is Certain He Has Not Been Shot for Desertion

(1)

Charles E. Bingham Describes to His Wife the Execution of a Deserter

(6)

In the Aftermath of the Bloodshed at Antietam, an Anguished Maj. William Child Asks His Wife, ``Who Permits It?''

(2)

Nurse Clara Barton Portrays to Her Cousin Vira a Hushed, Moonlit Camp, ``Still as Death,'' on the Eve of the Battle of Fredericksburg

(2)

Dr. Calvin Fisher Reports to His Brother Alfred the ``Awful Scene'' at Chancellorsville and the Fate of Several Civilians Caught in the Crossfire

(3)

Samuel Cabble, an African-American Private in the Union Army, Promises His Wife That Slavery, the ``Curse of This Land,'' Will Be Crushed

(1)

Capt. Francisco Rice Assures His Wife That ``Although the Day May Be Dark as Ever,'' Their ``Sacrifices Have Not Been Made in Vain''

(4)

Capt. William T. House Writes Under the ``Whistling Bullet'' to His Fiancee, Linda Brigham, During the Siege of Vicksburg

(1)

Captain House Expresses to Linda How Thrilled He Is by the ``Grand Sight'' of the Defeated Rebels

(3)

Pvt. John H. Burrill Sends His Fiancee, Ell, a Brief but Graphic Description of the Battlefield at Gettysburg

(2)

Capt. David Embree, a Veteran of Numerous Battles, Reflects in a Letter to His Sister, Rose, on the Horror-and Exhilaration-of Combat

(3)

Martha Liggan Tells the Mother of a Confederate Soldier of Her Son's Last Moments and Denounces the ``Vile'' Yankees Who Let Him Die

(2)

Sgt. Thomas Bowen Provides His Mother with an Eyewitness Account of the Disastrous Battle of the Crater at Petersburg

(1)

Lt. Col. William Pegram, with the Confederate Army, Describes for His Wife an Account of the Same Battle, and Justifies the Massacre of Surrendering Black Troops

(5)

Extended Correspondence

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman Defends Himself Against Those in the South Who Call Him a ``Barbarian,'' Denounces Unsupportive Northerners, and, After Conquering Atlanta, Asserts That the ``People of Georgia [Now] See We Are in Earnest''

101

(6)

James Paxton Relates to His Friend Val Giles the Torments He Endured While a Prisoner in a Union POW Camp

107

(5)

Union Soldier Charles George Sends His Wife, Ellen, a Letter from Appomattox, Announcing That ``General Lee Has Surrendered!!!!''

112

(1)

Mary Custis Lee, Wife of Robert E., Tells Her Cousin That the North ``Achieved by Starvation What They Could Never Win by Their Valor''

112

(1)

Maj. William Child Exclaims in a Letter to His Wife: ``I Have Seen the Murder of the President of the United States''

112

(5)

In the Bitter Aftermath of the Civil War, Union Soldier William Byron Tries to Win the Heart of Caroline Tally, an Attractive Young Confederate Woman

117

(3)

Joshua Chamberlain Returns to the Field Where He Was Shot and Recalls, in a Letter to His Sister, the ``Horrible Carnage'' That Took Place That Day

120

(5)

World War I

Social Activist Jane Addams Warns President Woodrow Wilson of the Consequences of Preparing for War Instead of Advocating for Peace

125

(1)

Mrs. M. Denkert Implores Jane Addams to Continue Her Antiwar Efforts on Behalf of ``Poor Stricken'' Mothers Everywhere

125

(3)

Pvt. Lester Hensler, Heading Overseas, Assures His Parents He Is Excited to Be Off to War-``a Man's Game''

128

(2)

Kate Gordon Sends a Letter to One of Her Three Sons on His Way to Europe, Telling Him to ``Live-or, if God's Will, Die with Courage''

130

(1)

Ship's Cook 3/C Hugh Alexander Leslie Writes Home After Surviving the Sinking of the USS President Lincoln from a Submarine Attack

131

(2)

Ambulance Corps Driver George Ruckle Describes to His Family a Failed German Offensive and the Skills American Soldiers Brought to the Fight

133

(1)

Maj. Edward B. Cole Provides His Two Young Sons with a Lighthearted Account of His Experiences in France

133

(6)

In a Cable to Gen. Peyton March, Gen. John ``Black Jack'' Pershing Praises the ``Colored Soldiers'' Serving with the AEF

139

(1)

Writing to His Nine-Year-Old Son, Warren, Gen. John Pershing Explains Why He and His Troops Are Fighting in France

140

(2)

John E. Bott Tells His Son Harry, in France with the AEF, Joyful News of a Recent ``Arrival'' to the Family-Followed by a Devastating Loss

142

(1)

Pvt. Walter Bromwich, Writing to His Pastor, Begins to Question the Role of God in War

143

(2)

Theodore Roosevelt Sends a Letter of Deep Gratitude to Mrs. H. L. Freeland, Who Consoled Him After a Heartbreaking Loss

145

(2)

On the Eve of the First Major U.S. Offensive at Saint-Mihiel, Lt. David Ker Tells His Mother What He Wants Her to Remember in the Event of His Death

147

(1)

Col. George S. Patton Writes to His Father After Saint-Mihiel, Which Was ``Not Half So Exciting'' as He Had Hoped

147

(4)

In an Impassioned Letter to His Wife, Gertrude, 2nd Lt. Francis M. Tracy Declares That Their Separation Has Only Intensified His Love for Her

151

(3)

Goldie Marcellus Mails Her Husband, Edward; a Love Letter-Which He Promptly Returns with Commentary

154

(2)

Extended Correspondence

1st Lt. Edward Lukert Promises His Wife, Mabel, He Has No Interest in Dying for His Country, Shares His Thoughts After Watching Men Get Killed, and, After Being Wounded Himself at Saint-Mihiel, Assures His Wife There Are Young Soldiers in More ``Terrible Shape'' Than He

156

(6)

A Soldier Sends a Dramatic ``Yarn'' to His Friend Elmer J. Sutters About the Meuse-Argonne Battle-the Final, Major Clash of the First World War

162

(5)

After Peace Is Declared, Lt. Lewis Plush Reflects in a Letter to His Parents on the Haunting Images of War He Will Never Forget

167

(3)

American Red Cross Nurse Maude B. Fisher Writes to the Mother of a Young Soldier About Her Son's Tragic Fate After the War

170

(2)

Col. Robert T. Oliver Shares a Poignant Story with Veteran Frank Cashin About a Memorable Encounter with an Elderly Frenchman in Chateau-Thierry

172

(7)

World War II

Alexander Goode, an American Jew, Writes a Prophetic Letter in 1933 to His Beloved, Theresa Flax, About Adolf Hitler

179

(1)

Rabbi Goode, a Month Before His Legendary Act of Heroism, Reminds His Wife, Theresa, How Much He Loves Her

179

(3)

Ned Black, Visiting England in 1939, Relates to His Family in the United States How Anxious Londoners Are Bracing for War

182

(2)

Lt. Cdr. Paul E. Spangler Gives His Old Friends Back Home an Eyewitness Account of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

184

(3)

World War I Veteran Dwight Fee Offers Some Fatherly Advice to His Son, William, ``Off on the Great Adventure''

187

(1)

President Roosevelt Receives an Extraordinary Appeal from a Half German Immigrant Who Wants to Join the War Effort

188

(4)

Sgt. J. M. Smith, Before Being Forced on the ``Bataan Death March,'' Tells His Wife to Have Faith He Will Return Home Alive

192

(1)

Capt. James Sadler, Smith's Brother-in-Law, Adds a Brief Note at the Bottom of the Letter, Sending His Love as Well

192

(1)

Lt. Tommie Kennedy, Captured at Corregidor and Imprisoned on a Japanese ``Hell Ship,'' Scribbles Two Short, Last Letters to His Parents

192

(3)

Pvt. Morton D. Elevitch, in Basic Training, Informs His Mother He Is Learning How to Shoot, Beat, Stomp, and Bayonet Another Human Being

195

(2)

Pfc. Edgar Shepard Promises the Parents of Pfc. Russell Whittlesey Who Saved His Life at Guadalcanal, That He Will ``Avenge'' Russell's Death

197

(2)

Capt. Ed Land, an American Pilot Flying with the Royal Air Force, Expresses to His Brother Frank the Exhilaration-and Risks-of His Job

199

(1)

1st Lt. Charles S. ``Bubba'' Young Chronicles for His Family a Dramatic Bombing Raid on Ploesti, Romania

199

(4)

Maxine Meyers, Working as a Welder, Describes to Her Husband, Nove, a Historic Explosion Near Their Home in California

203

(3)

Journalist Ernie Pyle Sends an Explicit, Profanity-Laced Letter from North Africa to His Lifelong Friend Paige Cavanaugh

206

(4)

1st Lt. Paul Skogsberg Flirts with a Beautiful War Nurse Named Vera ``Sheaf'' Sheaffer Through a Series of Letters

210

(1)

Seaman Sylvan ``Sol'' Summers Receives an Unexpected, Crushing Letter from His Fiancee

210

(1)

1st Lt. John David Hench Expresses His Disappointment to His Wife, Barbara, Over Her ``Nocturnal Adventures''

210

(1)

Hench, Writing Three Days Later, Assures His Wife She Is Forgiven

210

(7)

Extended Correspondence

Fifteen Year-Old Pvt. Bill Lynn Implores His Mother to Send His Birth Certificate and ``Get [Him] Out'' of Boot Camp, But Then Later Tells Her Not to Worry About Him

217

(1)

Mrs. Lynn Mails a Series of Short Letters to Bill Asking Where He Is and Updating Him on His Brother Bob, Also in Combat

217

(6)

Shizuko Horiuchi, an American Citizen Detained for Being Japanese, Depicts for Her Friend Henriette Von Blon Life in an Internment Camp

223

(1)

Pfc. Ernest Uno, with the Famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Explains to His Sister Mae in an Internment Camp About Why He is Fighting

223

(3)

Lt. Walter Schuette Sends His Newborn Daughter, Anna Mary, a Letter to Be Read to Her in the Event He Does Not Come Home Alive

226

(1)

After Learning That His First Child Has Just Been Born, Capt. George Rarey Exclaims to His Wife, June: ``I'm a Father-I Have a Son! Thank You, Junie!''

226

(4)

Army Nurse Vera Lee Writes to Her Family About a Deadly German Attack on Her Ship in the Gulf of Salerno

230

(1)

Pvt. Paul Curtis, Fighting at Anzio, Responds to a Letter from His Younger Brother, Mitchell, Asking What Combat Is Like

230

(4)

Pfc. Dom Bart Provides His Wife, Mildred, with a Moment-by-Moment Account of Going Ashore at Normandy on the Morning of June 6, 1944

234

(1)

S. Sgt. Eugene Lawton Shares with His Parents What Was Going Through His Mind Before, During, and After the D-Day Invasion

234

(4)

Gen. George S. Patton Jr., Removed from the Main Action on D-Day Offers Some Fatherly Advice to His Son George

238

(3)

Pfc. Charles McCallister, with the 101st Airborne, Describes to His Aunt Mimi Her Son Jim's Heroic Last Moments Before Being Killed

241

(1)

Shaken by the ``Terror'' of Battle, Capt. George Montgomery with the Eighty-second Airborne Tells His Fiancee, Arline, He Loves Her More Than Ever

241

(1)

2nd Lt. Jack Lundberg Assures His Parents That, If He Should Die in Combat, Sacrificing His Life for the United States Is More Than Worth It

241

(5)

Extended Correspondence

Combat Nurse June Wandrey Describes to Her Family the Challenges of Working in a Field Hospital, Receives a ``Dear June'' Letter from Her Beau in the U.S., Writes to Her Sister About a Memorable Visit to the Vatican, and Grieves Over the Fate of a Young Patient

246

(5)

Lt.jg. George Bush Updates His Parents on His Recovery After Being Shot Down and Nearly Killed During a Bombing Mission in the South Pacific

251

(3)

1st Lt. George S. McGovern Shares with His Friend Bob Pennington a Few (Surprising) Comments on the 1944 Presidential Race

254

(2)

CPhM Fritz Houser Describes to His Parents the Critically Wounded Patients He Treated During the Invasion of the Philippines

256

(1)

Lt. Cdr. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Steinbeck Offer Words of Condolence to the Widow of Their Friend, John Kremer, Killed in a Kamikaze Attack

256

(7)

Pfc. Richard Cowan, Just Before the Battle of the Bulge, Writes a Profound Letter to His Mother About Ethics and Morality

263

(1)

Pfc. DeWitt ``Chick'' Gephart Informs His Parents He Has Been Seriously Wounded in the Battle But, Nevertheless, Is in Very Good Spirits

263

(1)

Warrant Officer Frank J. Conwell, Having Survived the Battle of the Bulge, Sends His Family a Poetic Reflection on War and What He Has Seen

263

(7)

1st Lt. James Carroll Jordan, in a Letter to His Wife, Details the Atrocities Committed in the Buchenwald Concentration Camp

270

(1)

1st Lt. Fritz Schnaittacher, a German-Born Jew Serving in the U.S. Army, Writes to His Wife After the Liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp

270

(1)

S. Sgt. Horace Evers, in Adolf Hitler's Munich Apartment, Uses Hitler's Personal Stationery to Describe to His Family the Horrors of Dachau

270

(7)

2nd Lt. Richard Wellbrock Chronicles His Remaining Days as a Prisoner of War in a Letter/Diary to His Wife, Mary

277

(2)

1st Lt. William Lee Preston Characterizes for His Brother, John, a Parade of German Soldiers-Once the ``Terror of Europe''-Now Defeated and Powerless

279

(2)

Seaman Robert Black, Aboard the USS Swenson, Berates His Father for Embarrassing Him in Front of His Crewmates

281

(3)

Extended Correspondence

2nd Lt. Sidney Diamond Writes to His Fiancee, Estelle Spero, to Remind Her How Much He Loves Her, Shares His Fears About How Veterans Will Be Treated After the War, Reflects on His Fellow Soldiers Who Have ``Departed,'' and Describes the Melancholy Among the Soldiers on Christmas Day 1944

284

(1)

Estelle, During the Final Months of the War, Tells Her Fiance She Is Thinking of Him Always and Loves Him Dearly

284

(13)

Pfc. Bill Madden, Wounded Twice in Combat, Describes to His Father Coming in with the First Wave at Iwo Jima

297

(3)

Pfc. Richard King Recalls the Fighting on Saipan and Okinawa in a Graphic Letter to His Parents

300

(5)

A Survivor of the USS Indianapolis Disaster, RT 2/C Herbert J. Miner II Assures His Parents He Is Alive and Recuperating After Being Lost at Sea for Four Days

305

(5)

Fireman Keith Lynch Describes to His Parents the ``Dead City'' of Nagasaki, Japan

310

(3)

Cpl. Robert S. Easterbrook Writes to His Parents from the Hospital Bedside of Ex-Premier of Japan, Hideki Tojo, After Tojo's Failed Suicide Attempt!

313

(2)

Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Reports to His Wife, Sadie, His Efforts to Promote Racial Equality and Understanding in a Postwar Era

315

(2)

Stationed in Japan, Sgt. Richard Leonard Explains to His Friend Arlene Bahr Why, Despite All That Has Happened to Him, He Does Not Hate the Japanese

317

(6)

The Korean War & The Cold War

Shot During One of the U.S. Army's First Major Defeats in Korea, Pfc. Donald Luedtke Tells His Mother His Fate Could Have Been Much Worse

323

(4)

In a Letter Home, Sgt. John Wheeler Harshly Condemns the Communists Fighting in Korea and Their Sympathizers in the States

327

(1)

Wounded Twice in Action, Sergeant Wheeler Assures His Father He Will Not Be Sent Back into Combat

327

(1)

Sgt. Gordon Madson Provides Sergeant Wheeler's Father with a Firsthand Account of His Son's Fate

327

(7)

Writing from the Osaka Army Hospital, Pvt. Bob Hammond Describes to His Father the Brutal Fighting at the Chosin Reservoir

334

(3)

In a Letter to Carlos P. Romulo, Gen. Douglas MacArthur Defends Himself Against the ``Radical Fringe'' Maligning His Leadership

337

(2)

A Young Officer, Feeling Ignored, Implores His Wife to Send More Letters-and to Stay True to Him Back Home

339

(1)

A Nineteen Year-Old Soldier Replies to His Sweetheart After She Rejects Him for Another Man

339

(3)

Extended Correspondence

World War II Veteran S. Sgt. Joe Sammarco Bids His Wife, Bobbie, Farewell as He Embarks for Korea, Tells Her He Has Survived the Battle of Chipyong-ni and Other Close Calls, and, After Witnessing the Accidental Killing of Two Korean Children, Pleads with Bobbie to Take Extra Care of Their Little Girls

342

(9)

Sgt. Don Gore Informs His Girlfriend That, If Ordered to Korea, ``(He) Ain't Goin'''

351

(2)

Capt. H. Richard Hornberger, M.D., Shares with His Parents the Antics of His Fellow MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) Doctors

353

(3)

Capt. Molton A. Shuler Jr. Describes to His Wife, Helen, the Makeshift Church He and His Friends Have Created in the Midst of Battle

356

(2)

Ardith Morrisseau Gently Chastises Her Former Boyfriend, Lt.jg. Carroll Briggs, for ``Getting Himself in Such Messes'' with Other Women

358

(1)

Briggs Confesses to Morrisseau That He Has Fallen in Love with Her!

358

(1)

Hardly Able to Contain Himself, Briggs Declares He Has Come to a Decision He Is ``Just Dying to Tell [Her]''

358

(5)

Demoralized by His Experiences in Korea, Pfc. Jack Train Jr. Instructs His Friend, Kathie, to Tell Her Younger Brother the Realities of War Before He Enlists!

363

(3)

Julia Child Admonishes Aloise B. Heath for Questioning the Patriotism of Smith College Professors with Alleged Communist Connections

366

(3)

In a Letter to Reverend G. A. Zema, Helen Keller Denies That She Is a Communist Sympathizer

369

(2)

Lt. Jack Sweeney Sends a Letter to His Future Wife, Beebe Matthewson, After a Disastrous, ``Trans-Oceanic'' Phone Call

371

(1)

Cdr. Sweeney Assures Beebe That Even if He Should Die on One of His Missions, He Considers Himself ``One of the Luckiest People'' to Have Lived

371

(3)

Convicted Spy Alger Hiss, Writing from Prison, Advises His Young Son Tony on What Is Required for an Individual to Be Truly Happy

374

(1)

In a Letter to the Writer James Rorty, Whittaker Chambers Reflects on the Explosive ``Hiss-Chambers Case'' Twelve Years After It Was First Reported

375

(6)

Writing from Moscow, Francis Gary Powers Sends His First Letter to His Parents After Being Shot Down Over the Soviet Union

381

(2)

Former President Dwight Eisenhower Tells His Friend Jock Whitney That All Americans Must Be ``Unified'' Behind President Kennedy After the Bay of Pigs Disaster

383

(8)

The Vietnam War, The Persian Gulf War, Somalia, & Bosnia

The Sister of an Army Specialist Killed in Vietnam Asks President John F. Kennedy ``If a War Is Worth Fighting-Isn't It Worth Fighting to Win?''

391

(1)

President Kennedy Responds

391

(3)

Lt. Roy Boehm, ``Father'' of the U.S. Navy SEALs, Wishes His Mom a Happy Valentine's Day from Vietnam-the ``Damndest Crazyiest War'' Ever

394

(2)

Cpl. Mike Jeffords Offers His Parents His First Impressions of Vietnam and Describes the Experience as ``Something of a Vacation''

396

(2)

In a Private Letter to Lt. Col. Lewis L. Millet, Gen. William C. Westmoreland Articulates the Difficulties American Forces Are Up Against

398

(2)

Airman 3/C Robert Zwerlein Sends a High-Spirited Letter to a Friend Back in the States Only Days Before the Fatal USS Forrestal Fire

400

(2)

Pvt. Brice E. Gross Offers His Younger Brother, Jerry Words of Advice and Encouragement After the Death of Their Father

402

(1)

In a Letter to His Wife, Joyce, 1st Lt. Dean Allen Reflects on the Physical and Emotional Challenges of Leading a Platoon

402

(4)

Chaplain Ray W. Stubbe Writes to His Parents from the Marine Base at Khe Sanh on the First Day of What Was to Become a Lengthy and Terrifying Siege

406

(1)

Lt. Col. Gerald W. Massy III Offers His Daughter Lynn a Firsthand Report of the Tet Offensive as It Unfolds Around Him

406

(6)

In a Letter to His Parents, L. Cpl. Stephen Daniel Laments the Death of a Close Friend ``in a Damn Country Not Worth Fighting for''

412

(1)

SP4 Richard Baltzegar Shares with His Friend Mike Engel His Disgust for the U.S. Army ``and the Country It Represents''

412

(4)

Extended Correspondence

Pfc. Timothy Robinson Chronicles His Combat Experiences in Vietnam in a Series of Short, Descriptive Letters to Anxious Family Members Back in the States

416

(5)

SP4 Bob Leahy Explains to His Family Why One of the Worst U.S. Atrocities of the War Was No Surprise

421

(1)

Another Army Specialist Four Describes to His Parents the Extent to Which Accidents, Friendly Fire, and Fragging Are Killing U.S. Troops

421

(5)

The Parents of Sandy Scheuer Receive a Series of Letters, Including One from President Richard Nixon, After Their Daughter Is Shot Dead at Kent State

426

(3)

2nd Lt. Scott Alwin Shares, in a Letter to His Father, a Secret He Has Been Keeping from Him for Some Time

429

(2)

Tom McCabe, Writing to His Parents from the Hospital, Reflects on Being Back in the States After Fighting in Vietnam

431

(1)

Shaken After an Attack at Fire Base Mary Ann, an Anguished Young Sergeant Tells His Mom He Wants to ``Get the Hell Out of Here''

431

(4)

Ambassador Graham A. Martin Dispatches Three Urgent Telegrams from the American Embassy in Saigon Pleading for More Helicopters

435

(3)

Maj. Michael O'Donnell Sends His Friend Marcus Sullivan a Poem That, Decades Later, Would Be Read and Cherished by Thousands of Vietnam Veterans and Their Families

438

(1)

Gold Star Mother Theresa O. Davis Writes to Her Son Richard, Killed in Vietnam, Thirty Years After His Death

438

(1)

Richard Luttrell Leaves a Heartfelt Letter of Reconciliation at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

438

(5)

Bill Hunt Shares with Fellow Vietnam Veteran David H. Hackworth His Concerns About an Impending U.S. War with Iraq

443

(4)

Sgt. Tom Shaffer Jokes with His Friend Kathleen Williams About the Precautions They Have Been Given in the Event of a Chemical Weapons Attack

447

(1)

S. Sgt. Frank Evans Describes to His Mother and Stepfather the Anxious First Hours of the Air Campaign Against Iraq

448

(2)

Writing to His Wife and Sons, Maj. Bob Munson Downplays a Scud Attack and Relates Some Lighter Moments on the Base

450

(3)

Capt. Samuel G. Putnam III Chronicles for His Wife and Family His Participation in the Ground War

453

(1)

Sgt. Dan Welch Reflects in a Letter Home How Strange the War Seemed and Expresses His Regrets the Allies ``Didn't Go Far Enough''

453

(10)

Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf and Gen. Colin Powell Console the Families of Two Men Killed in the Persian Gulf

463

(1)

General Powell Responds to a Withering Onslaught of Questions-from a Class of First Graders

463

(3)

Photojournalist Dan Eldon Sends a Short Note to His Girlfriend from Mogadishu About the Plight of Somalia

466

(1)

Black Hawk Pilot Michael Durant Writes from Captivity in Somalia to Assure His Wife and One Year-Old Son That, Although Injured, He Is Still Alive

467

(2)

1st Lt. Erin Shuler Writes an E-mail from Bosnia to Her Family Back in the States Detailing Serbian Atrocities

469

(1)

Maj. Thomas O'Sullivan Sends His Son, Conor, a Special Gift from Bosnia for His Seventh Birthday

469

(4)

Afterword

473

(16)

Note and Acknowledgments

489

(10)

Permissions

499

(6)

Index

505

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War Letters Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials