World War 2 Letters from my Dad

Here we go, on a long journey together. These are my Dad’s love letters to my Mom through the entire span of World War II.  I plan to post these on an Instagram account I set up for this purpose and here on my blog. 

On Instagram, follow ‘GreatestGenDaughter,’ For the first few times I will also post here.

When they died several years ago after 76 YEARS of marriage, we found a suitcase STUFFED with his letters.  It felt like a huge burden at the time and I wasn’t able to face it, but now I am healed and not so tender, so I can think about it without bursting into tears.  They deserve the honor as well as all of our country’s veterans.

My plan is to publish several a week.  Once finished, I hope to put it into book form and plan to donate the letters to the World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Dad’s first letter, dated September 6, 1942.  Little did they know that just over a year later they would be married.  But that would spoil the story, right? 😉

Dearest Priscilla,

I closed you will find the pictures we took at Lake Coeur d’Alene and also a couple of me in uniform.  (I hope you like them.)

If this letter doesn’t make sense in different places you will just have to overlook them, because they’re laying all kinds of different songs on the piano here and I can’t very well concentrate on two things at once.  Even though I’m trying to concentrate on this letter.

You mentioned in your letter that you had a narrow escape at the Lake.  I’m not trying to be critical or anything but it seems to me that some of you could have used more common sense, if you ask me.  But it’s all over with now so we’d better forget about it.  Maybe next time you’ll (he inserted ‘all’ later, with a little editing ‘carrot’) know better.

Well, I’m glad to know you’re back in school and that you are still holding your job.  The one thing I’ll miss is the merry-go-round football game.  I haven’t missed one yet.  Even if I can’t be there I’m still rooting for Rogers to win.  If they can’t well then we’ll have to let NC win.

Honey I’ve got about a million things to say, but I can’t think of them all so I’ll take one thing at a time.  You asked me if I remember the first night I was out with you.  How could I forget it?  I’ll never forget it as long as I live; most of my fortune came true so far and to tell you the truth I think of you all the time and wish I could be with you again, but I I guess that won’t be possible again for a long time.  Maybe this don’t mean anything to lots of people but to me you are the one and only one for me.  I didn’t knows it at the time but now that we are separated I think I fell for you and fell hard.  At least that is what my heart seems to say.  

Well, honey I’ll write you again in a few days so until then I must say good-bye though I hate to.

With all my Love,

Martin

P.S. Write to me soon.

And MY postscript is that they met about a month before he left for boot camp in San Diego.  Also, he called her ‘honey’ here.  He called her honey all their long lives. ❤️ 

Hitler’s Art and WW2

Who knows how the world would have changed if Hitler had gotten his first wish - to be an artist.  Denied entrance to art school he was forced to change direction. They maintained his work was not original, his people needed work, and his work was inconsistent (some good, some not so good, as the dog sketch example I have here.) They suggested he go into architecture. 

It is a most fascinating study to see how his attention was divided in the 30s and 40s. 1. Conquer the world; 2. Identify, pinpoint and specifically plunder Europe’s art; and 3. Plan the building and planning of his hometown, Linz, Austria, which would feature the Fuhrer Museum.  To the very end, he and his architects poured over the scale models of this town.  It has been said many times that the world would be a different place if he hadn’t spent so much time stealing art.

This week my students and I wrestled especially with this painting of Mary and Jesus. First, to imagine that Hitler painted it, and second to remember that in God’s eyes, all sins are equal.  That means my sins are equal to those of Hitler. Also reminds us that no man can judge another’s heart. We couldn’t, for instance, look at this painting and judge a person’s heart by the work he produced.

Joseph Goebbels - “The Fuhrer loves art because he himself is an artist.  Under his blessed hand a Renaissance has begun.”

These are a couple postcards Hitler painted when he was 19. He copied them from tourist postcards and sold his watercolors to make money to eat.  He was trying to live the artist’s life, and it didn’t turn out very well.

It’s illegal to buy and sell Hitler’s art in many European countries.  These little watercolor cards didn’t sell for much.  One of my students said she’d like to buy them to burn them.