WORLD WAR II REMEMBRANCE
A Labor of Love
by
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Cadolzburg, Germany 1 June 1945 Hello again, Here it is the first day of the sunny month of June, and I am still no nearer you than I was a year ago. What is going to happen to us? Are we going to get to come home or not? That is the big question in everyone’s mind at the present time. Once I set foot on American soil it will be heaven again. For I know that you will be waiting there for me somewhere in that vast land of freedom and liberty, where there is always peace. However I cannot say now that it is the land of plenty. For I understand that you can’t get meat, that is, steaks and such and also other good foods. But I dare say no one is starving there. And I notice by your pictures that you seem to be getting enough to eat. But that is good, Honey, for I love every beautiful inch of you and the more there is to you the more there is for me to love. Oh, how I would like to love you tonight like I used to back there in California and Greeneville! Darling, those wonderful times have been a source of great joy and happy memories for me since I have been over here. I have lived them over and over again in my mind. Would that we could actually live them over again. It has been three days since I heard from you last, but I know that sometime soon I will receive several of your letters and I am anxiously waiting to read them and also to perhaps see some very personal pictures if you have perchance sent them to me. Today I made some prints of the films and will send you some now and some later so they will last longer. See you in pictures, Brown
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About the Book
He was from Tennessee, and she was from Wisconsin. They would meet in 1943 at March AFB in Southern California where he was stationed in the Army, and she worked as a civilian draftsman. After their love blossomed and the romance deepened, my dad was shipped overseas to be a part of the Allies’ invasion of Europe. He eventually lands on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. It was a rough day for all who landed there, many of whom did not return home. Like so many other young couples of that “Greatest Generation,” Brown and Helen kept their love alive through love letters. The letters were written as often as possible, and each letter was eagerly anticipated. The letters give a glimpse into their feelings without always knowing what is really going on inside their hearts and minds. As their daughter, I believe this was a true love story that endured and produced a family for the ages. The second section of the book, letters to parents and friends, deals more with details about what was happening in the world and at home. He still couldn’t say where he was stationed. Sometimes Luxembourg, sometimes somewhere in Europe. But all correspondence comes to halt when he arrives back home and prepares for the wedding they have both been dreaming of. It took place at the first Methodist Church in Appleton, Wisconsin on Sunday, November 25, 1945.
About the Author
Diane Ledgerwood was born in Tennessee where her dad was born and raised. He was an avid University of Tennessee sports fan, especially the Lady Vols basketball team in their many winning seasons. The family moved to California in 1948 where she attended Lynwood High School and went on to graduate from Cal-State Long Beach. She met her future husband Larry and they had 2 beautiful daughters, Jennifer and Cheryl. She then took her accounting degree and had a successful career doing all those fun financial statements and expense reports. She has dedicated the last 2 years or so to preserving the legacy of her parents' love letters for future generations.