A Veteran's Journey

Does anyone write letters anymore?

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end):

1. In what spy thriller did we hear the words, “The only thing we had is common is that neither of us knew who you were.”
2. Who said, “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”?
3. Recognize these words from a 1970 song?
   Someone told me long ago
   There’s a calm before the storm
   I know it’s been comin’ for some time

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Letter writing has become a pastime; almost obsolete for today’s generation. But, back in the day—that is, when I was in the Navy in the mid-70s—letters from home were always welcomed. And in the same vein, letters I wrote were basically my only communication with my family and friends.

I’m willing to bet that most people still like receiving letters & cards today. I know I do. But our “instant” society typically uses short emails and even shorter texts to communicate. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does take away from the real heart of writing and receiving letters, especially to an active duty member of our military.

When was the last time you wrote a letter… a real letter?

Dear Son…

During my short, 4-year stint in the Navy, my mom wrote a letter to me almost every week. My dad was a lawyer and always had plenty of legal-size yellow pads—that’s what my mom used to scribe her weekly “newsletter.”

She’d usually start writing the letter on a Monday or Tuesday and write a little bit almost every day, filling me in on what was happening in their lives, my sister (who also wrote regularly), and friends and other family members.

Then, she’d finish it up on the weekend and get it in the mail first of the week. Sometimes, my dad or another visiting family member would add in a paragraph or two–that was special. Many of these letters, all handwritten in my mom’s beautiful cursive script, would top 10 or more pages. It was almost like a long conversation with my mom.

Those cherished words, “Mail Call!”

Depending on where I was at the time (NAS Agana, Guam, or at sea aboard USS Kitty Hawk), the mail would take anywhere from a week to several weeks to reach me. When you’re on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Navy flies a plane out to deliver supplies, which included mail. If we were near a land airbase, there would be a daily flight. Otherwise, it may be a few days or a week before receiving mail.

Once the mail was delivered to the ship by the COD (Carrier on-board Delivery) aircraft–usually in large canvas bags–it would be taken down to the ship’s post office and sorted by division. Someone from each division would head down to pick up the mail, bring it back to the division office, then further sort it before distributing. Keep in mind, there were over 5,000 sailors aboard Kitty Hawk during the cruise.

When you’re on active duty–it doesn’t matter if you’re Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard–there’s nothing like hearing, “Mail Call!” and getting a letter from home. No matter how crappy a day you may have had, letters from home were always the highlight of the day.

The only exception I can recall was a “Dear John” letter. I know a few guys who got one and it was usually obvious by their change of demeanor. But they eventually got over it, especially when we hit the next port call.

I still have the letters I wrote home (45+ years ago). My mom kept them for me. I recently re-read the first letter I wrote from Boot Camp, just after I arrived at Orlando RTC. I took a photo of it to share.

I’ll spare you the details, but the letter begins, “This place around here is a hell hole. We have to ask for everything, or be given an order to do anything.”

Yep, that pretty much summed up Boot Camp. But, when I got out of Boot Camp, out of “A” school (Lakehurst, NJ), and into the “real” Navy, things dramatically improved. I wrote about my Boot Camp experience earlier.

The last few letters I wrote home from Kitty Hawk showed a slight improvement. Well, actually, a grand improvement, especially since I had been promoted to a Second Class Petty Officer (ABH-2). Of course, it helped knowing that I was coming home soon (30 days and a wake up; 20 days and a wake up; and so on).

Letters from WWII

Believe it or not, I also have my father’s letters he wrote home to his parents during World War II (75+ years ago). He was an Army officer and didn’t complain as much as I, an enlisted man, did. But still, reading his letters and knowing where he was and what he was doing when he wrote them, told me a lot about my father that I did not know while growing up.

There are a couple of passages in my WWII book where I my dad described a horrific battle, then I added in an excerpt from a letter he wrote home soon after that battle. Which, by the way, didn’t describe any of the carnage he had witnessed. Back then, that generation simply didn’t want their parents to worry during the war.

Unfortunately, I don’t have those long letters my mom wrote to me. You bet your sweep bippie I wish I did. But, there was limited storage room on the ship (we slept in racks, stacked three-high—mine was the middle rack, just because I know you wanted to know). The only storage we had was limited to our rack area and let me tell you, there wasn’t any extra room. So, I had to toss out my mom’s letters.

Now, email rules…

Today’s Navy–actually, all the military–now has the ability to receive almost instantaneous communications from home. Whether it be by cell phone, email, or text, our military personnel can have that personal connection, only a little quicker. I still like letters, cards, and packages, but I can certainly understand the differences available today.

Back in my day, if you were a sailor out on the big blue and your wife was expecting a baby, it would be a week or so before you’d hear (unless she or your parents sent a telegram). But, it would still be a while before you saw the first pictures of your brand-new son or daughter… or twins! Now, you can get email and text with photos of your newborn!

To counter today’s “instant communication,” let me share with you another story. Many of the older veterans will most certainly relate.

My first duty station was NAS Agana, Guam; I was there for 15 months. BTW, that’s an island in the Pacific Ocean out in the middle of nowhere.

Back then, several college age women friends wrote to me (they were still attending FSU). Something about writing to a sailor seemed “romantic” at that time… But, I digress.

My female friends may have dabbed a little bit of perfume on their letters. That was always welcomed and of course, the other guys in the division would want to know a little more about that particular young lady.

I say that, because until they invent a “scratch & sniff” email delivery system, nothing will replace getting letters from home.

To answer the question at the beginning, “Yes, they do.”

I work closely with the 80th Division Veterans Association. Besides creating the website (www.80thdivision.com) and digitizing more than 100,000 pages of reports & photos to place online, I am also one of the association historians–I focus on WWII.

A month or so before Veteran’s Day 2019, Jason Shelton, an 8th-grade history teacher in Greenville, TN, contacted me with an unusual request. His students were going to write letters to WWII veterans as part of a history project. I provided him with the names of those with the 80th Division. A few weeks later, Jason let me know that his students wrote and mailed a total of 334 letters to World War II veterans.

One more… my beautiful and gracious 98-year-old mother-in-law has written letters all her life. Over the past few years, her letter writing has become less frequent, primarily because of, well, getting older. But she still insists on sending Thank You notes to friends and family who visit and send her cards.

While she needs help addressing the envelopes and her hand-written notes are not nearly as long nor as neatly written as in years past, the simple fact that she continues to see the importance of letter writing leaves me, in a word, speechless.

So, the answer to the question at the beginning of this blog is a resounding, “Yes!” People still write letters. Awesome!

Until we meet again,
Andy

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran’s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE copy HERE.

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Answers:

1. The Bourne Identity
2. Jim Rohn
3. Have You Ever Seen the Rain – Credence Clearwater Revival