11/11/2023
Yearly share of a series of eight I found in a pile of vintage papers purchased for $1 at a garage sale a few years ago. I left all of the author’s errors to keep them authentic.
In honor of everywhere and specifically Byron Dehoney, one of many who gave his all.
Sat. Sep 15, 1944
Last night I received three wonderful letters from you for the 25th, 26th and 27th. I've been loving your picture every since but didn't care for the one of me looking like a proud peacock or the one of both of us together. Please send the other five pictures of of that rool even if they are poor.
Tell B.E. that her sweetheart has not forgotton her and that he longs for her very much. He just asked me the other day if I could tell him anything about her, so last night I saw him and gave him all the news of her you put in your letter. He feels a lot better knowing it and said there isn't anybody on earth can thrill him as much as she does.
I think that either the AT & T or the R.R. are both good if you can get in, and I know you . . . (next page missing -- censored?)
(following page begins with ) . . . it with her love.
We had a censorship lecture today and heard that every night the plane which flys over our area is Bedcheck Charlie, a German recon plane who tries to observe our movements, but is never fired upon for some reason and is followed by searchlights all through his flight. They say the Germans took most of the good looking women with them when returning and also all the workable men except those who hid in the hills. Guess that accounts for us seeing almost nothing but children, grandpops, and odd characters of the French.
This is becoming verbose and giving me writers cramp so accept this phrase of deepest feeling:
I LOV U
and I'll sign off.
love Byron
Oct 14
My Dear little fruit bar,
I'm absolutely famished for the sight of you again. Looking at your picture is like holding food just out of reach of a starving man, but I'm glad to have that picture with me. The one I carry is that taken in Columbia in Vally park while you sat in the swing.
There is not to many chances to write now or receive mail. If there is mud on this it is from this dirty ole fox hole I'm sleeping in. Send something eatable.
We eat and sleep and carry on as best we can and life isn't too bad.
With love and many intangeable kisses.
v Byron
October 16
Dear Sweetheart and Wife
I'm getting gobs of mail from you now with irrigular dates. I had to laugh at your sudden change of hand writing when you discovered that passionate people have more than 45` slant. I think your regular style is similar to mine so we are both cold a little and hot a little which is ok with me for as you say love carries us by the cold and adds to the warm moments. I'll love you for always and always Dearest for better or for worst just as we pledged ourselves.
While reading your words about the things you have done so vivid a pictures of you shines before me that I can hardly surpress the desire to reach out and see if you are not actually within my touch. What fun shall be all ours some day.
Please tell me more about your new job, the people you see there, etc.
With a fox hole full of love I remain wholly yours, Dearest Darling wife.
Byron
ps I have your photo before me.
ps jr enclosed is $50 money order that I mentioned several letters ago.
Sunday Oct 22
Hello Sweetheart
I have a chance to write again after being unable to for a few days due to the conditions. The dates of the last three or four letters were wrong, they should have been 17th, 18th and 19th instead of 15th, 16th and 17th -- makes no difference though.
Last night three letters arrived and one was very noticible with the stamps right side up so I read the other two first, one explaining that you had been upset and wrote a cold letter on purpose. Whatever my air mail letter contained to disturb you I'm ever so sorry for and also very curious about -- please save it.
We have moved to a rear area for a few days to give the men showers in a large city close by. Yesterday was my turn. I walked thru more mud that you ever dreamed existed then caught a truck jammed full of other soldiers going for showers. When we reached the point we waited in line for over an hour and finally received eight minutes of hot water, put back on our muddy clothes and returned to the trucks. They drove us to a USO theater to see Pin Up Girl and feed us doughnuts & coffe then thru the city without stopping and back to our area where I again walked thru miles of mud in the dark very hungry and cold. When I landed in my fox hole, I slept about two hours, got up and stood two hours guard and slept a couple of more hours and got up again at four thirty to start another day -- such is the G.I. life at its worst.
Darling, excuse all this beefing; what I really want to tell you is that you to me are my little ole sweet honey pot and as much the object of my affection as winning the war is the object of our endeaver -- we're doing all right in the latter too and will be home to once again love our dear ones before you know it.
Once you asked me to tell you something about the country -- weather and terrain feachers are military secret, but I can say this: I hope we never have to live such a place when the war is over.
Worlds of love, Honey
v Byron
ps I put REBA V mail to save space
Tuesday Oct 24
Dear Wifey --
Yesterday I couldn't write. I was runner for the day -- dashing thru mud and timber to deliver little messages on paper. With you in spirit though, were my principal thoughts and desires. Ours is the love of perfection found in each other Dearest Darling, to me always an inspiration and a thing for which I live and fight.
News is nill for nothing has happened with me except routine eating sleeping and standing guard. At night the birds in the woods sometimes excite me for they sound like an enemy creaping up to our positions. There are only three major things to worry about here so I'm fairly content since all three are funtioning -- the mail is coming in everyday, we are getting three hot meals daily, and my fox hole is comfortably warm and dry. No packages yet. I'll be glad to get my dictionary you are sending and the pen too, however ink is such a problem to carry around that I may continue to use this pencil you bought me.
This is my next to the last sheet of paper, Sweetheart. I may write my next letter on the back of one of yours and send it air mail collect. No more stamps either.
On this side of the pond the relationship between soldiers is not so unequal and unfair as it was back in the states -- we all live alike and work alike with few exceptions and I'm happier for it.
Darling I'll save one sheet for your brother and wife. I love you truly, Honey.
Love v Byron
Wed Oct 25th
Hello Sweetheart
I finally found a few scraps of paper to enscribe a portion of my love upon but first I'll tell the news such as it is. Yesterday a fellow gave me a German bicycle and a pack of Lucky Strikes for a handful of candy. The ci******es I traded for a chocolate bar and the bike was donated to the squad for general amusement. It was enough fun watching each other peddling thru mud and falling in it to charge tickets to see. If there were only more room on the truck we could carry it with us.
Today we ran out of coffee, so one of the gang said we could make it by boiling crisp black burnt bread in water -- we all sat around the fire burning up our supply of bread and throwing it in the watter. By the time it was ready chow arrived anyway with real coffee and we threw the burnt bread crap away. Every body gave a toung lashing to the fellow who thought up the idea.
No more stories for now - Darling I love you so ardently that the mention of your name last night by my buddy kept me awake for hours just thinking and longing for precious moments I once realized during our first beautiful ten months. Those were the days! I'm praying for their return.
Love v Byron
Thursday Oct 26
Hello Sweet,
It is time to relax and think of you, Darling, for I've just finished a splendid meal and read a short humor story about a fellow who grew up. Since the same thing happened to me and resulted in my marrying the girl of charms to end all charms, I feel like smoking a cigarette and announcing -- I love you; you are gracious enough to be my queen and sweet enough to eat. What life has held since our altar day has been more than equal to my total happiness previous to that wonderful episode. It is a wonder to me that they didn't sign the armistice on Oct. 5th. My heart will be insane with joy the next time you are closely cuddled to me. It is that day for which all other days of late are made. Can I stand it? Darling, how I love you, sweetheart!
A quick look at today's news concerning your hero reveals nothing so I'll close -- loving you as ever.
Love V Byron
Last one . . .
Dear wife
Today is blue Monday Oct 30 and not even the steak dinner with fried potatoes is able to take away the horrible blues. One of the fellows shot a cow and I dug some spuds. They tasted wonderful cooked in the German frying pan we found -- every body had more than he could eat. I kept thinking of Bobo's place in Columbia where you and I would go for steak dinners on Sunday.
Guess what! Just now I reached for my little pay book to get out your picture and found eleven air mail stamps that I didn't know I had. Oh happy day -- I really needed those! Your picture is so sweet, Darling, that it is almost more than I can stand. It places you right beside me and yet I cannot touch you. I received the v mail house plan you returned and also your suggestion about Pioria,Ill. That wouldn't be close enough to the lakes. It would be wonderful to live within walking distance of them. Time to stop for lack of paper.
Love v Byron
Byron was killed in action two weeks after this was written.
These letters were written in 1944 from France. All the stamps are upside down, each envelope stamped that it passed by the army examiner.
