May 10, 2024 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Scott Jones, the author of Growing Up Rural, shares the story of a boy named Leo and some special letters from war that he wrote to his family.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we're back with our American stories. Up next, another
story from our regular contributor from Iowa, Scott Jones. Got's
the author of Growing Up Rural, and today he brings
us the story of a boy named Leo, and it's
all about his time in the Navy and some special
letters from the war that he wrote to his family.
(00:32):
You're Scott with a story.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Leo enlisted in the Marine Corps on February fourth, nineteen
forty two, in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of
twenty two. He joined the Marine Corps because he felt
they were the toughest group and felt he could not
shoot most anyone, at least that's what he had told
his younger sister Helen. Growing up, he was a sharpshooter
bagging squirrel, rabbit, and peasant on the family farm, but
(01:00):
joined out of a sense of duty to his country
and the war effort to maintain our freedom. He was
shipped out to San Diego for basic training before heading
overseas to the South Pacific Islands. In San Diego, he
became both a rifle and pistol sharpshooter, as well as
completed radio school. From San Diego, he was shipped over
(01:22):
to New Zealand. He loved the beauty of that country
and spoke often of his time there before being shipped
out to the South and Central Pacific. He served with
a third Marine Division for eighteen months, where he fought
enemy forces on the islands of Bogainville, the British Solomon Islands, Guam,
and the Marianas Islands, and served as radio chief of
(01:45):
his outfit, as well as carried a machine gun and
a pistol. He didn't talk much about his times on
the islands and what really took place there. I know
from one of his friends who was in the same unit, Leo,
that they saw a lot of fighting and death. All
he could say was that it was horrific. This was
(02:06):
true for many of the World War II veterans. Before
shoving off, he wrote his sister Helen a letter telling
her that he was going to use a certain code
in his letters to let her and the other family
members know where he was at. When the letter was written,
he wrote, Now when a letter is received, someplace in
it you will find say hello to blank for me,
(02:30):
and then you'll know. So for example, he wrote say
hello to Mabel, which meant Australia, or say hello to Betty,
which meant Pearl Harbor, or say hello to Lois, which
meant England, or say hello to Eileen, which meant New Guinea.
And in that particular letter to his sister, he had
(02:52):
placed twenty different locations where he might have been found.
While writing a letter. He also did report back via
local newspaper that while on Bogainville, his and other soldier's
clothes were eaten up by the moisture and their shoes
rotted off their feet. It was on this island where
(03:13):
he told his sister Helen that during one battle, they
fought for three days and three nights NonStop. They had
to ration their water to one full helmet a day.
After fighting enemy forces, they were so exhausted that they
threw brush over the dead bodies of the enemy and
slept on top of the brush. He was wounded on
(03:36):
the island of Guam. He was in a foxhole with
three other soldiers and a mortar came flying in. He
was knocked unconscious for a time, and when he came to,
he saw that he was the only one left in
the foxhole. Shrapnel had flown into his chest and gut
he said that you learn to pray in a foxhole.
(03:57):
I believe many soldiers have said the very same thing.
For the next three months, his parents did not receive
any letters from him and became extremely worried, fearing that
he was missing in action or worse. He was taken
out of the front lines and shipped back to Pearl Harbor,
and from there he was shipped to the Navy hospital
(04:18):
in San Francisco. They finally received a letter from him stating,
to dispel your fears, I am okay and getting the
very best of care. Don't let it ever be said
that the Navy doesn't take care of its own. Medical
care is the best as his quarters and the food.
He was later honorably discharged on January twenty sixth, nineteen
(04:42):
forty five. His wife, Alice tells that for many nights
after their marriage, Leo would wake up sweating with terrible
nightmares from the war and what he personally had witnessed.
He was like many World War II veterans who did
not like to talk much about their experiences during the
war and held them close to his chest. Now, Leo
(05:06):
was truly a patriot. He loved his country and taught
his family to love this country and the freedoms that
he and so many others had fought for. On his
farm back in Iowa, he had a flagpole and flew
the American flag daily now during his time in basic
(05:27):
training in San Diego. On May ninth, nineteen forty two,
he wrote a letter to his mother on Mother's Day,
sharing his heart for her as they were so far
apart for the very first time. He wrote, Dear Mom,
this is the first time mom, Mother's Day has rolled
around that we were so awfully far apart. Looking back,
(05:51):
it does not seem as if Mother's Day in the
past has meant so much as it does this year.
Perhaps we were all a bit careless in observing this
priceless heritage, or perhaps we didn't stop long enough to
think about how wonderful our mother really was. I assure you, Mom,
(06:11):
it wasn't that we didn't care. But you see, we
all had you right there with us, and we sort
of forgot that this one special Sunday was reserved just
for you. Somehow, Mom, your loving kindness overlooked all our mistakes,
and you said nothing, though I know you must have
inwardly hoped for some little token of remembrance. And now, Mom,
(06:33):
now that we're so far apart, that realization of how
wonderful a mother really is and how I miss her
on this her day is brought shockingly home. Mom. This
army life isn't so bad when a fellow thinks that
it's for the purpose of keeping freedom and peace on earth.
But gee, I miss you. It seems only yesterday that
(06:54):
I was still a boy and nearly run you crazy,
patching up skin toes and a milk and other things
a boy gets wrong with him. Perhaps you were just
a little young then to know the sacrifices a mother
gay for us. But we're all men now, boys at
heart may be, but serious minded and with a set purpose.
That purpose, Mom, is to make this world safe for
(07:17):
mothers like you to rear their family in. I know
that God will be with us, for He is always
on the side of the righteous. But our only concern
on this Mother's day is that God will watch over
you and guide our footsteps home to mother Again. Mom,
I'm going to stop and give thanks to God for
(07:38):
the privilege of claiming a mother as wonderful as you.
You see, dear Mom, I love you. Perhaps I shed
a tear or two as I write this, but I'm
proud of it. May God be with you forever, your
loving son, Leo, The scripture state honor your father and mother,
(08:00):
that your days may be prolonged in the land which
the Lord, your God gives you. Leo demonstrated his love
and care for his mother as they were so far
apart during those days of World War Two. He wrote
that letter, possibly for fear that he may not see
his mother again. She held that letter dear for many years.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And a great job on the production by Madison and
especial thanks to Scott Jones for telling the story of
Leo and his service to his country during World War II.
You learned to pray in a foxhole, Leo wrote, and
he also wrote that beautiful letter to his mother. And
my goodness, we learned from Scott that Leo, like so
(08:48):
many others, didn't talk much about his time fighting in
the islands, and that is so true. Until Stephen Ambrose
and Bandon brothers, we rarely heard from the men and
boys and women who served our great country overseas in
World War Two. The story of Leo as told by
Scott Jones here on our American Stories
And we're back with our American stories. Up next, another
story from our regular contributor from Iowa, Scott Jones. Got's
the author of Growing Up Rural, and today he brings
us the story of a boy named Leo, and it's
all about his time in the Navy and some special
letters from the war that he wrote to his family.
(00:32):
You're Scott with a story.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Leo enlisted in the Marine Corps on February fourth, nineteen
forty two, in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of
twenty two. He joined the Marine Corps because he felt
they were the toughest group and felt he could not
shoot most anyone, at least that's what he had told
his younger sister Helen. Growing up, he was a sharpshooter
bagging squirrel, rabbit, and peasant on the family farm, but
(01:00):
joined out of a sense of duty to his country
and the war effort to maintain our freedom. He was
shipped out to San Diego for basic training before heading
overseas to the South Pacific Islands. In San Diego, he
became both a rifle and pistol sharpshooter, as well as
completed radio school. From San Diego, he was shipped over
(01:22):
to New Zealand. He loved the beauty of that country
and spoke often of his time there before being shipped
out to the South and Central Pacific. He served with
a third Marine Division for eighteen months, where he fought
enemy forces on the islands of Bogainville, the British Solomon Islands, Guam,
and the Marianas Islands, and served as radio chief of
(01:45):
his outfit, as well as carried a machine gun and
a pistol. He didn't talk much about his times on
the islands and what really took place there. I know
from one of his friends who was in the same unit, Leo,
that they saw a lot of fighting and death. All
he could say was that it was horrific. This was
(02:06):
true for many of the World War II veterans. Before
shoving off, he wrote his sister Helen a letter telling
her that he was going to use a certain code
in his letters to let her and the other family
members know where he was at. When the letter was written,
he wrote, Now when a letter is received, someplace in
it you will find say hello to blank for me,
(02:30):
and then you'll know. So for example, he wrote say
hello to Mabel, which meant Australia, or say hello to Betty,
which meant Pearl Harbor, or say hello to Lois, which
meant England, or say hello to Eileen, which meant New Guinea.
And in that particular letter to his sister, he had
(02:52):
placed twenty different locations where he might have been found.
While writing a letter. He also did report back via
local newspaper that while on Bogainville, his and other soldier's
clothes were eaten up by the moisture and their shoes
rotted off their feet. It was on this island where
(03:13):
he told his sister Helen that during one battle, they
fought for three days and three nights NonStop. They had
to ration their water to one full helmet a day.
After fighting enemy forces, they were so exhausted that they
threw brush over the dead bodies of the enemy and
slept on top of the brush. He was wounded on
(03:36):
the island of Guam. He was in a foxhole with
three other soldiers and a mortar came flying in. He
was knocked unconscious for a time, and when he came to,
he saw that he was the only one left in
the foxhole. Shrapnel had flown into his chest and gut
he said that you learn to pray in a foxhole.
(03:57):
I believe many soldiers have said the very same thing.
For the next three months, his parents did not receive
any letters from him and became extremely worried, fearing that
he was missing in action or worse. He was taken
out of the front lines and shipped back to Pearl Harbor,
and from there he was shipped to the Navy hospital
(04:18):
in San Francisco. They finally received a letter from him stating,
to dispel your fears, I am okay and getting the
very best of care. Don't let it ever be said
that the Navy doesn't take care of its own. Medical
care is the best as his quarters and the food.
He was later honorably discharged on January twenty sixth, nineteen
(04:42):
forty five. His wife, Alice tells that for many nights
after their marriage, Leo would wake up sweating with terrible
nightmares from the war and what he personally had witnessed.
He was like many World War II veterans who did
not like to talk much about their experiences during the
war and held them close to his chest. Now, Leo
(05:06):
was truly a patriot. He loved his country and taught
his family to love this country and the freedoms that
he and so many others had fought for. On his
farm back in Iowa, he had a flagpole and flew
the American flag daily now during his time in basic
(05:27):
training in San Diego. On May ninth, nineteen forty two,
he wrote a letter to his mother on Mother's Day,
sharing his heart for her as they were so far
apart for the very first time. He wrote, Dear Mom,
this is the first time mom, Mother's Day has rolled
around that we were so awfully far apart. Looking back,
(05:51):
it does not seem as if Mother's Day in the
past has meant so much as it does this year.
Perhaps we were all a bit careless in observing this
priceless heritage, or perhaps we didn't stop long enough to
think about how wonderful our mother really was. I assure you, Mom,
(06:11):
it wasn't that we didn't care. But you see, we
all had you right there with us, and we sort
of forgot that this one special Sunday was reserved just
for you. Somehow, Mom, your loving kindness overlooked all our mistakes,
and you said nothing, though I know you must have
inwardly hoped for some little token of remembrance. And now, Mom,
(06:33):
now that we're so far apart, that realization of how
wonderful a mother really is and how I miss her
on this her day is brought shockingly home. Mom. This
army life isn't so bad when a fellow thinks that
it's for the purpose of keeping freedom and peace on earth.
But gee, I miss you. It seems only yesterday that
(06:54):
I was still a boy and nearly run you crazy,
patching up skin toes and a milk and other things
a boy gets wrong with him. Perhaps you were just
a little young then to know the sacrifices a mother
gay for us. But we're all men now, boys at
heart may be, but serious minded and with a set purpose.
That purpose, Mom, is to make this world safe for
(07:17):
mothers like you to rear their family in. I know
that God will be with us, for He is always
on the side of the righteous. But our only concern
on this Mother's day is that God will watch over
you and guide our footsteps home to mother Again. Mom,
I'm going to stop and give thanks to God for
(07:38):
the privilege of claiming a mother as wonderful as you.
You see, dear Mom, I love you. Perhaps I shed
a tear or two as I write this, but I'm
proud of it. May God be with you forever, your
loving son, Leo, The scripture state honor your father and mother,
(08:00):
that your days may be prolonged in the land which
the Lord, your God gives you. Leo demonstrated his love
and care for his mother as they were so far
apart during those days of World War Two. He wrote
that letter, possibly for fear that he may not see
his mother again. She held that letter dear for many years.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
And a great job on the production by Madison and
especial thanks to Scott Jones for telling the story of
Leo and his service to his country during World War II.
You learned to pray in a foxhole, Leo wrote, and
he also wrote that beautiful letter to his mother. And
my goodness, we learned from Scott that Leo, like so
(08:48):
many others, didn't talk much about his time fighting in
the islands, and that is so true. Until Stephen Ambrose
and Bandon brothers, we rarely heard from the men and
boys and women who served our great country overseas in
World War Two. The story of Leo as told by
Scott Jones here on our American Stories
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.