On this episode of Our American Stories, Scott Jones, a regular contributor to Our American Stories and author of Growing Up Rural, shares the story of a boy named Leo and the special letters he wrote to his family during the war.
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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.
(00:31):
You're Scott with a story.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Leo enlisted in the Marine Corps in 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
(00:59):
he 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
(01:21):
over 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
(01:44):
radio chief of 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 as Leo, that they saw a lot
of fighting and death. All he could say was that
it was horrific. This was true for many of the
(02:07):
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
(02:27):
hello to blank for me, and then you'll know.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
So.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
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 placed twenty different locations
(02:54):
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 he told his sister
Helen that during one battle, they fought for three days
(03:18):
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 the island of Guam.
(03:38):
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. I believe many
soldiers have said the very same thing. For the next
(04:02):
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 in San Francisco.
They finally received a letter from him stating, to dispel
(04:23):
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 forty five.
(04:44):
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 experts aperiances during the war and
held them close to his chest. Now, Leo was truly
(05:07):
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 training in
(05:28):
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, it does
(05:51):
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,
it wasn't that we didn't care. But you see, we
(06:14):
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,
now that we're so far apart, that realization of how
(06:36):
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
I was still a boy and nearly run you crazy,
(06:57):
patching up skin toes and a million 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
mothers like you to rear their family in. I know
(07:21):
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
the privilege of claiming a mother as wonderful as you.
(07:42):
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,
that your days may be prolonged in the land which
(08:03):
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 II. 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 fox hole, Leo wrote,
and he also wrote that beautiful letter to his mother.
And my goodness, we learned from Scott that Leo, like
(08:48):
so 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.
(00:31):
You're Scott with a story.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Leo enlisted in the Marine Corps in 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
(00:59):
he 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
(01:21):
over 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
(01:44):
radio chief of 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 as Leo, that they saw a lot
of fighting and death. All he could say was that
it was horrific. This was true for many of the
(02:07):
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
(02:27):
hello to blank for me, and then you'll know.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
So.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
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 placed twenty different locations
(02:54):
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 he told his sister
Helen that during one battle, they fought for three days
(03:18):
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 the island of Guam.
(03:38):
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. I believe many
soldiers have said the very same thing. For the next
(04:02):
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 in San Francisco.
They finally received a letter from him stating, to dispel
(04:23):
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 forty five.
(04:44):
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 experts aperiances during the war and
held them close to his chest. Now, Leo was truly
(05:07):
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 training in
(05:28):
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, it does
(05:51):
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,
it wasn't that we didn't care. But you see, we
(06:14):
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,
now that we're so far apart, that realization of how
(06:36):
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
I was still a boy and nearly run you crazy,
(06:57):
patching up skin toes and a million 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
mothers like you to rear their family in. I know
(07:21):
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
the privilege of claiming a mother as wonderful as you.
(07:42):
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,
that your days may be prolonged in the land which
(08:03):
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 II. 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 fox hole, Leo wrote,
and he also wrote that beautiful letter to his mother.
And my goodness, we learned from Scott that Leo, like
(08:48):
so 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,
Host
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