Dec. 17, 1944: Our WWII Soldier Sends A Birthday Telegram To His Sweetheart

WESTERN

UNION

1944 DEC 2 PM 3 36

KQ70 INTL=CD SANS ORIGINE VIA MACKAY RADIO

EFM MISS MARGARET MINGHINI=

1606 WEST 39=

LOVING BIRTHDAY GREETINGS. YOU ARE MORE THAN EVER IN MY THOUGHTS AT THIS TIME. ALL MY LOVE=

         JOHN JAMBROSIC.

Oct. 20, 1944: Our WWII Soldier Is Still Recovering In Bed

Oct. 20, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

I got your letter of Oct. 3 today & was very glad to hear from you. Feeling pretty good today – but still in bed. I guess it’s a good place to be – it rains 6 out of 7 days here.

         It takes about 3 or 4 days for a cablegram to get here honey – I’m not sure.

         We had a show in the ward here last night.  “Larceny & Music”. It was pretty good – at least I hadn’t seen it before & after all I laid right in bed & seen it.

         After they sew my leg up again, I should be out of bed a couple of days thereafter.

         Well, honey here comes chow so I’d better sign off for the present.

         Well, honey – I have to close – I just can’t think of a damn thing to write about.

         The Red Cross is supposed to be here tonite & have a songfest. Here she is now.

         I’m missing you more every day honey, & thinking of you always. Bye for now – Write Soon.

         I love you!

         All My Love -      Johnny

Oct. 19, 1944: Our WWII Soldier Is Recovering and Got Partial Pay

Oct. 19, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

Was very glad to hear from you today. I got two letters – Sept.28 & Oct. 2.

         I’m feeling a lot better today – but still have this cold & am still in bed. Which I don’t like. I finally got a partial pay – 4 pounds, $16. That’s about all I need here anyway now. I still haven’t caught up on all my back mail yet. I should write 3 or 4 yet tonite if I feel like it. There isn’t anything else to do but write or read. They haven’t said anything about coming home – I really don’t think I will myself. But nothing better could happen than to be home for Christmas & you.

         I get to miss & love you more every day – honey – I hope it isn’t too long.

         How’s everything with you honey? Okay I hope. Getting cold there yet. Hardly a day goes by here that it doesn’t rain.

         Well, honey I’ll close for now – hope I hear from you tomorrow. Bye for now – honey. Write soon.

I love you – I miss you.

All My Love Always             Johnny

Oct. 17, 1944: Our WWII Soldier Has Been Too Sick To Write

Oct. 17, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

I haven’t written for several days – mainly because I was too sick. I sure felt rough. I’m feeling better today – but could feel a lot better yet. I’m taking penicillin shots every 4 hours. My [arm?] gut so sore. I started taking it in my cheeks!

         I got a letter from you a couple of days ago – that was a couple months old.

         It’s been raining for 5 days straight now – doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop. I got a letter from Cec. that he wrote in July yesterday. I guess by the time this war is over – I’ll get all my back mail.

         There isn’t much to write about honey – so I guess I’ll close & sleep till chow time. I love you & miss you more every day. How is Lu & the baby coming along? Tell Dee Dee Uncle Johnny said Hello!

Bye for now honey. Write Soon.

         All My Love                         Johnny

Our WWII Soldier Is Getting A Skin Graft In the Morning

Oct. 12, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

I got 3 letters from you today – 16-17-18^th. Mighty glad to get them. All the mail I’ve received here so far except one was from you. Just as long as I hear from you – that’s all I care.

         I’m feeling okay – but I just got rid of a cold & already getting another one. Damn nuisance is what they are!

         Well, I get operated on in the morning. They’re going to graft & sew my leg up. I’ll heal faster then. If I don’t write tomorrow – I’ll either be too sick or asleep all day. Probably be dreaming of you honey. I’ll close for tonite now honey. This is a short one – huh? I’m sure lonely for you honey! Write Soon. I love you!

All My Love Always             Johnny

Our WWII Soldier Gets Word from the Doc

Oct. 11, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

I got a letter from you today – Aug. 17. A little late. The clipping about me was in it.

         There was a Joe from the medics in our ward just now - & was playing the violin. He was really good.

         The Doc. said my chest would be allright & he wasn’t going to take the shrapnel out of my lung – but they are going to graft a little skin on my leg wound. I’ll be here a couple of [weeks? – sic] yet then – I guess & then go to reconditioning for a couple of weeks & then probably back to the front – if this damn war isn’t over yet! Doesn’t seem to be any hope of me getting home for Christmas does it?? We can still hope anyway honey!

         It’s rained all day here & cold as hell. Sure hate this miserable weather. Kind of weather to be home with your girl-friend!

         My mail sure is coming slow here. I hope it picks up.

         I got a v-mail from Frank today of Aug. 18. – but it had been sent to C.P. Directory

         Well honey I’d better close now & get this in the mail before lights go out. Time now I hope I can make it. Seen Cec & Lu lately? Honey – I love & miss you more every day. I hope you don’t get tired of waiting for me so long.

         Tell everyone hello honey. Goodnite Darling – I love you!!

All My Love Always             Johnny

Our WWII Soldier Doesn't Know Whether They'll Operate on His Chest or Not

Oct. 10, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

How’s my honey. I got your letter of Sept. 6 today – kinda late – but it was a letter from you. First letter I’ve received since I’ve been here. I should be getting more in a couple of days.

         They haven’t said much about my chest yet. The colonel was around this afternoon & looked at my x-rays. I don’t know whether he’s going to operate or not. I’m feeling pretty good – but I’m lonesome as hell for you honey!

I was just wondering if I should stay sober the first couple of days when I get back. I know what you think about that – but –I was just debating with myself. Most likely I won’t.

         How’s Lu & Cec. & the baby? Have you seen them lately – or are you still working 7 days?

         Well, honey, I’ll close for now & get ready to go for chow. I’ll try & write a longer letter next time. Bye for now – Sweetheart! I love you!

All My Love Always,            Johnny

Our WWII Soldier's Chest Injury Leads To A Transfer To A Different British Hospital

Oct. 8, 1944

England

Sunday

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart! !

I got your letter of the 28^th yesterday, but didn’t answer – because I knew I was being transferred. I’m in a different hospital now – about a mile from the one I was in.

         They had me transferred here – to look into my chest injury. I don’t know what they’ll do about it yet.

         I got a letter from Babe yesterday. I’ll have to answer. I guess my mail will take a little longer to catch up with me now. I was to get paid Tues. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get paid now. I hope not to (sic) long.

         I suppose by the time my mail starts to get here & I’m about to get paid – I’ll be transferred again.

         Well honey, I’ll close for now & write tomorrow. Maybe I’ll have some thing to tell you then. I sure miss you honey & love you more every day. I wish I was with you now. But I guess that’s out till this is over. Bye for now honey. Write soon.

All My Love Ever         Johnny

Author's Note:  Johnny's chest and neck were riddled with shrapnel when his tank was blown up in France.  Some pieces couldn't be removed, including one that was lodged next to his heart, that remained there throughout his life.


Some pieces pierced his lungs.  When he was a prisoner of war in Paris, an infection set into his lungs and they started filling up with pus.  The German doctors used a syringe with a huge needle, inserted it between his ribs, and extracted the pus with the syringe.  Later that when he told the British doctors about it, they said they never would have thought of that, and he would have died (remember that antibiotics had just been discovered and weren't in common use yet).  So, although the Germans almost killed him initially, they ended up saving his life.

30 Years Post-War, Johnny Suffers From PTSD

Some 30 years later, Johnny was stricken with PTSD due to memories from the mortar attack on his tank.

One evening in the mid-70's, he was driving home, and when he glanced in the rear-view mirror he saw the orange, glowing setting sun and flashed back to the fireball from the German A.T. gun that blew up his tank.  He panicked and had to pull over and spend a few minutes to regain his composure.

After that, the flashbacks of that attack kept recurring, as well as other memories from the war:  the shooting, the men falling dead, the days as a prisoner of war and the men next to him,  dying.

After suffering with the memories for several months, he went to the Veterans Administration and they provided counseling and support. He continued the counseling for several years to help him cope with the horrific memories from the war.  He eventually volunteered to take calls from a suicide support hotline.  He didn't find out until later, but one of the calls that he successfully encouraged to seek medical help was one of his relatives!

What an amazing man, that he turned his own crisis suffering PTSD to a life-saving _____.

Happy Veterans Day, to all who served!

We appreciate you!

Love,
America

Our WWII Soldier Describes How He Was Wounded And Taken Prisoner Of War

Oct. 5, 1944

England

My Darling Mark

         Hello Sweetheart!

Hows my honey! I got 14 letters today – 7 from you. From July 4-5, Aug 14, Sept. 22-23-24-25. Nice going honey! I also got 2 of the snapshots you sent. I got some mail from June yet!

         I guess if I wait long enough – it’ll finally all catch up with me. Mom said she had 3 packages on the way – but I haven’t received any of those yet.

         How are you getting my mail now, honey? Oftener I hope. I’m writing pretty often. There isn’t much more to do. I sure have a mess to answer tonite – but I don’t think I’ll try & answer them all tonite!

         Honey – I wouldn’t want to say one way or the other whether or not there’s a chance I’ll be home by Xmas. I wouldn’t even want to say maybe! I know you would be disappointed if I didn’t come home – if I gave you any encouragement that I might. Honey – I honestly don’t know – when or where I’ll go from here. I have no reasons to believe I’ll go back to the states tho. But how I hope so. We’ll just have to wait & see honey – how things turn out.

         I’m feeling pretty good & I’m hardly a lump now. There’s still a couple of open wounds in my leg yet – but shouldn’t be much longer in healing. My chest gives me a little trouble – not much tho.

         I thought I told you how I was wounded honey.

         Well, it happened so quick – it was hard to realize. I remember seeing the flash from this Jerry A.T. gun & the next thing I knew our tank was on fire. I don’t remember how I got out but I came to beside it. I knew I had to get away – because it was burning & the ammo exploding. I couldn’t get up so I rolled about 15 ft. & passed out. My platoon Sargeant was blown out & he got as far as I did. Both his legs were pretty well beat up. I woke up 2 days later – a prisoner – what a hell of a shock. The driver & the other Sargeant must have been killed. The Jerries gave us they’re billfolds & a dog tag. There’s a lot of details that would take pages honey – so I hadn’t better go to sleep.

         I'll close for tonite and answer a few more & hit dreamland. Bye for now honey. I love you and miss you.

All My Love Always             Johnny

German A.T. (Anti-Tank) Gun

 (for more information about German anti-tank weapons, go to:

http://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/german_aa/gaa7_german_antiaircraft_aa_guns.html)