WWII Love Letters Telling of Romance and Tragedy

By Michael E. Ruane 

1 It was not until three years after her mother died in 1990 that DeRonda Elliott opened the suitcase containing the letters her parents exchanged during World War II.

2 Despite her mother’s urging, she had never been able to bring herself to read them. It was her parents’ private story. Her father, Frank, had been killed on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and afterward her mother seldom spoke of him.

3 When Elliott, a retired nurse from Durham, N.C., finally examined the correspondence in 1993, she was overwhelmed.

4 Frank M. Elliott, 23, who had left Georgetown University to join the Army in 1943, wrote from England. Pauline “Polly” Elliott, 24, wrote from their home in New Castle, Pa. Their daughter, DeRonda “Dee,” was a toddler.

5 (31 days to D-Day)

May 6, 1944

Dearest Darling,

All day I have been fighting the feeling which has been dominating me of late. I keep continually thinking of home and longing for home in the worst way. All your letters of how beautiful my daughter is becoming by the day. The realization that I am missing all these months and years of her formative growth is actually gnawing at my heart. ...

I love you, Frank

6 (28 days to D-Day)

May 9, 1944

Dearest,

The invasion, I read, is a topic of daily conjecture among the people at home and I guess you are a bit worried. Well, sweetheart, don’t worry, please. It is possible I may be a member in the assault but no more possible than that I may someday die. It is God’s will darling, to which we must all bow. In prep school we had a quarterback who always ended his pre-game prayers with the addition of the phrase, “Not my will God, but Thine” and so it is sweetheart and so it must always be — we must trust our God unflinchingly, unquestioningly.

I love ’em all but Polly best of all —

Frank

7 (17 days to D-Day)

May 20, 1944

Darling,

Dad sent a fellow today to fix up our yard and he really did a super job — it looks nice. All the spring flowers are beginning to bloom now and the sight of them just increases my longing for you. ... Sometimes I sympathize with myself by counting up the months since I’ve seen you — and because they are too many — nearly eight now — I feel very, very sorry for myself. ... Really dear, I try not to feel sorry for me, you are the one who is undergoing all the hardship. I have Dee who in herself is enough to compensate for anything. Without her, I don’t see how I would endure this separation. Yet constantly, darling, all of me longs for you. It can’t be much longer now, sweetheart.

I love you, Polly 

8 (10 days to D-Day)

May 27, 1944

Hi Darling,

... Darn it darling, I would certainly like to be on hand when Dee goes to see her first movie. Take her to Youngstown, Pittsburgh or Cleveland to one of those theatres with a long impressive lobby with candy counters and attractive posters. I’ll bet she will love it. Don’t postpone her enjoyment till I come home, but let me know how she reacts to all the glamour of Hollywood3 ’s productions. ...

Frank 

9 (9 days to D-Day)

May 28, 1944

Darling —

Here it is Sunday again — Sunday night. I think this is the most lonely time of the whole week for me. I am so darn lonesome for you, Frank darling. Oh I’m not the only one and I know it — there are millions just like me, wishing with all the strength of their hearts and minds for the return of peace and loved ones. — Dee is sleeping on this Sunday night, and the radio is playing old and beautiful music — and I am thinking of the Sunday nights to come when you will be listening to such music with me.

I adore you, Polly 

10 (1 day to D-Day)

June 5, 1944

Darling,

... This is a beautiful summer evening, darling. I am sitting at the kitchen table from which place by merely lifting my head and looking out the window I can gaze upon a truly silvery, full moon. It’s beautiful, dear, and it has succeeded in making me very sentimental. The sight of that shining moon up there — the moon that shines on you, too — fills me with romance. The darned old moon keeps shining for us, darling — and even as it now increases that inescapable loneliness, it also increases my confidence in the future. I truly love you ...

Polly

11 (D-Day)

June 6, 1944

Frank M. Elliott was killed.

二战情书：浪漫悲情

迈克尔·E·鲁安

1迪隆德·埃利奥特的母亲于1990年去世，三年后她才终于打开了装有父母二战期间来往书信的那个箱子。

2尽管母亲一直催她去读那些信件，她却一直下不了决心。那些都是父母的私密故事。父亲弗兰克于1944年6月6日诺曼底登陆日阵亡，从此母亲很少提起他。

3埃利奥特是退休护士，北卡罗来纳州达勒姆人。1993年，当她终于捧读这些信件时，她被深深打动了。

423岁的弗兰克·M·埃利奥特1943年从乔治敦大学参军，他的信写自英格兰。24岁的波琳·“波莉”·埃利奥特的信写自两人在宾夕法尼亚州纽卡斯尔的家。他俩的女儿迪隆德“迪伊”还是个初学走路的孩子。

5（诺曼底登陆前31天）

1944年5月6日

最亲爱的宝贝，

 我整天都在与近来一直控制着自己的情感苦苦抗争。我时时刻刻想着家，迫切地想回家。你所有那些关于我的女儿长得一天比一天漂亮的信。想到我错失了她渐渐长大的岁月真的让我心痛……

爱你，弗兰克 

6（诺曼底登陆前28天）

1944年5月9日

最亲爱的，

 我读到报道说，国内人天天在揣测登陆作战一事，我猜你会担心。唉，宝贝，请别担心。我可能成为进攻行动的一员，这就跟我总有一天可能要死一样。这是上帝的意志，亲爱的，我们都必须俯首遵从。在读预科学校时我们有个四分卫，他在赛前祈祷结尾时总要加上一句：“主啊，这不是我的意愿，这是您的意愿。”是这样的，宝贝，向来如此——我们必须相信主，无所畏惧地，毫无疑问地。

我爱大家，最爱的是波莉——

弗兰克 

7（诺曼底登陆前17天）

1944年5月20日

亲爱的，

 今天爸叫了个人来咱家整理院子，整得非常好，院子现在挺漂亮。这些天春花都开始绽放了，看着花，徒增思念……有时我算着自从上次见到你过去几个月了——因为真有好多个月了——到今天差不多八个月了——真禁不住自怜自艾，觉得自己真是好可怜……说真的，亲爱的，我尽量不去想自己可怜，你才是受苦受难的那一个。我有迪伊在身边，足以慰藉。要是没有她，真不知道如何忍受这种长久别离。可是,亲爱的，我时时刻刻全身心地思念着你。不会太长久了，亲爱的。

爱你，波莉 

8（诺曼底登陆前10天）

1944年5月27日

嗨，亲爱的，

 跟你说吧，亲爱的，迪伊第一次去看电影，我当然想在她身边。带她去扬斯敦、匹兹堡或克利夫兰，去看看那些有着气派十足的长长大厅、糖果柜台、漂亮海报的电影院。我敢说她一定会喜欢。现在就让她享受，别等我回来，不过要告诉我她看到好莱坞电影眼花缭乱的场景时是怎样的反应……

弗兰克 

9（诺曼底登陆前9天）

1944年5月28日

亲爱的，

这里又是礼拜天——礼拜天晚上。我觉得这是整个一周中最孤寂的时刻。我那么寂寞，那么想你，弗兰克，我亲爱的。唉，寂寞的不是我一人，我知道——成千上万的人跟我一样，倾其心志的全部力量，期待着和平的到来，挚爱亲人的归来。现在是礼拜天的夜晚，迪伊睡了，收音机里播放着优美的旧曲子，我憧憬着未来的每个礼拜天夜晚，你和我一起聆听美妙的曲子。

我深切地爱着你，波莉

10（诺曼底登陆前1天）

1944年6月5日

亲爱的，

……这是个美妙的夏夜，亲爱的。我坐在厨房餐桌旁，一抬头就能望见窗外，看到一轮皎洁的圆月。月儿真美，亲爱的，不由得令我感伤。望着天空中的明月——月光也照着你——我心充满深情。这该死的月光照着你，照着我，亲爱的。明月令我无法摆脱寂寞，同时也增添了我对未来的信心。我真切地爱着你……

波莉 

11（诺曼底登陆日）

1944年6月6日弗兰克·M·埃利奥特阵亡。