Letters of Love, War and Jazz

Just days after the June 6, 1944, Allied landing in Normandy, a twenty-five-year-old Navy recruit from rural Indiana begins a two-year odyssey, first facing the rigors of basic and advanced training, then earning an assignment with the famed Seabees and deployment to several battle-scarred islands in the vast Pacific theater, where the war with Japan still rages. His wandering tour of duty ends with an extended stint in Okinawa, site of the last great battle of World War II, before making the long journey home after a final stop in a war-ravaged Tokyo. Meanwhile, the Seabee's young wife from industrial Gary, Indiana, struggles to make a new life for herself in wartime Los Angeles to await his return. She finds a challenging job, makes new friends and explores this lively wartime American city, frequently taking refuge in the vibrant jazz music scene that she and her wandering Seabee both love. What keeps them intimately connected during these turbulent years apart are their nearly daily letters to each other, vividly, candidly and adoringly chronicling their hopes and dreams, frustrations and fears, and determination and commitment about their deferred future. This heartfelt correspondence also features keen and revealing observations and insights about the perilous times they live in and the critical events shaping their lives during their uncertain months apart.