Hval - War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

Copyright 2014 Cindy Hval

978-1-4804-8156-5

Casemate Publishing
908 Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishing.com

This edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com

For Derek
Our love story is my favorite one of all.
And for Ethan, Alexander, Zachary and Sam.
My greatest wish is for each of you to find
your own happily ever after.

ACKNOWLEGMENTS

I dont know if it takes a village to write a book, but I do know War Bonds would not be possible without the following people.

My parents Tom and Shirley Burnett who showed me happily ever after was possible. I miss you every day, Dad.

Former Spokesman Review editor Tad Brooks who sent me looking for Love Stories back in 2008. Initially, I scoffed and thought who wants to read Love Stories in a newspaper? And then I fell in love with writing them and thousands of readers fell in love with reading them.

Author Carol Edgemon Hipperson, who provided invaluable introductions, encouragement and an occasional quiet place to write.

My writers group who believed I could long before I did: Ruth McHaney Danner, Janet Boehme, Susie Leonard Weller and Jill Barville.

Special thanks to Jill Barville for creating Facebook and blog pages for War Bonds and for countless coffee chats and happy hour celebrationseven when the only thing to celebrate was 5 PM.

Undying gratitude to Meg and Mike Andrews and Chuck and Janet Boehme who opened their homes to me and offered what every writer needs mosta quiet place to write.

David Townsend, communications coordinator at Coeur dAlene Public Library, who suggested the title.

Most of all thank you to the 36 couples featured in War Bonds, who shared their wisdom and their memories both painful and pleasant. You opened your minds and your hearts and answered questions that provoked laughter and tears. These are your stories and I have been blessed in hearing and sharing them.

INTRODUCTION

Boy Scouts stood at solemn attention. Teenagers doffed their ball caps. Veterans stood and saluted. Amid the clapping I heard shouts of, God bless you! and We love you, but mostly what I heard were these words shouted over and over again: Thank you! Thank you for your service.

In May 2010, I was asked to accompany a group of Pearl Harbor survivors during the annual Armed Forces Torchlight Parade in Spokane, Washington. The invitation to ride along stemmed from a series of stories Id written for the Spokesman Review newspaper about the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

I was unprepared for the emotional response of the crowd, as the truck carrying the small band of heroes wound its way along the parade route. Seated across from Warren and Betty Schott, I watched them smile and wave at the parade-goers.

The Schotts had been on Ford Island during the attack on Pearl Harbor. While Warrens naval service was noteworthy, it was the story Id written about their seven-decade marriage that garnered the attention of newspaper readers.

In fact, each time I featured a World War II-era couple in my Love Stories series, my inbox overflowed with reader feedback.

What if you compiled all those stories in a book? my husband, Derek, asked. People cant get enough of them.

As I watched the crowds reaction at the parade that night, I realized he was right. The stories of couples who met or married during or shortly after World War II were compellingand time was running out to tell them.

The idea for the book percolated while I thought of another couple Id interviewed, Jerry and Nancy Gleesing.

As a young pilot during WWII, Jerry and his crew had been shot down over Hungary on their second mission and taken captive. Days of fear and uncertainty followed, but when a POW guard gestured for Gleesing to remove his wedding ring, Gleesing found his voice and his courage.

Often during the interview process, things came up that the couples have never shared beforesometimes even with each other.

Take, for example Walter Stewart. His wife, Laura, gave birth to a baby girl who lived only minutes, just before Walter, a sailor, shipped out overseas. As he processed the loss of their child, Walter said, I sat at the aircraft factory and cried like a baby. You plan for nine months and then its just gone.

Seventy years later, Laura had looked at him, astonished. You never told me you cried, she said. I never knew that.

The stories in War Bonds were born out of the hardship, separation and deprivation of World War II. While the stories still resonate, modern relationships have changed. A half-century from now, it will be difficult to find marriages that have endured 60 to 70 years.

And the passing of approximately 555 World War II veterans each day means that unless documented, their stories die with them.

War Bonds isnt a marriage manual, but as you read these stories, you may be challenged and inspired to cultivate and nurture your own relationships. I know I have been.

As World War II bride Barbara Anderson said, People today give up too soon. The best is yet to come.

CHAPTER 1

B AND OF G OLD

JERRY AND NANCY GLEESING, A FEW DAYS AFTER THEIR WEDDING.

Theres a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
PAUL ROBERTS & SHELBY DARNELL, 1942

T he thin gold ring on Jerry Gleesings finger isnt flashy, but he wouldnt trade it for a diamond-studded platinum band. Its rested on that finger since his bride, Nancy, placed it there on June 1, 1944.

It hadnt been easy to win her hand, or even get her to glance his way. In 1940, Jerry heard a new girl had moved to his hometown of LaMoure, North Dakota, and he kept his eyes peeled. There wasnt much excitement in the small town, so the arrival of a young lady was big news. Jerry first spotted her on his way to the ballpark on a Sunday afternoon. Her dark hair and dimples captivated him.

I was 15, Gleesing recalled. Quite a bit older than sheI was born in August, Nancy in September. Alas, his status of older man by a month failed to impress the new girl. She didnt even speak to me for the first six months, he said, shaking his head. She was a lot smarter than I thought she was. But Jerry was smitten and persistent. By their senior year, they were an item. Nancy recalled their first date with a smile. He brought me violets.

In fact, one of their dates became legendary at their small school. We skipped school one day and had our pictures taken, Nancy said. We got caught. As a result, when the entire school went on a field trip, Jerry and Nancy were the only two left behind. They didnt mind. Years later at a high school reunion, the day Nancy and Jerry skipped school was still a hot topic.

In 1942, Jerry, 18, enlisted in the Army Air Force and left for basic training. Though she missed him, Nancy shrugged and said, I knew it was something he had to do. While he went through basic training and then on to flight school, she joined the Army Nurses Corps and served for six months.