War Letters Essay Example for Free

War Letters Essay The war letters, written in different years, not only revealed different emotions of the writers but also gave some hints of what circumstances and danger, they were facing during those times. These letters also expressed their dreams, motivations, purposes, beliefs and the things that they stand or fight for. The war letters, no matter in what time frames they were written, possess many themes in common such as: love, longing, pride, anxiety, hope and encouragement. Also, the people who wrote the letters were really proud and were always willing to sacrifice their lives for the country. They have been serving their country with honor, pride and dignity from the past up to present. However, still each letter is different from one another. They express different degrees of patriotism, affection, and different beliefs or stands and purpose. First, we will cite the similarities among the letters, their common themes and emotions expressed. Afterwards, we will differentiate each letter from one another in terms of their degrees in expression of patriotism, affection and other ideas. Lastly, we will compare three examples of war letters from the War on Terror. The letters were written by the family to the men in uniform who were deployed to certain places to engage with military activities to protect their nation and those written by the soldiers themselves for their family whom they have left, shared common themes. Affection, hope and love are the most common subject that these letters have (Gilderlehrman. org, 2006). The letters usually start with the lines about missing and longing for each other. These are one of the major conflicts and problems that they all deal with. Like what was said from the letter from Tonya Stives to his husband Army Master Sgt. Rahamon Phillips who has been in uniform for 16 years: â€Å"I just can’t figure out how not to miss you every day, all day. Nothing can prepare me for not missing you (militarycity. com). † The letters were also full of inspiring words and that expressing affection. They encourage and boost the self-esteem of the officers by telling them how proud they are of the soldiers. For example, Harman wrote a letter to his Uncle Albert to praise the bravery and dedication of his cousin, Thomas Garber during the Civil war on September 17, 1862 (virginia. edu). The messages from the family to the soldiers often made use of the term â€Å"hero† to refer to the recipients. Furthermore, they put more importance on the military work and duty than on their desire to be together. The family gave their full support for the soldiers. Moreover, all of them were martyrs who took the sacrifices optimistically. The families want the soldiers to stay safe and focus on their missions. Also, they thought and look at this separation in a positive way. For instance, they looked at it as a way to strengthen their relationship. The family who wrote the letters chose their words properly as not to hurt the feelings and not to make the soldiers worry in any case. Like for example, one of the letters from Holly to her husband Army Staff Sgt. Edward Nicorvo, described the disadvantages of not having her husband in their home but in a lighter way just as to put some humor on the letter (militarycity. com). The feeling of anxiety by the families left behind was never gone in the letters. They are always worried for their beloved heroes because they don’t have any idea to where he or she is right now and under what situations. Furthermore, of course, the letters won’t end without expressing the excitement for the return of the officer. The other common purposes of the war letters are: to reminisce over moments together or moments right before they parted ways; to show that the recipient is remembered and to provide comfort; to assure him or her that he is not alone in that fight and that their prayers are always with him. We can observe in the letters in some aspects that time stands still. The year or decades when the letters were written were irrelevant upon looking at the basic messages of the letters. From the past up to the recent wars in America, the letters still revolved around the basic themes and still have the purposes stated above. They all expressed patriotism. The family expressed it in the way of showing support and understanding the soldiers in this fight. The soldiers, on the other hand, willingly sacrifice their time with their families and their very own lives. This reflects on the letter of Sullivan Balou to his wife expressing his fear about death and how he might not be able to spend time with their sons (civil-war. net). The soldiers have a common goal: They all fight to protect the freedom of the future generation. This is a very interesting passage which illustrates this: â€Å"I listened to an audio book on the way here, â€Å"No End Save Victory,† a collection of letters and stories from WW II. It got me thinking that this situation, and the people in it, is not that much different. They were citizen-soldiers, too. They didn’t want to leave home, but they did. They lived under difficult situations. But they felt a sense of obligation, of duty, so they did the job they had to do. And got it done. Then they went back to their homes and their lives. And built the world we live in today. The same thing is going to happen here. We’re not so different (Sandy D. , a mobilized Air Force Reserve officer from Lubbock, Texas,). † The letters, although alike in many ways, still have differed from each other. First, they differ in the intensity of affection. When the recipient and the sender have been together for quite a long period of time, the letters have less affectionate words. They focus on updating the one deployed. Maybe this is because they are used of the separation. They also differ on the passion of the men in uniform to serve their country. Some soldiers’ letter expressed less patriotic thoughts and focused more on the comforts that they missed at home. While some letters revealed many enthusiasms in serving the country. For example, is a letter from General Riedesel to his wife written in 1776 (Louise et al, 1867). He believed that God has placed him in his present calling. Second, only some of the letters have great sense of hope. Like that one written by Sgt. Gary Teal recently deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan (militarycity. com). Some of the letters are not fully patriotic and are more concerned with themselves and personal worries: â€Å"How do I steel myself against the uncertainty that each day brings? How do I ensure that, when I fall asleep, sweet dreams of my loving wife await me instead of the conflict raging around me? How do I fill the hole in my heart caused by not being there to watch my son grow and experience the wonders of life? How do I pass to my son the values of honor and selfless service you gave me? (Army Capt. Clark C. Hatch for his father)† Next, only some of the letters stated affirmative words about the troop they have been working together. How wonderful the people they are with and what great family they have built together. I also noticed that gender role somehow, evolved from the 1860’s in comparison to the present. Before, male soldiers are more prominent and common. There were rarely or almost no female participants in the war. Like what we can see in the letters written by Thomas Lucas and family during the civil war (Sauerburger and Bayard, 2007). Nevertheless, six years ago (in 2003), there were many women in uniform deployed to Afghanistan and many participated in the Operation Enduring Freedom. Like the three daughters of Laurie Pocsi, a single mom and certified public accountant in Wayne, N. J (militarycity. com). Those are some of the similarities and differences of the war letters from different years. Now, I have read three different war letters during the War on terror or War on Terrorism (militarycity. com). One is from Marine Sgt. Tony Watkins who deployed in early November 2001 for Operation Enduring Freedom. The next one is from Marine Corps Reserve Lt. Col. Tom D. Barna for his son. Moreover, the last letter was from Lance Cpl. Joshua Phillips, who was based in Kandahar, Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom, for his family. These three letters have similarities and differences as well. They are similar to each other and to the other letters before if we are to consider the main message and common themes implied in the letters. These letters stated some things about longing for loved ones, affection, patriotism and updates. They differ in the fact that some letters are more dramatic and expressed love of the country more convincingly. Also, they differ on their implied purposes of fighting against the terrorists. As illustrations let me share some of the significant lines from the three letters. This one is from Tony Watkins: â€Å"The emotions of seeing this large symbol of what we are here for was almost more than I could hold down. This flag made of simple cloth re-emphasized to all who saw it that they were here in this desert hole for a reason. Not to exact revenge but to enforce justice (militarycity. com). † We can see here the deep desire of Tony to enforce justice. To seek for those who were responsible for the September 11 attack. Maybe his driving force is the thousands of lives that were lost from the attacks of the terrorists. This second letter was from Tom for his son: â€Å"I will be honest with you: Nothing in my life is greater than serving the Corps, God and country. Even so, I am here for another reason, too — a reason that personally motivates me. I am here so you won’t one day have to come back and finish something we didn’t take care of here and now. † Now we witnessed here a more personal purpose of the father fighting in the war. The third letter from Joshua was just a typical letter for his messages for his family. War letters denote some information regarding the social history of the United States (Blight, 2002). From the past decades up to the present moment, we can see that American citizens haven’t changed that much especially when it comes to patriotism. They are still all the ever protective and ever willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of future generations. We are all still united. The soldiers didnt fight alone; they have their family behind them making them stronger. This sense of unity was born before and is still living up to these days.I believe that this will continue up to the future. References: Blight, B. W. (2002). Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory the American Civil War. Univ of Massachusetts Press. Civil-war. net. (2009). Letters and Diaries. Retrieved on February 5, 2009, from http://www. civil-war. net/searchlinks. asp? searchlinks=Letters%20and%20Diaries Gilderlehrman. org. (2006). Battle Lines: Letters from America’s wars. Retrieved on February 4, 2009 from http://www. gilderlehrman. org/collection/battlelines/index_good. html Luise, F. C. , Riedesel, A. R. and Stone, W. L. (1867). â€Å"Letters and Journals Relating to the War of the American Revolution, and the Capture of the German Troops at Saratoga†. J. Munsell. Miltarycity. com. Letters. Retrieved on February 3, 2009 from http://www. militarycity. com/letters/1-729599. html Sauerburger, D. B. and Bayard, T. L. (2007). â€Å"I Seat Myself to Write you a Few Lines: Civil War and Homestead Letters from Thomas Lucas and Family, VOLUME 2†. Heritage Books Virginia. edu. Letters from: Harman to his Uncle Albert 1862. Retrieved on February 2, 2009, from http://etext. lib. virginia. edu/etcbin/civwarlett-browse? id=A0808