Made public for the first time, this collection of more than 150 personal letters, telegrams, and V-mails sent to his parents in Atlanta, Georgia, from mid-1942 through December 1945, provides an eyewitness portal to the past that sheds light on a cast of characters from the greatest generation. A treasure trove of humor, anxiety, and hope, the letters reveal a young white Southerner thrust into a war that took him far from home, separated from family and friends. Transcribed, annotated, and illustrated in color throughout, the volume includes a prologue and epilogue by the editor.