I know I’m probably backwards on this. But I don’t like soldier letters being exposed for the world. You sit in some hole, in a truck cab, or in some hard to find quiet corner and write during a bad time, thinking you might die soon. Your thoughts and emotions are all over the place and you think that letter is for just one person who you trust.
Women and Ken Burns love reading soldier’s letters, but it’s just too personal.
The reading of Captain Sullivan Ballou’s letter to his wife is not to be forgotten.
“I know I’m probably backwards on this. But I don’t like soldier letters being exposed for the world.”
I somewhat agree with you.
Publishing those letters while that generation yet lived would have been wrong.
In this case though everyone who survived that war has pretty much died of natural causes in the last 76 years.
Their letters can make their history more personal to future generations. Also provide a useful timeline as the tone of the letters change from hopelessness to hope to outright certainty of victory.
They are our history, how else are we to learn?
Agree... I was in the last letter “War” (GWI), before internet/easier phone access.
I hope none of my letters get published...
The swine Left would have everyone believe that all of us who fought were some kind of animals - but we know better.
I'll go one further: I think that those letters should be required reading for every school child out there, to better know what their preceding generations suffered for them and their freedom.