My grandpa-in-law

今日は11月11日。ベテランズデー。戦争を終え、全ての退役軍人の人々を称える日。私の義理のおじいちゃんはアメリカ人である。私のおじいちゃんと同じように戦争に行った。この手紙は1944年にイタリアにいた時に書かれた。彼は三日前に100歳になり、お祝いをした。彼は今も元気で食事を３回しっかり摂り、おばあちゃんと78年の時を一緒に過ごしている。

この手紙はおじいちゃんが、戦時中にイタリアから家族や町の人たちに送った手紙である。１００パーセントのおじいちゃんの愛を感じる。

”Each has his oddity, which the rest of us treasure.”

「みんなそれぞれ風変わり、でもそこがみんなの宝物。」

Sgt. Vincent Griffin Writes of Second Easter Overseas
————-
Anzio Beachhead, Italy.
April 21, 1944

Dear Folks:

Good evening, Mother, Dad, John R. and all.  I hope this letter finds all of you feeling fine and that you had a happy and holy Easter.  I am feeling and working 100 percent.  This Easter was my second one overseas.  Last Easter was really grand.  We were in North Africa at one of the best jobs we have had since overseas.  It was a nice sun shining day and all the French people had their new Easter make up on to go to church.  The ladies with new hats, beautiful flowers.  The men clean-shaved and pressed pants.  The church decorated beautifully.  Really it seemed like back in the States.

This Easter caught me with many hundreds of American boys here on the Anzio Beachhead.  The sun never shone and it rained all day.  I never as much as saw a civilian, let alone a new hat or pressed pants.  I did get to go to mass at the hospital and received holy communion this morning.  Being here not having any too good a meal compared to being home — this rain and this war and all combined I am thankful to God that I am well and have swell buddies to work with toward victory and freedom.  Tonight I’m not worrying about myself.  It’s those doughboys in a fox hole or some lonely outpost and line.  We aren’t called out much at night but everyone of us is willing to jump at the call to help.  We are proud of those boys and their sufferings and we are ready and willing to help any place any time.  Sometimes it’s way up and sometimes it’s way back.  I know of no harder working men than my buddies in this outfit.  We all have nicknames.  Mine is “Old Farmer Joe.”

The other evening we invited another outfit over and had a softball game.  The score was 18 to 0 in our favor.  I’ll never forget that outfit.  Since this war broke out we have been looking at things and people, especially people with sharpened understanding and heightened emotion.  Our crowded neighborhood of folks from many lands, of every race and creed and color, seems more human and friendly than ever before.  We have proved to be as different as can be.  Each has his oddity, which the rest of us treasure.  All of us like good food and eat it when we get it.  Most of us go to church; all of us support it.  One has a five pointed star over the door, one has the cross, one has a black and gold sign that says “Welcome to the House of God.”  Each goes to his chosen House and all come out feeling a bit less anxious; a bit more at peace with himself and neighbors.  Still there are people in this world asking “what are you fighting for?”

Makes no difference — we know we are fighting for this way of life — to life according to our feeling and our good conscience.  We want to preserve neighborly good will at home and abroad.  This is the spirit that animates every fighting soldier, every sustaining citizen in this country. (This country means good Old U.S.A.).  To it we have dedicated ourselves unto victory.  There are lots of hardships and bloodshed to encounter, yet until final victory is ours, we cannot take our shoulders from the grinding wheel until it is over over here.

I have two bronze stars now to wear on my European ribbon.  One for Sicily; one for Italy on the main front.  I also got a good conduct ribbon.  That’s for being a good boy for a year besides the bar I have for North Africa.

May God hear our prayers to bring this to an end so we can once more go home to our loved ones and live our own life as we so desire.  Good night for now, God bless all of us.

Love, your son, Buddy.
Jos. Vincent Griffin.