Trip memorializes father who went MIA during war

The envelopes are stamped with red ink and marked “Returned to Writer,” “Casualty Verified, Missing.” The letters inside are from my mother sent to my father while he was deployed to Okinawa during the Korean War. My mother kept them all these years … since Jan. 23, 1952, when she received the telegram informing her he was missing while on an air mission over North Korea. More information would follow it said. It was devastating news, but we had hope. My mother and my sister, only six at the time, and I, who was five, tried to go on. We tried to be positive and pray for the best. I remember drying dishes one night and bragging to my Mother “I can whistle.” And I just knew my Dad would come home and I could show him I could whistle. I dreamed about him coming home. I “wrote” him letters, one of which I have today. It has a cute picture I drew of our dog, (my Mother wrote my words for me) it says: “Dear Daddy, where are you lost at?” All we could do was wait. There were days and weeks and months and years we waited. All the while, my father’s status remained MIA. During that time we did have news.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/The%20Rosebud%20NewsID636/