Dear People: World War II Letters From My Dad

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Susan Spangler

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About Susan Spangler

I'm a graphic designer and illustrator, observer and survivor. My website, www.susanspangler.com, contains a wide portfolio of my projects and images – some for pay, most for love, many for both. These graphic essays are inspired by things that catch my eye, my ear, my heart. Funny, confounding, astounding and encouraging, all at once. You know. Life.

View all posts by Susan Spangler →

This entry was posted in #father, family, generations, inspiration, World War II and tagged #father, #survivor, #worldwarII. Bookmark the permalink.

15 Responses to Dear People: World War II Letters From My Dad

Patty Dann says:

October 24, 2017 at 3:55 pm

What a sensitive and wonderful writer your father was. It’s amazing to read this and wonderful to see your terrific illustrations!

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- Susan Spangler says:
  
  October 25, 2017 at 1:48 pm
  
  Thanks so much, Patty. Knowing how sensitive he was add exponentially to my admiration of his bravery – his violin-trained fingers tapping Morse coded-messages as murderous flak exploded outside his window.
  
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Barbara Scheiber says:

October 24, 2017 at 5:22 pm

Walt’s words and your pictures are so alive — they
flow together right to my heart! Thank you!!

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- Susan Spangler says:
  
  October 25, 2017 at 1:46 pm
  
  What a guy, right, Mom? Many thanks and much love.
  
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Chuck Woolery says:

October 24, 2017 at 8:14 pm

My heart was heavy with the fear they must have had. The feeling he expressed when seeing the cliffs of England brought tears to my eyes. What courage….and relief. Thanks for making this letter and his written experience available to all.

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- Susan Spangler says:
  
  October 25, 2017 at 1:45 pm
  
  It’s my honor and pleasure.
  
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Valerie Tate says:

October 25, 2017 at 5:18 am

Thank you, Susie. Powerful and beautiful.

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- Susan Spangler says:
  
  October 25, 2017 at 1:44 pm
  
  Thanks so much, Valerie. Working on this was incredibly meaningful to me.
  
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Judy says:

October 25, 2017 at 4:50 pm

Another wonderful blog entry, Susie! Such a moving way for you to share with us the amazing discovery of your Dad’s letters from his military tour of duty. Like him, my father never would talk to us kids about his time in the service, and we always wondered.

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Susan Spangler says:

October 25, 2017 at 6:10 pm

Thanks so much, Judy. Do you know where your dad was stationed and any general information about what he did? The reason I ask is that, in the process of working on this piece, I discovered a wealth of information about Dad’s plane, his job, and his squadron – even a site that listed everyone in his bombardment group by name, rank and responsibility. It opened my eyes to so much detail that even his letters didn’t include.

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jfkcavaliers says:

November 1, 2017 at 9:57 am

♥

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Steve says:

November 28, 2021 at 5:56 pm

Susan – My grandfather made the electric flight suits that kept your father warm. I run the company today. I have never read a first person account of how they were used and how they were appreciated. Is the book of letters published? I would love to buy a copy. I am reading another first person account of the war based on letters that you might find interesting, called Love in the Blitz, a book of letters written by a young woman living in London to her lover who eventually became her husband.

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- Susan Spangler says:
  
  November 29, 2021 at 6:41 pm
  
  Hi Steve – Thanks so much for your message! Connecting with folks who share a link to our dad’s experiences in WWII means a lot, and I know Dad would have loved hearing from someone who played a vital role in providing him and his crew with that essential piece of equipment – there’s no way they could have done what they did without those suits. My brother & I have been planning a book based on our dad’s WWII correspondence, along with interviews he gave about it later in his life. We should have it ready by early spring – if you’d like to give me your email address, I’d be more than happy to add your name to the mailing list. Your message actually gave us just the push we needed to put this project back on the front burner! I’m grateful to you for reaching out.
  All my best, Susie Spangler
  
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Laura H Dixon says:

October 10, 2022 at 12:08 pm

Wow, Susan, THANK YOU for sharing your Dad’s letter! My father and fellow crewmember never talked about their missions much at all. It is a treat to read first-hand what really happened during their bombing runs.
Laura Haynes Dixon

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- Susan Spangler says:
  
  October 10, 2022 at 2:40 pm
  
  Hi Laura – Our dad was the same. He didn’t (couldn’t) talk about his WWII experiences until he was in his 80s. I know at that point he regretted losing touch with his fellow Larrupin’ Linda crew members. But he had collected his photos from England in a detailed scrapbook, and, days before he died in 2014, we discovered that our grandfather had saved all the letters that Dad wrote home, along with many other keepsakes – and what a wonderful gift that’s been for us. All my best –Susie Scheiber Spangler
  
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