ARE
ARE YOU
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOME ROMANTIC INSPIRATION THIS MAY JUST THIS MORNING WE WANT TO
SHARE A LOVE LETTER. IN FACT
THOUSANDS OF LOVE LETTERS THESE
ARE FROM A WORLD WAR TWO
VETERAN AND THESE LOVE LETTERS
WERE UNCOVERED BY OUR GUEST
HERE THIS MORNING. JOSEPH TO
HUSKEY IS JOINING US. GOOD
MORNING TO YOU, JOSEPH. GOOD
MORNING. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
VERY GOOD. SO YOU KNOW YOUR
FATHER, LIEUTENANT FRANK
HUSKEY, HE PASSED AWAY IN
TWENTY ELEVEN WAS NINETY SIX
YEARS OLD BUT THEN YOU
UNCOVERED LOVE LETTERS. THIS IS
SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STORY. TELL US
HOW YOU FOUND THESE LOVE
LETTERS. WELL THROUGH A EULOGY
AT MY FATHER'S FUNERAL IT
PROMPTED ME TO OPEN HIS
FOOTLOCKER IN THE GARAGE WHICH
IS ALWAYS SORT OF A A SACRED
THING IF I EVER SAW HIM OPENING
IT OR GOING THROUGH IT, HE'D
ALWAYS CLOSE IT. THERE WAS
SOMETHING THAT I UNDERSTOOD TO
BE VERY PERSONAL TO HIM AND
WHILE HE WAS ALIVE I NEVER
OPENED IT. BUT AFTER HIS
PASSING I DID AND FOUND THIS
TREASURE TROVE OF LETTERS,
REMEMBRANCES, PHOTOGRAPHS,
TRAIN SCHEDULES. IT WAS JUST
LIKE A TREASURE TROVE
OF HISTORY AND WHAT AN
INCREDIBLE WAY TO LEARN ABOUT
YOUR FATHER. YOUR PARENTS WERE
WRITING TO EACH OTHER VERY
OFTEN. LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
HOW OFTEN WERE THEY WRITING?
HOW MANY LETTERS DID YOU FIND?
WELL, MY MOTHER WOULD WRITE
ONCE OR TWICE EVERY DAY. THIS
WAS THE ONLY MEANS
OF COMMUNICATION. YOU COULDN'T
MAKE A PHONE CALL IF YOU SENT A
TELEGRAM AND IT WOULD BE VERY
TERSE. SO THESE TWO TO THREE
LETTERS THAT SHE WROTE EVERY
DAY WERE JUST DETAILS
OF EVERYDAY LIFE AND SOMETIMES
THE LETTER MIGHT TAKE TWO WEEKS
TO GET THERE AT THE EARLIEST
AND SOMETIMES A MONTH OR MORE.
SO IT WAS AMAZING IS WHEN TO
HAVE ARGUMENTS IN THE MAIL BY
THE TIME ONE COULD RESPOND TO
IT WHATEVER THEY WERE ARGUING
ABOUT THE OTHER ONE HAD
FORGOTTEN WELL HOW LONG WAS HE
GONE FOR DURING THAT TIME? WELL
HE SHIPPED OUT FOR GUADALCANAL
AND OCTOBER OF NINETEEN FORTY
TWO AND I BELIEVE HE RETURNED
IN SEPTEMBER OF FORTY FIVE. OK
SO ALMOST THREE YEARS OR SO
THAT THEY WERE APART AND LET'S
TALK ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO
CONNECTION. YOUR PARENTS FIRST
DATE WAS IN SAN DIEGO IS THAT
RIGHT? WELL HE WAS STATIONED
WHAT WAS THEN CAMP ELLIOTT AND
ROXY YOU HAD A COUSIN WHO WAS
ALSO A MARINE AND SHE HAPPENED
TO MEET DAD IN SAN DIEGO. SHE
WOULD STAY AT THE U.S. GRAND
HOTEL AND THEIR FIRST DATE WAS
A BUS RIDE DOWN TO TIJUANA
WHICH THEY SPELLED WITH TWO
WORDS BACK IN THOSE DAYS OUT TO
THE IOWA CALIENTE RACETRACK.
AND I FOUND A RACING FORM THAT
RACING FORM FOR AGUA CALIENTE
WHICH WAS ONE OF THE MORE
INTERESTING THINGS THAT WAS
FOUND IN THE TRUNK. I LOVE
LOOKING AT THE PICTURES OF THE
TWO OF THEM VERY GLAMOROUS
PHOTOS BY THE WAY. VERY GOOD
LOOKING COUPLE. WHAT ELSE DID
THEY LIKE TO DO HERE IN SAN
DIEGO? WELL, THE TIME WAS VERY
BRIEF WHEN DAD COULD GET HIS
LIBERTY WAS GENERALLY JUST ONE
DAY A WEEK THEY WOULD HAVE
DINNER IN THE GASLIGHT DISTRICT
.THEY WOULD GO UP TO LOS
ANGELES FREQUENTLY BECAUSE MY
FATHER HAD A BROTHER WHO IS
FREDDY WHO WAS IN THE NAVY AT
THE TIME AND THERE'S A LOVELY
PRESS PHOTO OF MYRNA LOY
POURING FREDDY A CUP OF COFFEE
THAT I ALSO FOUND IN THE TRUNK
AND THEY WOULD THEY DO THE
NORMAL TOURIST THINGS THAT THEY
WOULD DO THAT COUPLES MIGHT DO
OK AND I MEAN THIS LOVE TO BE
ABLE TO SEE IT IN WRITING, YOU
KNOW, FOR YOUR FATHER TO
RECEIVE THESE LETTERS WHILE HE
WAS IN WORLD WAR TWO. WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN FOR HIM? EVEN MEMBERS
OF HIS PLATOON? RIGHT. I MEAN
THEY ALL KIND OF LOOK FORWARD
TO THESE I WOULD IMAGINE. YOU
KNOW, THEY WERE CERTAINLY A
GREAT MORALE BOOSTER. BUT AS
FAR AS CORRESPONDENCE WAS
CONCERNED, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT
MORE SKETCHY BECAUSE OF COMBAT
AND HAVING TIME TO WRITE. IN
FACT, ONE LETTER THAT HE WROTE
VALENTINE'S LETTER HE WROTE
FROM GUADALCANAL AND HE SAID I
WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE KNOWN TODAY
WAS VALENTINE DAY IF SOMEONE
WOULD HAVE MENTIONED IT TO ME.
OH, AND AND THEN HE GOES ON TO
SORT OF CHASTISE HER FOR BEING
OVERLY EFFUSIVE ABOUT HOW MUCH
SHE LOVES HIM THAT HE SAYS
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU WRITE THIS
WAY I THINK YOU THINK I'M A
DUMBBELL AND AND WHEN I READ
IT, THERE'S NO WAY I CAN MATCH
YOUR LOVE. I'M NOT CHARLES
BOYER AND I CAN'T CLEVERLY OR
ROMANTICALLY I CAN ONLY DO IT
TO WHERE I CAN MEET THE DEPTH
AND SINCERITY OF OF YOUR LOVE
WHICH IS SO BEAUTIFUL IN ITSELF
THAT SAYS IT ALL RIGHT THERE SO
THIS WAS THAT NINETEEN FORTY
THREE VALENTINE'S DAY LETTER.
CORRECT. OK WOW. I MEAN TO BE
ABLE TO EVEN HAVE THAT
COMMUNICATION I KNOW THEN IT
WAS A HUGE DEAL AND IT JUST
MAKES YOU APPRECIATE NOWADAYS
PEOPLE CAN EMAIL EACH OTHER
IT'S A LOT EASIER FACEBOOK
MESSAGE THINGS LIKE THAT WHEN
YOU LOVED ONES DEPLOYED BUT
THIS JUST EXCEPTIONAL THAT
DEDICATION FOR EACH OTHER
REALLY GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
TO DO THAT AND YOU KNOW, AHEAD
OF VALENTINE'S DAY IT'S A GOOD
MESSAGE. WE CAN SHOW OUR LOVE
THAT WAY. RIGHT, EXACTLY. AND
FACT ANOTHER LOVELY LETTER THAT
I UNCOVERED AND IT WAS REALLY
BY BY CHANCE EXCEPT THAT THE
EXISTENCE OF THIS LETTER WAS
MENTIONED IN SOME OF THEIR
CORRESPONDENCE AND IT WAS A
LETTER THAT SHE WROTE AND
SLIPPED INTO MY FATHER'S KHAKI
UNIFORM SO HE WOULD FIND IT
SOME TIME WHEN HE GOT TO
GUADALCANAL OR NEW ZEALAND AND
I REFER TO IT AS THE KALKI
LETTER AND IT'S HER LAST LOVE
LETTER TO HIM BEFORE HE SHIPS
OUT FOR GUADALCANAL THAT HE
DISCOVERS YEAH. SOMEWHERE ON
THE TRANSPORT. WHAT A HIM AND I
THINK YOU HAVE THE IMAGE
OF THAT. IT'S REALLY QUITE
QUITE TOUCHING. YEAH THAT IS
VERY GREAT. AND THESE LETTERS
ARE PUT INTO THIS BOOK. TELL US
REAL QUICK HOW WE CAN GET I
UNDERSTAND IT'S SOLD OUT RIGHT
NOW, IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT.
WE'RE ON OUR THIRD PRINTING BUT
IT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE EARLY
NEXT WEEK. I WOULD IMAGINE. OK,
IT'S SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON TO
SHARE YOUR PARENTS STORY. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING THAT
TOGETHER SO WE COULD ALL TAKE A
GLIMPSE AT WHAT LOVE