Americans do not like long, inconclusive wars and this is going to be a long, inconclusive war...
And how long do you Americans want to fight ... one year? Two years? Three years? Five years? Ten years? Twenty years? We will be glad to accommodate you. -Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister, North Vietnam
Johnny,
We got your note. I'm glad you're safe. Bernie's doing better. We went to the doctor yesterday to check his arm. Another two weeks and he can get the cast taken off. He's excited. Something about Danny inviting him to play baseball or something, but he can only watch. I think this whole ordeal will give him pause next time he goes to get himself into a fight, but I can only hope.
I've finally found the perfect cushions for the couch. The old ones didn't math the new lamp and finding new pillows is easier than finding a new lamp. I've had my fill of lamps and bumbling fools in the returns department. Your brother and uncle have been driven mad with my hunt for pillows. I have a feeling that I put Bernie through torture when I took him with me the other day. In fact, thinking about the cushions and lamp matching, I don't think the curtains quite match. Oh, your brother is going to have a fit when I tell him. Maybe Jacob will, too, though I suppose he's used to it, what with being married to a woman like Diana for so long. He only nods and smiles when I ask his opinion on matching cushions. Still, it's a comfort having him around. It's almost like having your father around again. Of course, your father told more jokes, but Jacob is funny, too. Your father was such a wonderful person. When we met here, he was every inch the gentleman. Both of us were still recovering from our ordeals though it had been many months since we were released from the camps.
You know, there are many times I've wondered over that war. If it hadn't happened, if Hitler hadn't been the bastard he was, your father and I would never have met and I never would have had you or Bernie. War is so terrible, but if it brings blessings such as this family I have, I might be able to live with it. Your father isn't around to say this, but I'm sure he's proud of you. You were so strong then, and you have been so strong since then. Boys like you don't deserve to go to war, but your country, my country has called on you and you've gone. You're a brave man and your father and I are proud of you. Never forget that. He might not have told you while he was here and able, but I know he was proud of his sons. He was proud of his family.
Love,
Mom