Love Letters Lost and Found

While my grandpa was fighting at the Battle of the Bulge 70 years ago, he wrote love letters to a young woman. After he returned home safely he married this young woman and they raised a family. They were happily married for 63 years before my grandma passed away in 2010 shortly after we returned to the US.

Growing up I knew that both my grandpas had been involved in World War II, but neither ever talked about it, even to indulge their grandkids. In the late 1990's that changed and my grandparents started to share their story with students and teachers. The volunteered their time and told what it was like on both sides of the Atlantic during the war, sharing photos and letters. My organized grandma collected highlights of all this information and compiled binders of history for each and every one of us in the family.

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Just before Valentine's Day this year, nearly 5 years after my grandma passed away, a local news station ran a story about a lost WWII love letter. The next day the story was picked up by national and international news outlets and most recently the TV show Inside Edition ran an expanded piece. Special thanks to Ilene who returned a valuable piece of history to our family.

2:39 PM EST, February 25, 2015 This mystery began as a woman bought a second-hand record, and found the surprise of her life inside: a 70-year-old letter, tucked in the sleeve!

 Ilene Ortiz told INSIDE EDITION, "I took it out and looked at it, and said 'Oh my God, this is a letter from 1945!'" A love letter, to be exact, and it broke Ilene Ortiz's heart. "I get emotional because it's a love letter! And someone should have it. It's not mine, someone else should get it. So I'm going to try to find him."

 Sure enough, she found the man who wrote the letter, and wait until you hear his story. He's a decorated World War ll veteran named Bill Moore, and he wrote this letter to his future wife 70 years ago, during the historic Battle of the Bulge. Bill's daughter, Melinda told INSIDE EDITION, "He was out there by himself all day in the cold and the dark and the snow, pretty lonely and miserable, and thinking of mom."

 When Bill mailed the letter to his beloved, he really didn't know if he'd ever be coming home. He explained, "You always have that thing in the back of your mind, I might never see her again!" As Bill read those words he wrote so long ago, he broke down crying. He read the letter to INSIDE EDITION, saying: "You have no conception of the depth of my love for you. I'm really the luckiest guy in the world, you know, and you are the reason, Bernadean..."

 Fate was on Bill's side. He survived the war and came home to marry Bernadean Gibson and have three children. They were happily married for 63 years until Bernadean's death in 2010. But whatever happened to that love letter? Well, that record containing the letter once belonged to Bernadean, and she apparently kept it there for safekeeping! The letter is precious to Bill's daughters as well. Melinda told INSIDE EDITION, "I was amazed by the emotional depth of it. Just to realize what my parents had."

 Sure, the pages have yellowed and the ink has faded, but Bill's love for Bernadean has not dimmed since he was a brave young soldier, dreaming of the girl he left behind. Bill read, "I love you. I guess I always will."
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