Sweethearts: Experiencing War: Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)

Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project

Tearful goodbyes and longing for happy reunions are the stuff of love stories. These experiences are even more poignant during wartime. Wars are fought by many men and women who have just found the special someone they want to be with for life. Wartime exchanges between sweethearts are documents of love, yearning, and courage.

"Above all, I prayed that I would live to make you happy."

Tracy Sugarman left for World War II Europe with two desires: to capture his experiences in art work and to communicate in words to his new bride, June, what the art work couldn’t tell. Fortunately, June saved everything her husband mailed back: his visual impressions of wartime England and D-Day, and his letters, the reflections of a young man in love for the first time and facing the possibility that he might never see his sweetheart again. It is a story familiar from so many wars, but when Sugarman tells it, it somehow seems brand new.