A Treasure Trove of History: A WW2 Love Story Discovered
In a surprising turn of events, our Hannibal Salvation Army Family Store made a remarkable discovery within a recent donation. Hidden among ordinary household items were a collection of heartfelt letters exchanged between a husband and wife during World War II. Intrigued by the historical significance of these letters, our dedicated team embarked on a mission to reunite the letters with their rightful owners. While the initial search proved unsuccessful, we remain hopeful that this story will reach the family and bring them a piece of their past.
This heartwarming tale not only highlights the importance of preserving history but also underscores the compassionate nature of our employees. Their commitment to honoring the memories of those who served and their willingness to go the extra mile exemplify the values of The Salvation Army. Special thanks to Megan Ducan of Hannibal, Mo for writing this story.
Chester McMeen arrived at Camp Beale, California on Sept. 11, 1944 to report for duty as a World War II soldier.
Just the day before, Chester left his sobbing bride of only two years behind at a train station near Murphysboro, Illinois. Like all soldiers headed to war, Chester was unsure when, or if, he would return home.
Chester McMeen married Alma Bernice Modglin on Oct. 31, 1942. Chester was 31 years old and Bernice was 32 years old at the time.
Chester documented his experiences and travels during the war in letters to her from September 1944 to November 1945. These letters were received as a donation to The Salvation Army in Hannibal, Mo. Chester referred to her as Bernice or sometimes lovingly as “my Almie.”
Recognizing the precious donation, the Hannibal Salvation Army sought help to handle the letters with care. Chester’s letters were organized by date and read one-by-one, cherishing the love and care his words showed his wife and the rare look they provided into the daily life and thoughts of a WWII soldier.
He left her at the train station, but she never left his heart.
Only hours after Chester left to report for WWII duty on Sept. 2, 1944, at Camp Beale, California, he wrote Bernice from the train.
"That sure was a dark moment when I went through those gates to catch the train, and honey, I'm hoping it won't be too long until I go through those gates the other way.”
Chester often gushed about his “Almie,” and reminded her of all the ways he missed her. He often said going to church on base made him feel closer to her.
"If I don't go to church Sunday, it doesn't make Sunday any different than any other work day, “ he said on Oct. 29, 1944. “I know you always go to church since we always went to Sunday school and church together, so it makes me feel like I'm near you when I go to the chapel, even if the chapel is barely recognizable."
Chester also boasted about Bernice while serving. On Oct. 25, 1944, he told Bernice he showed off her picture, "I showed the boys my Almie who has a nice place in my tent, they agreed with me that I have something to go back to."
Amid the sweet talk, Chester paid attention to her daily life. Through his responses to her letters, it was possible to look into what Bernice’s life was like while Chester was serving.
In July 1945, Bernice got a kitten named Mitzi.
"Say, you are raising that cat better than we will be able to raise the kids–ha!,” Chester joked, with his signature “ha!” placed at the end of all of his one-liners, which were a theme throughout his letters. “Say, did you receive a ration book for Mitzi too?”
Bernice got a job after Chester left, working at an office he called “The Independent,” which possibly referred to Murphysboro’s local newspaper at the time, “The Daily Independent.” Chester supported her work, often responding to office drama she apparently wrote about in her letters to him.
Throughout much of the war, Bernice was on the lookout for the perfect sewing machine. Chester remained ever vigilant in encouraging her to find the best one she could get. Just after the war ended and he was nearing his discharge date, Chester congratulated her on finding a sewing machine and told her to find all the attachments she could.
Chester was very intentional to let her know he wanted her to have the things she wanted and needed. Although she, perhaps, might have worried she was spending too much. "No, you are not a spendthrift. I want you to have the things you need and want, and you always will, I hope.”
He regularly told Bernice that he felt she was a good financial manager, and trusted her to make important decisions while he was gone.
In a letter from November 1944, Chester discussed the possible purchase of a garage at home. While he discussed the purchase with her, he later told her that he trusted her to make the decision whether or not to buy it.
In one letter, Chester told Bernice, “I don't know what I would do without you. I really don't. I've learned to really appreciate you and depend on you for almost everything now. It is the greatest consolation I have to know I have someone to carry on for me back home and take care of things I had to leave behind.”
Chester’s Time at War
Chester McMeen became a soldier in the US Army in 1941. That same year, Japan invaded the Philippines, an American territory at the time, and General Douglas MacArthur led the defense. He was eventually forced to retreat, but MacArthur vowed to return.
In October 1944–only one month after Chester left Bernice at the train station in Murphysboro–MacArthur came back to the Philippines with allied forces and declared “I have returned!”
Chester was part of MacArthur's mission to liberate the Filipinos from Japanese control, helping to defeat their troops in 1945 and achieving full liberation on July 4, 1946.
Arriving in early January 1945, Chester served troops at the Gentlemen’s Club, which he managed on Base M, in Luzon. Base M was an important operating base during World War II providing logistical support, airstrips, and supplies for ally forces.
Many of Chester’s letters documented daily life at the club serving drinks and food, and hosting various movie nights and live entertainment for the troops. They served beer and eventually began serving flat Coca-Cola.
They also held regular dances with the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) at the club. He often joked about the men around him swooning over the women from WAC, but always assured Bernice he wasn’t a participant and that he made sure he always acted like a happily married man.
"Of course there is going to be a scramble over all the women. If I get left out, I’m okay with that. I'm sure not going to fight–Ha!" Later in the letter he reported, “It's almost 1 a.m. and the crowd is now leaving, and I'm plenty tired. In fact, I've just about run out of smiles–Ha! So far, there have always been enough smiles to go around.”
Chester enjoyed the Filipinos he encountered while there, and their appreciation for the American troops was apparent to Chester.
He told Bernice in his letter dated Jan. 21, 1945, less than a month after his arrival, "The Filipinos are clean, polite and speak English. The expressions on their faces when they see us would make any American proud."
One boy in particular who worked with him at the club became a special part of Chester’s service. He told Bernice about the boy and his family in a March 1945 letter.
"I'm going to attend our chapel services, then attend the Filipino church as a guest of a little Filipino boy who was adopted by two missionaries. He isn't too healthy and works so hard for us that he gets sick. He sure appreciates anything we may do for him and his sister.Today, he asked if his sis, still in school, could do our washing for us."
Although Chester wrote home to Bernice about seemingly normal work woes at the club, and people he met along the way–such as his friend Jim Walls who he referred to throughout the letters–he also sometimes gave insight into the destruction nearby.
Chester spoke several times of driving through Manila, the site of the Battle of Manila, which took place from Feb. 3 to March 3, 1945. During the battle, American and Filipino troops prevented Japanese forces from occupying the city. The battle resulted in the death of more than 100,000 civilians and devastated the city of Manila.
Although he doesn’t specifically mention the battle, Chester was serving in the Philippines during that time. Chester told Bernice after driving through Baguio, a city about 150 miles from Manila, that it was “in ruins” and commented that it was once a beautiful city.
"There are hundreds of trenches, etc, where the Japs were dug in,” he said. "It was really a sight. Of course, I've seen similar scenes lots of times, and have seen this before too."
Although there were times throughout the letters Chester appreciated the beauty of his surroundings—sometimes mentioning he might bring Bernice back there one day under better circumstances–Chester missed home.
He told Bernice that his first winter back home he would lay in the snow and make snow angels, and that he would never complain about cold weather again.
He even missed the scents of rural Illinois. When he first arrived in the Philippines, Chester was overcome when he found a cow pasture. “Just the smell reminded me of home, so I slept there. It was the best sleep I’ve had in a week.”
The Signs of the Times
Chester's letters were also threaded with reflections on the broader issues of the times.
Chester discussed the latest automobiles that might soon come out the same way the newest technologies are talked about today. He also remarked on war rations back home and the price of gas, which he mentioned was 21 cents a gallon, equivalent to $3.47 today.
In the Philippines, they had access to Australian news to keep up on war updates and American politics.
“I guess the war in Europe will soon be over. If it's over by April 15, I lose $50. But if it isn't, then I win this one. This is one bet I hope I lose, because I'd give $25 anytime for a war to end,” Chester said in a letter dated April 3, 1945. “I can't understand how Japan has any courage to fight. I guess it's just because their people are so fed up with propaganda anyway, they will soon see their mistake.”
Although the war didn’t officially end until September 2, 1945, Chester was more accurate predicting when Germany might surrender.
In his letter dated May 7, 1945, Chester said, “The European news is better each day. Mussolini is out of the war, and now Germany is ready to make peace with us, but not Russia. I don't think Germany will last until you get this letter, even if it is airmail–Ha!”
Chester was right, later that day Germany surrendered.
On August 19, 1945, only days from the official end of WWII, Chester reported another milestone with Japan’s surrender. This is after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 1945, killing thousands of Japanese. Chester speculated that this, and other reasons, might be why Japan surrendered. He also predicted that troops could soon be headed home.
“It seems as if Japan is willing to accept 100% that they've lost the war…,” he said. “It won't be long after we get the troops out of Japan, until we start sending troops back to the States. Of course, everyone thinks they should be first. As for me, I'll just wait my turn.”
After the war ended, Chester continued business as usual with hopes of arriving home by Christmas. On September 10, 1945, he told Bernice he had turned down the job of the mess hall sergeant five times.
“Really, all I'm looking forward to is an easy job until a quick release from the army–Ha!” he said. “They sure are doing all they can over here to get volunteers for the regular army. They are letting the (non-commissioned officers) keep their rank and…pay the same as during the war. It's an excellent opportunity, and if I wasn't a married man, I might consider it until things in the states were a little more sure.”
The Love of a Lifetime
Alma Bernice McMeen died on Oct. 30, 1999, only one day before her and Chester’s 67th anniversary. Along with the box of Chester’s letters are pictures and newspaper clippings of the life they built together following the war.
Though Chester and Bernice likely faced the same trials and hardships as everyone, the pictures reflect the very life Chester had dreamed of in his letters, just two years into their marriage.
Chester sometimes joked about what their children might be like one day with obvious intention to start a family.
“Don't worry about being so far behind them when it comes to a family…I expect Junior to weigh 15 pounds when born and be walking by the age of three months–Ha!"
They went on to have three children—two boys and one girl—although there is no mention of their birth weights.
In a letter dated March 2, 1945, he responded to an apparent conversation with Bernice about what his future profession might be. “You said we will never own a business one day, but we will own a business of our own one day.”
Chester opened McMeen Cabinet and Woodworking Shop in Carbondale, Il. in 1955 and ran it until his retirement.
Perhaps the most important promise he made was on November 6, 1945. Chester promised Bernice they would never be apart again.
“I'm still trying to keep that December 25 date with my honey. Remember I promised you when I left here, it is going to be a great day for all of us. I'm sure we won't have to get acquainted again,” he wrote. “In a way, it seems like I haven't seen you in years, and in a way, it feels like I've seen you constantly. I can read your thoughts and see your actions in every letter. We have been apart in body only, as our thoughts are always together. Times might get rough, but we won’t be apart again from here on out.”
Chester’s last letter was November 27, 1945.
"Well, honey, yesterday marked the fifth year I've been in the army, and by the time you get this letter, I will be well on my way home,” he said. “I can't believe it, but the orders are now ready. Things will move fast from here on out, I guess the faster, the better. Hope I can keep that (Christmas) date."
While there are no further letters confirming if Chester made it home by December 25, we know that he and Bernice went on to spend nearly 70 Christmases together.
By sharing this story, we aim to honor the sacrifices of those who served and to recognize the extraordinary efforts of our dedicated employees. We invite you to join us in this quest to reunite this piece of history with its rightful owners. If you have any information that could help us locate the family, please contact Matt Schmidt, Development Director, at 217-231-5694 or at matthew.schmidt@usc.salvationarmy.org