Dear Mother, Love Daddy: The World War II Letters of Roscoe and Gladys Yegerlehner: May 1942-September 1942

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and so the United States entered the Second World War. American men from all walks of life rushed to enlist, and not all of them were young, single men. In 1941, Dr. Roscoe S. Yegerlehner had been out of medical school for three years with a growing medical practice in the small northern Indiana town of Kentland. Married for almost thirteen years, he had a loving wife and two young boys. He volunteered to serve in the United States Naval Reserve and accepted a commission as an assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant (jg) in May 1942. Six months after Pearl Harbor, Dr. Yegerlehner found himself on a crowded train headed towards Norfolk Naval Training Station in Virginia. He would eventually serve in several posts thoughout the South Pacific. During his 18 months of overseas deployment, he and his wife corresponded every day. They lovingly addressed their letters to "Mother" and "Daddy." This is the first volume of their letters.


About the Author
Deborah Sweeney is a genealogist, writer and blogger. Since 2012, she has published over eight hundred letters written by her grandparents on her website: www.genealogylady.net. In addition to the letters, she has written several articles about genealogy and DNA research. She is a graduate of Boston University's Genealogical Research Certificate Program and the ProGen Study Group. Ms. Sweeney lives in Northern California with her family.