This fall, Reedy Press releases Letters Home from WWII: St. Louis, a book by historian Christopher Alan Gordon that examines World War II through the lens of letters written by servicemen and women from the St. Louis region to their families and friends back home, while also exploring the war's impact on the city and surrounding area. Gordon's book features letters compiled from local archives that tell inspiring, enduring, and sometimes heartbreaking stories.
One set of letters features Montgomery County soldier John J. Cunningham writing to his sister, Mildred. Cunningham was stationed in Italy and wrote dutifully to Mildred (Milly), who had left Montgomery City to take a job at a department store in St. Louis. Their letters reveal the deeply personal side of a world at war and remind us of how crucial the mail was in maintaining the morale of those serving thousands of miles away, keeping them in touch with those they loved.
Letters Home from WWII: St. Louis will be available in bookstores and online retailers in late October. Click here.
