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Loss — and rediscovery — with a letter
Topics: war, World War II, Your Words, Letters Home
Posted by citizenjournalist Fri Oct 5, 2007 16:52:43 PDT
Viewed 1666 times
0 responses 0 comments Lt. Enoch P. Burley of the Army Air Forces never made it home to his wife, Yvonne. He was shot down over New Guinea, along with 15 of his flying brothers while piloting a Red Cross plane transporting wounded in August 1943.

Mrs. Burley got the news from her uncle, Sheriff John Loustalot and her father, Constable Frank Loustalot, while she was at work at the Vega aircraft factory on Golden State Highway.

Earlier that day, a Californian reporter came to the family home, and Mrs. Burley, assuming the paper had heard about a medal her husband recently earned, excitedly told her visitor all the details. The woman listened politely and dutifully took notes. It was later that Mrs. Burley realized the reporter probably had learned the lieutenant’s fate and had come to get the young widow’s reaction to the tragedy. Mrs. Burley is still grateful the reporter never let on.

A couple of years later, Mrs. Burley met and married Ray Liner and they had a long and happy marriage until Mr. Liner’s death in 1998. Burley’s parents welcomed Mr. Liner into the family and were like grandparents to the Liners’ son.

Mrs. Liner hadn’t read her first husband’s letters in years, until she went through them for The Californian’s series. But the experience reacquainted her with her first love.
 “It made me feel 20 years old again for a couple of days instead of 85. He was just 23 when he died and hadn’t had a chance to live life.”

Mrs. Liner received a photo of her first husband from her former mother-in-law years ago. Out of respect for her second husband, she tucked it away in a cedar chest.
The photo is now sitting on a shelf in Mrs. Liner’s den.

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June 24, 1943

My Dearest Darling,

Well this is one time I can’t write and raise hell about my not getting any mail. All of us boys hit the jackpot. I got 14 letters, also Ray and Oric. One of the flight officers got 20 at once. It looks as though we will be getting them fairly regular. My God, honey baby, I was never so glad in my life to get mail. It seemed as though I hadn’t heard from you in years. Now since the mail is coming and your letters get here, time won’t seem to drag so slow.

 Thanks, darling, for sending my promotion on to me as soon as you did. Thought it would never come. Got it on the 12th of June. Maybe by the time I come home, will have my captaincy. Have another four months before I can start sweating it. Oric and myself are the only ones that have ours. Ray and Mills are still waiting and Ray is really sweating. Thinks just because he can’t wear a silver bar everyone he meets notices it, and it’s killing his soul to have anyone think that we rank him. We are really getting a laugh out of it.

I wired you $300 today, so if all our bills aren’t paid, that should just about get them caught up. Now, baby doll, don’t you go without anything just so you can save. I want you to buy anything you need or want. That’s all it means to me is just for you to get anything you want.

I don’t know what to think about my little mommy (affectionate name for his wife) working. Can’t for the life of me figure out what you are doing. Frances says you are working at Vega and you mentioned the personnel office but that’s all I can figure out. Guess it’s okay. Just don’t be doing anything that is too hard because we can get along without it.

Now, honey, don’t you worry about my being up here. I really don’t have much to worry about. The flying is about the same as in the States. A few little hazards more but not much. Probably a lot safer than it was at Victorville and a lot better fellows to be around. If you could only be with me, I wouldn’t mind much at all over here. I know that a fellow could live a lot cheaper here than we used to. One of the fellows married an Australian girl and they live on $100 a month and didn’t want for anything. Boy, could me and you get along on what I make over here. But of course there is no place like home and having my baby, even if it cost a million times that.

I will write you again very soon, my darling. I love you with all my heart.

Your loving husband

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