A letter to my dad

My dad passed away a few years back. Last week my sister found this letter to him when going through some of his belongings. It is the first time I ever saw the letter.

Forrestal, who wrote my dad the letter, was then secretary of the Navy, soon to be Secretary of Defense. Its a beautiful letter, elegant in style and eloquent with words. The thought of my dad going to war as an 18 year old made me tear up a little. His dad (my grandfather) was an Army colonel at the time, a rank he achieved despite his third grade education. Nobody should have to send their teenager to war.

It was a wonderful letter and it is very true that defeating both the German and Japanese fleets was the greatest accomplishment in naval history.