Tag: Love | Page 13 | Nancy Lou Henderson

A Roller Coaster of Emotions

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 4 comments

Beginning of the Summer of 1970, we had settled into our daily lives in Okinawa. We were enjoying every moment together, but soon things would disrupt that peace, sending us on a roller coaster of emotions. Since Frank was on the day shift, I was surprised when he came home at lunchtime one day. Visibly upset as he entered the house, he asked me to sit down, which I immediately did. With tears in his eyes, Frank said, “Nancy, I need you to pack a bag because I need you to go home.” Being so in tune with Frank’s heart and soul, I knew that there was something wrong which he...

Last Letters From Okinawa

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 2 comments

Frank was trying to deal with his loneliness in Okinawa while I was dealing with that same loneliness in Van Vleck. Handwritten letters were our way of communicating our feelings to each other. After Frank returned to the island for a short time before being sent to Vietnam, I could see in my mind where he was living and working, which gave me so much comfort. We had lived across the road from Torii Station and had been on the base many times, so I knew it very well. Since we had rented the little white house in Van Vleck once arriving home from Okinawa, Frank could envision me in our...

I Love You, Frank

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Vietnam Letters | 4 comments

Finally, we were in communication with each other. Of course, it would be a slow process, but it was the best we had. I would not know Frank received my letters until sometime after the 15th of February, but we kept writing. We both had so many questions about what was going on with each other. Frank wrote a letter many days before Valentine’s Day, asking his folks to buy flowers and candy for me. Days before Valentine’s Day, I had mailed his Valentine’s Card and sent a box full of things for him to munch on. Because we knew how long the mail took to reach each other,...

Guard Duty and Cookies

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Vietnam Letters | 4 comments

Frank was finally receiving my letters and boxes. Finally, he could begin to realize that there was no need to worry about who would always own my heart and soul. Loneliness through separation from the person you truly love added to being in a war with so much uncertainty of what the next day may bring can cause a person to think of the worst of what could happen instead of the truth that they know inside them. My biggest worry was for Frank’s health and safety. I was so terrified of something happening to him and him not returning to me alive. Loving Frank with all of my heart and...

Ups and Downs and Poetry

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Vietnam Letters | 4 comments

Frank had decided to quit smoking on March 1, 1971, while he was in Vietnam. There is a movie called “Cold Turkey” from 1969. It is about a town whose citizens all decided to quit smoking and the emotions that they went through. If you haven’t watched it, you will want to do that. It is really funny. Thinking, if you are twenty-one years old, have been married for nearly three years, have been separated from your wife for two months who you are used to being intimate with, are suffering from loneliness with off and on depression, and you are in Vietnam during a war, it...