Tag: Vietnam | Page 2 | Nancy Lou Henderson

Next Stop is Okinawa

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 10 comments

After arriving home in Texas late on the evening of December 20, 1968, Frank and I had only a few days to shop for gifts for our families before Christmas. Since Frank’s car had been left at his folk’s house while we were in Ayer, Massachusetts, we actually had a car we could drive into Bay City or Houston to shop. Frank’s little sister, Cindy, was not yet two years old, so there was a lot of excitement going on with that little one in Frank’s folk’s home. She really loved her big brother, and he absolutely adored her. As a matter of fact, they looked so much...

Ralph’s Love of Leather

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Love Letters | 6 comments

I have told you about finding our sweet dog, Ralph, and how much he loved leather, but I have not shared with you the things he could do to items made of it. Frank and I were given a bible by his Grandmother, who we called “Gram” on Christmas Eve in 1968. The Bible made of white leather had our names engraved in gold on the bottom of the front cover. We dearly loved this Bible. I had carried it with me in my suitcase to Okinawa. We had a small coffee table in our living room, and our Bible laid on this table on top of a doily, which was an ornamental mat we had purchased made...

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...

Walking the Stage

Posted by Nancy Lou Henderson in Eternal Love | 2 comments

Frank, Scotty, and I were thriving in College Station, Texas, living across from the campus, life seemed effortless and times were so easy. Of course, we had little money, but enough to satisfy our daily needs. Although Frank was busy going to school plus working two jobs, he wanted me to stay at home to be with Scotty. I finally convinced him when Scotty was six months old that I could stay home and babysit little ones of Moms who worked outside their homes. After word got out that daycare was available at our home, I ended up having four more little ones to take care of during the day...