April Martin Beltz

Letters Across The Pacific April Martin Beltz

Bob and Mariellen met at a USO dance in the summer of 1942. Mariellen was a college student at UCLA and Bob was a cadet, training in Santa Ana. They saw each other almost every weekend through the summer and fall and married that winter, before Bob was shipped overseas.




This story is about their life. A life they lived mostly through letters for the next ten years and through two wars.




Their letters are time capsules. We glimpse into life lived in the States in the 40's as well as the South Pacific during WWII. We read the slang and the military jargon. We hear longing on both sides. We listen while they write of babies born and thunderstorms raging.




As time went on, Bob shares his feelings about phone calls, mail and the war. Mariellen continues to be supportive but is also dealing with the effects of staying home, pregnant, and terrified for her husbands safety.




Through WWII and the Korean War, they continue to navigate their lives through letters. More children arrive and their love endures, though there is visible pain on both sides of the pen.



Their letters were saved and treasured by both of them. The letters traveled the world and survived. This story is the true account of their lives, told by them.




The story is a true testament to the greatest generation, and how their lives and love endured so much.