On December 15, 1944, Valentina and Merle Martin celebrated their
third wedding anniversary with a hug, a kiss, and a
goodbye-possibly forever. From that day forward, Merle Martin vowed
to write his wife a letter every day as long as he was able when
stationed in Hawaii and later on Okinawa during his service in
World War II. Despite the flooding, typhoons, air raids, and
operation of a field hospital less than a mile behind the front
lines, Merle kept his promise. In his absence, Val would eventually
collect well over three hundred of his letters expressing his fear,
sorrow, everlasting love, and unfaltering hope for a better future.
In what seemed like a lifetime of separation, Val and Merle
remained together through their words and joint hope that he would
one day return home safely. After reading through them for the last
time, Val Martin has combined Merle's letters with her own personal
narrative to paint a picture of the difficulties they faced during
what would be their most challenging year as individuals and as a
married couple. Dear Valentina bears witness to their experience of
grief and loss as well as faithfulness and love in a time of war.
About the Author: Valentina Martin was born in Tama County, Iowa on
February 11, 1925. With Czech as her first language and English as
her second, Val became determined to learn English and learn it
well. In doing so, she received a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters
Degree in English Literature from the University of Northern Iowa,
including several courses at Arizona State University while
wintering in Scottsdale, AZ. She completed her masters' degree
while owning a real estate firm. In December of 1941, Val married
her husband, Merle, and they had one son, Jerald L. Martin who
lives in Waterloo, Iowa where she now also resides. After Merle's
death in November of 2005, Val made it her personal mission to
honor his memory and service during World War II by re-reading the
love letters he had sent to her and through them sharing the
history they witnessed. Dear Valentina is the realization of her
dream to share their story with the world and to honor their love
forever.
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