Johnny Martin to Bill Guarnere

[exsequar]

So I've been reading the oral account of Easy Company by Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron ("Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends") and while the entire thing has been amazing and absolutely filled with gems of information that cast both the events and the men in a new light, this one piece absolutely stopped me in my tracks and begged to be shared. This is for bloodygoodgirl, who showed specific interest, but also pretty much anyone who's fond of manly yet schmoopy declarations of pretty intense emotions. It's a letter from Johnny Martin to Bill Guarnere when Bill was at the hospital in England after his leg got literally blown off in Bastogne. For anyone not familiar with the series, Bill is one tough sonofabitch, a real soldier and a wonderful sergeant who took fantastic care of his men and did his damnedest to get them all out alive. Johnny is also a complete badass sergeant dude, which is why the emotional nakedness of this letter is so very striking.

Bill: I was transferred from Paris to a hospital in England, then Scotland, then back to the U.S. When I was in England, I wrote to Johnny Martin. He wasn't there when I got hit, and I wanted to tell him what happened, tell him I was alive, and to take care of the men. He wrote me back January 12, 1945:

"Dear Bill, I received your letter today… Anything you asked me in the letter I'll do. You know that. As far as what went on after you left, you've probably read it in the papers… it was plenty rough… and I'll tell you later about who got it and who didn't. Well, Bill… I'm going to see you whether it be soon or a long time, but I'm going to see you no matter what… Bill, when I got your letter, I was at the Co CP. Of course, everyone was interested to hear from you. Well, they said read it out loud. Well, the Co and the rest of company headquarters were there. I got halfway through and started to cry in front of all the guys. I just had to take off, Bill. Boy, I never felt so hollow inside in all my life. From now on when you write, please… leave anything about your leg out of my letters. Just do it as a favor for me. I guess I'm not near as good a man as I thought I was. Boy, for the first time, I never had any control of myself. When I heard you were hurt, I got all the poop I could, but you know where we were, and I couldn't possibly get to see you. All the guys told me how you took it cooler than anybody yet. Laying there shooting the shit when you were hit like that. Some guys about shit when they get nicked with a bullet and you get hit like that and just shoot the shit. Well, I just want to tell you right now, you're so much better of a man than I am it isn't even funny. I don't mean only in combat either. You're better than any officer or EM I've ever seen or ever will. You're the first guy whom I've ever met I could hit it with and it's just because you're such a swell guy… For God's sake, Bill, don't let it get you down… I know you're the kind of guy who will see it through to the end… I expect to have a lot of fun when we get back to the States. Buddy, we'll rip her apart when I get back. When I go to bed tonight, I am going to pray that I get a furlough to England. I hear they are going to send them out… Well, I suppose you want to know what changes there are in the battalion. Our CO is now Lieutenant Speirs from D Company. I think he's the best one we've had yet. There is a new officer in charge of 2nd Platoon. Welsh is S-3 and we have a new S-2 officer. Nixon is Regiment S-3… I'll close now, and if I don't get a couple of letters a week from you, I'll be disappointed… So long for now. Your pal, 'Jason' Martin."

Bill: When I read the letter, I couldn't believe it. That was a side of Johnny I never seen. We were in and out of trouble together, me and Johnny. He was a good soldier and a good friend. I guess it shook him up.

Left to right: Johnny, Bill, Bull Randleman.

Easy! ;____;

Comments

[newredshoes]

I love that book. I love that book and everything in and ohmygod South Philly boys.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Yesyesyes so much yes. ;_____♥

[bloodygoodgirl.livejournal.com]

AWWWWWWWWWWW! Dude, I want to cry and I have to go to freaken class in 15minutes. Thanks so much for typing it up. I love the letters you can see from WWII and just to know the backstory of this one. Just amazing.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

I KNOW, right?! I was totally overwhelmed all over again just while typing it up. He's just so... frank and honest and ahhh he started crying and had to LEAVE and eep, my heart. ;____; Letters truly are a lost art. You're welcome! <333

[maryangel200.livejournal.com]

I love these guys so much. ;____;

[alwayseven.livejournal.com]

That was really beautiful and powerful.

My grandfather was nineteen when he went to Germany. He spent three months as a POW and when I was growing up it was made clear that you didn't ask him about it and my mom would tell me about hearing his nightmares in the middle of the night.

Now that he's gone I wish I could ask him about it, where he was, which of his lifelong friends he'd met where, all of it. It's fascinating. My grandmother has all the letters he wrote to his mother while he was in a hospital recovering and my aunt spent a few months typing them all up but I never sat down and read them. I think I should do that.

Anyway, thank you for typing that up and sharing it. I don't know if I can handle watching the series but maybe I'll read about it.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. That is amazing and fascinating indeed. I think it would be both amazing and very intimidating to talk to a veteran about their experiences - I would feel inadequate to appreciate the enormity of what they had gone through, and therefore impertinent for asking. That's why I like Band of Brothers and the books related to it - it's such a personal retelling of the war from the ground, but it's not too overwhelmingly intimate.

I think you should definitely read those letters! I bet there would be some really amazing things in there.

You're welcome sweetie. I'm really glad you liked it. I think this book would be lovely even to someone who hasn't seen the series. It's a really human and accessible account - Babe and Bill are both guys who are just full of spunk and spirit, I love how they talk, and it translates great to the page.

[tuesdaysgone.livejournal.com]

Aw man, I have tears. Is that from the new book? (I don't really know if it's new, I just know Matt got one for Christmas and I am planning on stealing it at the first opportunity.)

I LOVE THEM. ;__;

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Well, it came out in 2007, so not really new! It's called Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends and it's Babe and Bill's oral history as written down and organized by a journalist. It's deeply deeply fantastic, so if that isn't the book Matt has, you should get your hands on it!

I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHHH.

[fitofpique.livejournal.com]

Oh my heart, I am ;___; irl. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[vertrauen.livejournal.com]

Oh, JOHNNY.

My heart breaks. It really does.

It breaks like when I found out that Lipton passed away a month after the mini completed transmission. Or that Dick is 92 years old. Or that all of them have far too few years ahead of them.

I grew up in a family where WWII was extremely prevalent and discussed frequently. Now most of the conversations lean toward how few WWII veterans we have left...

&EASY; *sighs*

[pushingyouaway.livejournal.com]

i really think i need to get this book o_O