Don McCabe is a 90-year-old World War II veteran of the US Navy. Recently, he received a letter. One that was written by him over 70 years ago for the woman who was waiting back home for him to come back from the South Pacific. Somehow the letter either never got to here, or it was never opened by her. The date on it was April 1946.
Tom Moore was renovating his home with his wife, Laura. They were clearing out an old home when they found the letter in the old insulation from the wall they were working on.
According to McCabe, the letter was to his high school sweetheart, Juanita Gibbs. They ended up getting married and having three children. She passed away in 1978.
Once Moore found the letter, he started making phone calls and doing research in an attempt to locate McCabe.
A friend recommended checking with Honor Flight. Through the organization’s records, he was able to find McCabe and set up a meeting. Moore handed the letter over to McCabe at Moore’s place of employment. The other employees applauded the occasion.
“This is special,” Moore said.
McCabe couldn’t wait to get a chance to read the letter, Military Times reported.
“She was a good mother and a good wife,” he said of Juanita, who died of an illness 38 years ago. “It was very nice what Moore did. I was surprised after all of these years to hear about the letter. I’m amazed … some people might have just thrown it away.”
“I’m anxious to see what was in it. It wasn’t the only letter I wrote to her.”
McCabe spent about a year and a half in the Navy. He was stationed in Guam when he wrote the letter.