The letters, documenting the messages of love of a World War 2 veteran to his then girlfriend, were discovered when the latter passed away after the pair reunited and spent more than 50 years of marriage.
According to CBN News, the letters, kept in a shoe box hidden in a closet, were found by the couple's daughter in 2002 when she checked on her mother's belongings.
Sylvester Chris "Mitch" and Anne Jeanne "A.J." Mitchell fell in love before the war but when the former was sent overseas to serve in the army, the pair kept their love alive through correspondence. Mitch wrote more than seventy letters and cards, which began in 1943 during his deployment in North Africa and concluded when the couple moved to their new home in 1946.
Mitch was also sent to Sicily, where he participated in the "Operation Husky," and Italy, serving in the Medical Administrative Corps as a lieutenant. He was assigned in setting up field hospitals.
When he returned home from the war, he married A.J. and they had four children together. Their marriage survived many challenges, keeping their strong faith in God and deep love for each other.
In his letter in August 1943, more than a month after the invasion of Sicily, he told A.J. about his tiring travel and the present he found for her, wishing to be near her.
In October that year, Mitch wrote about his battle with Malaria, continuing to express his desire to be with the woman he loves.
He also sent his Valentine's Day message to A.J. in 1944.
"... I think of you constantly and long for the day of our reunion. Many times have I thought how nice it would be to be able to go to the phone and say honey, 'how about meeting me in New York?' Or to be dancing with you at the Plaza. '...The mail just came in and I received your Valentine. Honey I was unable to send one, but you are my Valentine -with all my heart. From one who cares. All my love, Mitch," he said.
In the last letter, Mitch expressed his happiness to finally be with his wife in their new home, praying for God's blessing and protection.
"I thought it would be proper and nice for me to be the sender of the first letter to you in our new home. What memories are running thru my mind -Of the places where I used to be, and how far away you were when writing to you and how close you are now," he wrote.
"I wish so much for you and me. I hope that God will be good to us and protect and bless our home. I desire your happiness so much. So my darling I wish you all the best in our new home," he continued.
Mitch's son, Chris Mitchell, CBN News' Middle East Bureau chief, shared his father's letters through the new book, "Dearest AJ: The Letters that Kept Love Alive in the Midst of War."
