War and Family: Letters Home

Lauren Muise

War and Family:Letters Home What if a letter your grandfather wrote—one you never even knew existed—suddenly turned up in the world? That’s what this podcast is about: real letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. Each one is a time capsule, carrying the voice of someone far from home, writing from a foxhole, a bunk, a ship, or a field hospital. My mission is simple: to bring these voices back to the families they belong to—one letter, one story at a time.  And who knows? Maybe today, you’ll hear a familiar name or a place. Maybe this letter was meant for you. During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War. Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at warandfamily@outlook.com and help me get the letters home Visit us also on Facebook! War and Family, Letters Home https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090294016439&mibextid=LQQJ4d Thank you for listening!

  1. Sgt Norman E Beck, US Army, 195th Truck Company China-Burma-India

    1d ago

    Sgt Norman E Beck, US Army, 195th Truck Company China-Burma-India

    Sergeant Norman E. Beck. From a boy growing up in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania… to a National Guardsman called into federal service… to a soldier living in bamboo huts deep in the jungles of Assam, helping build one of the most important supply routes of World War II. Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home.  I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise More than eighty years ago, members of the Greatest Generation sat down with pen and paper to write home from training camps, ships at sea, foxholes, air bases, and distant battlefields. Most never imagined those letters would survive long after the war ended. But some did. They surface today in antique stores, estate sales, and auctions—small pieces of history separated from the families who once treasured them. These are not just military records or casualty statistics. They are personal stories of the men and women of WW2, whose words somehow survived the decades. These letters belong back to their families – maybe this letter was meant for you!

    17 min
  2. PFC Arnold John Nerthling Jr., US Army, 232nd Port Company

    May 24

    PFC Arnold John Nerthling Jr., US Army, 232nd Port Company

    Arnold John Nerthling,  A young man from Buffalo, with roots reaching back to the Seneca people of the Tonawanda Reservation, Arnold carried out the unglamorous but essential work that kept the Allied advance moving across the Pacific. His words—written between cargo ships, tropical rain, mosquito nets, and distant islands—remind us that victory in World War II depended not only on the men in the headlines, but also on those whose names rarely appeared in history books. Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home.  I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise More than eighty years ago, members of the Greatest Generation sat down with pen and paper to write home from training camps, ships at sea, foxholes, air bases, and distant battlefields. Most never imagined those letters would survive long after the war ended. But some did. They surface today in antique stores, estate sales, and auctions—small pieces of history separated from the families who once treasured them. These are not just military records or casualty statistics. They are personal stories of the men and women of WW2, whose words somehow survived the decades. These letters belong back to their families – maybe this letter was meant for you!

    16 min
  3. RDM 3/C Luther P Miller US Navy, PC-1187 and the USS Oberon - Letters Sent Home !

    May 16

    RDM 3/C Luther P Miller US Navy, PC-1187 and the USS Oberon - Letters Sent Home !

    Please join me to hear the story and letters of Luther Patterson Miller of Somerset Pennsylvania. Navy radioman Miller witnessed a world at war. Yet perhaps his greatest contribution came after the fighting had ended — returning home to his wife and son, working long hours to provide for his family, and eventually building a company that would continue serving Appalachian communities for generations to come. In many ways, the story of Luther Patterson Miller is the story of so many Americans of the World War II generation — ordinary people who answered the call to serve, then came home and quietly helped build the communities that carried the country forward in the years after the war. Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home.  I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise This podcast shares letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. I find these letters in antique stores and auctions, research the letter writer and tell their story before, during and after the war. My mission is simple: to return World War II history to families—one letter, and one story at a time.

    19 min
  4. CPL Julian A. Nichols, U.S. Army, 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co - Letters Sent Home !

    May 1

    CPL Julian A. Nichols, U.S. Army, 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co - Letters Sent Home !

    Welcome to the 100th episode War and Family Letters Home! This episode is about Cpl. Julian Andrew Nichols of the 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co.  Cpl Nichols served in both the European and Pacific theatre of war.  Join me to hear his letters and his activities before, during and after the war!  The best part?  Cpl Nichols letters are going home to his Granddaughter! This podcast shares letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. My mission is simple: to return World War II history to families—one letter, and one story at a time.

    19 min
  5. Pvt. Martin Leroy Phy., 424th Anti Tank, 106th Infantry Division, US Army

    Apr 19

    Pvt. Martin Leroy Phy., 424th Anti Tank, 106th Infantry Division, US Army

    Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home. I’m your host, Lauren Muise. This podcast is built around letters — real letters — written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. My mission is simple: to return that history to families, one letter and one story at a time. Each letter is a time capsule — a voice carried forward from a foxhole, a barracks bunk, a ship at sea, or a field hospital half a world away. And I hope that someone listening today will hear a familiar name… Or recognize a hometown… and reach out. Because these letters belong home. Maybe this letter… is meant for you. Pvt Phy served bravely in the 424th anti-tank battalion – the type of unit often overlooked in WW2 history. They were specialized, supporting and rarely in the spotlight unless something went terribly wrong.  The battalion’s story is not one of sweeping victory, but of duty under impossible conditions.  Anti-tank units were the last line between advancing armor and vulnerable infantry.  In the Ardennes, that line bent and in many places it broke – but not without resistance.  Their experience is a reminder that history is often shaped not just by triumphs, but by moments of shock, endurance, and survival.

    17 min
  6. S/Sgt Victor Pettus Miles, US Army, 315th Combat Engineers

    Mar 28

    S/Sgt Victor Pettus Miles, US Army, 315th Combat Engineers

    Victory Pettus Miles was born in Gray Summit Missouri.  he served in the 315th Engineer combat Battalion, it's motto: "We Make"   S/Sgt Miles served in the European theatre and was part of the first wave of landings at Omaha Beach. During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War. Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at and help me get the letters home

    16 min
  7. PH M/1 James Frances Murphy, U.S. Navy, USS Piedmont

    Feb 23

    PH M/1 James Frances Murphy, U.S. Navy, USS Piedmont

    Pharmacist’s Mate First Class James Francis Murphy served where he was needed most—aboard the USS Piedmont, standing ready to save lives in the shadow of war. He survived the dangers of the Pacific, returned home, and now rests among heroes in Arlington National Cemetery. During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War. Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at and help me get the letters home

    14 min
  8. PVTS John and Walter Thousand, 345th Infantry, US Army

    Feb 14

    PVTS John and Walter Thousand, 345th Infantry, US Army

    Pvt John Louis Thousand and Pvt Walter Frederick Thousand were from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and served together in the European theatre.  The brothers stayed together through training, and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge all the way to central Germany and occupation duties when the war ended.   Please join me to hear their stories of brotherhood. During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War. Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at and help me get the letters home

    16 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

War and Family:Letters Home What if a letter your grandfather wrote—one you never even knew existed—suddenly turned up in the world? That’s what this podcast is about: real letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. Each one is a time capsule, carrying the voice of someone far from home, writing from a foxhole, a bunk, a ship, or a field hospital. My mission is simple: to bring these voices back to the families they belong to—one letter, one story at a time.  And who knows? Maybe today, you’ll hear a familiar name or a place. Maybe this letter was meant for you. During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War. Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at warandfamily@outlook.com and help me get the letters home Visit us also on Facebook! War and Family, Letters Home https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090294016439&mibextid=LQQJ4d Thank you for listening!

Information

  • Creator
    Lauren Muise
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Lauren Muise
  • Show Website
    War and Family: Letters Home