Roger and Me
----The year was 1970. It was a turbulent time. It was a time of war, in a far away place, when our young men were asked to fight in another country, and maybe even give up their lives. I was 21 years old and a clerk typist at a local hospital in Louisville. I hadn't dated much and didn't really see any type of romance in my near future.
My parents were divorced and at present I was living with my dad. He rented out the upstairs of his house to a couple with 2 daughters, who I had grown up with and thought of as sisters. The youngest daughter had recently gotten married and shortly there after her husband had been sent to Vietnam. Her husband and I were very close and the three of us had become very good friends.
Shortly after he was sent to Vietnam, I received a letter from my friend's husband informing me that he had a friend, Roger, that was going to be writing me, and he would like for me to answer the letter. The following day I received the letter. It was so funny. He told me all about his life at home, in Wisconsin, and the sports and activities that he enjoyed. I carelessly tossed the letter upon the chest of drawers and never gave it a thought for a couple of days. Later in the week as I was dusting, I ran across the letter, read it again, and set out to answer the young soldier. Soon I began receiving letters and pictures from him 2 and 3 times a week. I found myself anxiously awaiting each letter and worrying if I didn't receive one when expected.
In July I went on vacation to Georgia and wrote my young soldier everyday. I could hardly enjoy my vacation because I knew I must have several letters at home awaiting me. When I arrived home, I not only had several letters, I also had a beautiful sweater sent to me from my soldier. One of the letters expressed how he was starting to feel about me. I too, had these same feelings, but had learned to hide them, knowing that I must meet him before I could fall in love with him. In the meantime, I had spoken to his family in Wisconsin and we seemed to hit it off okay over the phone. My soldier had all ready written them about me, so they were not surprised when I called. He had quite a large family of three brothers and five sisters. They were a close knit family, because his mother had passed away when he was young, and his father had the task of raising them alone. I went on with my life at work and looked forward to my letters as I ventured home each day.
The week before Thanksgiving, while at work I received a call from my mother, informing me that my soldier had called and said he was in St.Louis. He would arrive in Louisville at 6:00 p.m. and wanted me to meet him at the airport. I got so excited that they had to let me go home from work. I called my best friend at home and told her he was coming in and I was a nervous wreck. She said she would go to the airport with me, if I wanted, because she wanted to hear about her husband. We arrived at the airport at 5:30 p.m. and watched anxiously as each plane landed. Finally, the long wait ended as his plane taxied up the runway to the airport. My heart was beating like a drum. I was not only excited but also afraid that maybe we both had expected too much. I watched as the door opened and each peson stepped from the plane. Then there he was, a tall, dark haired man with glasses, in an army uniform. He ran down the steps, through the door and into my arms. His kiss was so warm and loving. I just couldn't believe that he was really here in my arms. We spent every moment possible together and he asked me to go to Wisconsin with him for Thanksgiving. I checked with my work and they agreed to give me some time off. We made plans to fly to Wisconsin. The day before we were to leave, he asked me to marry him. I agreed. We set a wedding date of October, 1971 because he still had to remain in the army until July of 1971. We flew to Wisconsin and I met his family. I had a lovely time. It broke my heart to return to Louisville. We made plans for me to fly back for Christmas, and then he would fly to Louisville with me. He had to leave to go to California on January 4, 1971.
I thought the weeks would never go by. We kept in touch by phone. Finally, the day came for me to fly to Wisconsin for Christmas. We had a fun time snowmobiling, meeting his friends, and just being together. Before the week was up, we decided, without telling anyone, to go ahead and get married. When we arrived in Louisville, I set about getting everything in order. We had to get a special dispensation from the Catholic church, blood tests, and a marriage license. At last it all came together and we got married January 2, 1971 in St.Anthony's Rectory in Clarksville. We spent a romantic weekend at the Holiday Inn, and then my sweet soldier, and husband, flew away from me for 6 months. They were 6 months of pure hell. He called me every weekend. Our phone bill was \\$150.00 a month. It was worth it to just hear his voice. In July he was discharged from the army, and we moved to Wisconsin. In December I became pregnant. In March we moved back to Louisville, and in September I gave birth to a son.
We now live in Marengo, Indiana. We only had one child, Trevor who is now 35 and married. We have been married 37 years. It hasn't always been easy but we love and respect each other. We are best friends and do almost everything together. I don't recommend that people get married when they only know someone for a short time, but it was good for us. He is still my sweet soldier boy and I thank God that at least one good thing came from the Vietnam War.
