A small bottle of Jet perfume arrived from Dale Wilson for his mother’s December 4th birthday in 1943. He would graduate from Advanced Training at Roswell, New Mexico, in just a few weeks.
“Thanks for the lovely birthday present you sent me!” Leora wrote from the Minburn farm. It had arrived right on the day. She tried it out right away but was keeping it in her box of handkerchiefs to make them smell nice. A woman in those days owned a collection of hankies. Fancy ones–embroidered or with tatted lace edges–were saved for dressing up. Every birthday for years, Leora had received one from her own mother.
“Dale, we are sure proud of you! You are sure doing fine, and more power to you. You just do your best. You are going to like the twin-engine school, I’ll bet, after you get started, and it will be better than the single, as Delbert and the boys say they are better protected in combat.” Bombers on missions were protected by squadrons of fighter planes.
Later that month, Dale sent his folks a Roswell Army Flying School Christmas card, with silver pilot’s wings embossed on a holiday scene. Dale’s neatly penned letters were now written on Flying School stationery—a ferocious eagle diving with a torpedo, with a formation of advanced trainers flying over.
Poignant reminders of a beloved son who became a bomber pilot, whose B-25 was shot down a year later. Dale Wilson and five others on the crew have never been found.
Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II
A story that makes one want to smile, but sad at the same time.
Thank you for telling this episode in Dale’s life.
Yes, bittersweet. Thank you, GP.
Oh, Joy. Thank you so much. Your beautiful remembrances remind me of what matters most. Simple gifts, loving letters. And the memory of a lady’s ‘hankie drawer’ and saving the “good perfume” by just letting it sit in the drawer to add fragrance to the hankies. I remember. That was my Nanny. 💕💕💕
Such thoughtful gifts! It is sad, but at the same time, reflecting on the love of a son for his mother is a beautiful thing. In the midst of everything else, he was thinking of her…
Thank you, Linda. Dale is also the son who noticed the holes in his mother’s shoes during the Depression: https://joynealkidney.com/2017/04/18/a-bounty-of-starling-feet/
Dale must have been so proud to write home on the Flying School stationery.
He sure was!
What a thoughtful son. I love all the little details you share.
Thank you, Eilene! Maybe I need my own museum for all these keepsakes!
A bittersweet post. His mother must have been so proud and how thoughtful to send her some perfume. xo
Thank you, Darlene. Dale is the same son who noticed the holes in his mother’s shoes during the Depression years: https://joynealkidney.com/2017/04/18/a-bounty-of-starling-feet/
Happiness, then sadness of the loss.
Thank you, Tim. He’s the son who has never been found.
Dale was such a kind-hearted loving son. The card is a beautiful keepsake of Dale’s achievement and his thoughtfulness. Thank you for sharing this sweet story, Joy. I remember my mother’s hankies reeking from deep inside her dresser drawer! 🙂
Thank you, Nancy. Yes, reeking!
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