2:31:01
is well and,
at this very moment,
2:31:03
on his way home from
European battlefields.
2:31:06
Reports from the front indicate
James did his duty in combat
2:31:10
with great courage
and steadfast dedication
2:31:14
even after he was informed
of the tragic loss
2:31:16
your family has suffered
in this great campaign
2:31:20
to rid the world of tyranny
and oppression.
2:31:23
I take great pleasure in joining
the secretary of war,
2:31:26
the men and women
of the United States Army,
2:31:28
and the citizens
of a grateful nation
2:31:31
in wishing you good health
and many years of happiness
2:31:34
with James at your side.
2:31:37
Nothing,
2:31:38
not even the safe return
of a beloved son,
2:31:41
can compensate you
2:31:43
or the thousands
of other American families
2:31:46
who have suffered great loss
in this tragic war.
2:31:49
And I might share
with you some words
2:31:51
which have sustained me
2:31:52
through long, dark nights
2:31:54
of peril, loss
and heartache.
2:31:56
And I quote,
2:31:59
"l pray
that our Heavenly Father
2:32:01
may assuage the anguish
of your bereavement
2:32:04
and leave you only
the cherished memory
2:32:06
of the loved and lost
2:32:08
and the solemn pride
that must be yours
2:32:10
to have laid
so costly a sacrifice
2:32:13
upon the altar of freedom.
2:32:15
Abraham Lincoln."
2:32:18
Yours very sincerely
and respectfully,
2:32:20
George C. Marshall,
General, Chief of Staff.