Joseph Portnoy

Dearest Ruthy: a Soldier's Love Letters from the Battlefields of World War II Joseph Portnoy

When the ear-numbing thunder of artillery is suddenly silenced; the acrid smell of gunpowder blown away; the threat of death lessened; the wounded treated; and the dead removed; the weary soldier finds a safe shelter, lights a cigarette, and wants to talk. He does so by writing a letter to the one he loves most, sharing his fears and loneliness. But mostly, he tells of his love. Dearest Ruthy is a moving collection of love letters from author Joseph Portnoy to his wife, Ruth, during World War II. From his Atlantic crossing aboard the HMS Aquitania, to his months in England preparing for the invasion of France, to his eleven months of combat in Europe, Portnoy and Ruth faithfully wrote letters full of love, hope, and dreams. Other than a diary or a journal, the letter sent to a loved one from the battlefield revealed the most intimate thoughts and sentiments of the young soldier, the hidden truths of war which often escaped the censor's pen. Dearest Ruthy beautifully captures those emotions of a generation that Tom Brokaw appropriately called "The Greatest."