"A full moon, thousands of stars...but no Margie"

by John Gilboe

Overview

"A full moon, thousands of stars...but no Margie" offers weekly accounts of love letters written by the author's parents during World War II. Readers will get a glimpse into the daily lives of those deployed and those left behind. The actual words of the letter writers tell the story, and the reader will experience first-hand the joys, fears, frustrations, monotony, hope, and love of a generation of young people cast into the extraordinary times of a world at war. The narrative begins with the story of a close-knit neighborhood "gang" of friends not far from their high school years enjoying summer vacations from their jobs in Detroit, Michigan. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed their futures immediately, and "getting in" to the service became a necessity. The disparate reality of when and how military service was achieved and its impact on the families of the soldiers who spread across the globe changed the nature of their relationships. The "gang" of friends and their families would never be the same. Military service opened new opportunities for these soldiers from Detroit to visit parts of their country and the world they probably never imagined they would see. The author's father, Joe, carries the bulk of the narrative, and he experienced a number of firsts in his lifetime as a result of his service. Joe learned to ride and care for horses in the cavalry. He visited states to which he had never been, and he met, trained, and lived with soldiers from across the United States. Joe traveled thousands of miles over the expanse of the Pacific Ocean to reach New Guinea, Australia, and the Philippine Islands. He flew in an aircraft for the first time. Joe often expressed loneliness and frustration about missing his "one and only Margie," and he developed a growing disdain for the Army, particularly its officers, that he reported in the form of "gripes." He displayed a curious mixture of intolerance and empathy for the native people he encounted in the countries of the Pacific. Joe outwaited all of this through a religious reliance on the daily letters he wrote to "his girl" back in Detroit. Margie proceeded on the same letter writing course, but her notes left out much of the loneliness and frustration she was truly feeling. She viewed her letters as "talks" to keep Joe up on all the latest news and gossip back home. She tried always to be upbeat and informative in order to diminish the vast distance between her and "her boy." Once in a while, Margie reported the times that she felt worried and anxious and the times she cried herself to sleep, but she mostly kept those feelings out of her letters. In a world today with instantaneous communication possibilities, it is difficult to contemplate that a letter sent by Margie, with the mundane news of a particular day, wouldn't reach Joe for nearly two weeks. Even more difficult to fathom in this era of online ordering and delivery, is the reality that packages mailed from Detroit often took many months to arrive in the Philippines. Without letters, Joe and Margie, along with millions of other service members and their family and friends back home could not have navigated emotionally the years they were apart. Their personal story is a tiny particle in the vital history of the United States during World War II, but hopefully, it will remain as a solid touchstone for the generations of descendants who will follow these two sweethearts from a closely-knit neighborhood in Detroit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781098327767
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	09/22/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Gilboe is a passionate educator who served as a teacher and principal for more than thirty years. His expectations of students are high because ultimately, he believes in them, and their ability to achieve. He has long been a history buff and often injects historical snippets into his classroom discussions to help students better understand the material. In his view, history has relevance in every aspect of the curriculum. The idea to create "A full moon, thousands of stars...but no Margie" came following the death of his parents, when thousands of letters and artifacts came to light.

Gilboe's love of history and his love of family drove him to the conclusion that this material needed to be archived, providing an insider's view of some of the realities of World War II, and more importantly, deeper insight into his parents, their love, and their experiences for future Gilboe generations.

Gilboe holds degrees from Michigan State University and Wayne State University, is an accomplished musician, and active in his community.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Week: July 5 - July 11, 1942 5

Week: July 12 - July 18, 1942 9

Week: November 1 - November 7, 1942 9

Week: June 20 - June 26, 1943 14

Week: June 27 - July 3, 1943 16

Week: August 15 - August 21, 1943 17

Week: November 28, - December 4, 1943 19

Week: December 5, - December 11, 1943 22

Week: December 12, - December 18, 1943 23

Week: December 19, - December 25, 1943 25

Week: December 26, 1943 - January 1, 1944 29

Week: January 2, 1944 - January 8, 1944 31

Week: January 9, 1944 - January 15, 1944 35

Week: January 16, 1944 - January 22, 1944 41

Week: January 23, 1944 - January 29, 1944 46

Week: January 30, 1944 - February 5, 1944 50

Week: February 6, 1944 - February 12, 1944 54

Week: February 13, 1944 - February 19, 1944 58

Week: February 20, 1944 - February 26, 1944 61

Week: February 27, 1944 - March 4, 1944 65

Week: March 5, 1944 - March 11, 1944 69

Week: March 12, 1944 - March 18, 1944 72

Week: March 19, 1944 - March 25, 1944 73

Week: March 26, 1944 - April 1, 1944 75

Week April 2, 1944 - April 8, 1944 77

Week: April 9, 1944 - April 15, 1944 & Week: April 16, 1944 - April 22, 1944 81

Week: April 23, 1944 - April 29, 1944 85

Week: April 30, 1944 - May 6, 1944 87

Week: May 7, 1944 - May 13, 1944 91

Week: May 14, 1944 - May 20, 1944 94

Week: May 21, 1944 - May 27, 1944 98

Week: May 28, 1944 - June 3, 1944 104

Week: June 4, 1944 - June 10, 1944 106

Week: June 11, 1944 - June 17, 1944 109

Week: June 18, 1944 - June 24, 1944 112

Week: July 16, 1944 - July 22, 1944 113

Week: July 23, 1944 - July 29, 1944 113

Week: July 30, 1944 - August 5, 1944 115

Week: August 6, 1944 - August 12, 1944 117

Week: August 13, 1944 - August 19, 1944 119

Week: August 20, 1944 - August 26, 1944 120

Week: August 27, 1944 - September 2, 1944 123

Week: September 3, 1944 - September 9, 1944 125

Week: September 10, 1944 - September 16, 1944 127

Week: September 17, 1944 - September 23, 1944 129

Week: September 24, 1944 - September 30, 1944 130

Week: October 1, 1944 - October 7, 1944 133

Week: October 8, 1944 - October 14, 1944 135

Week: October 15, 1944 - October 21, 1944 137

Week: October 22, 1944 - October 28, 1944 138

Week: October 29, 1944 - November 4, 1944 141

Week: November 5, 1944 - November 11, 1944 144

Week: November 12, 1944 - November 18, 1944 145

Week: November 19, 1944 - November 25, 1944 148

Week: November 26, 1944 - December 2, 1944 152

Week: December 3, 1944 - December 9, 1944 154

Week: December 10, 1944 - December 16, 1944 156

Week: December 17, 1944 - December 23, 1944 160

Week: December 24, 1944 - December 30, 1944 163

Week: December 31, 1944 - January 6, 1945 166

Week: January 7, 1945 - January 13, 1945 167

Week: January 14, 1945 - January 20, 1945 169

Week: January 21, 1945 - January 27, 1945 173

Week: January 28, 1945 - February 3, 1945 174

Week: February 4, 1945 - February 10, 1945 177

Week: February 11, 1945 - February 17, 1945 179

Week: February 18, 1945 - February 24, 1945 181

Week: February 25, 1945 - March 3, 1945 183

Week: March 4, 1945 - March 10, 1945 187

Week: March 11, 1945 - March 17, 1945 188

Week: March 18, 1945 - March 24, 1945 190

Week: March 25, 1945 - March 31, 1945 193

Week: April 1, 1945 - April 7, 1945 194

Week: April 8, 1945 - April 14, 1945 196

Week: April 15, 1945 - April 21, 1945 197

Week: April 22, 1945 - April 28, 1945 199

Week: April 29, 1945 - May 5, 1945 201

Week: May 13, 1945 - May 19, 1945 203

Week: May 20, 1945 - May 26, 1945 204

Week: May 27, 1945 - June 2, 1945 207

Week: June 3, 1945 - June 9, 1945 208

Week: June 10, 1945 - June 16, 1945 212

Week: June 17, 1945 - June 23, 1945 214

Week: June 24, 1945 - June 30, 1945 216

Week: July 1, 1945 - July 7, 1945 217

Week: July 8, 1945 - July 14, 1945 219

Week: July 15, 1945 - July 21, 1945 221

Week: July 22, 1945 - July 28, 1945 223

Week: July 29, 1945 - August 4, 1945 225

Week: August 5, 1945 - August 11, 1945 227

Week: August 12, 1945 - August 18, 1945 229

Week: August 19, 1945 - August 25, 1945 230

Week: August 26, 1945 - September 1, 1945 232

Week: September 2, 1945 - September 8, 1945 234

Week: September 9, 1945 - September 15, 1945 237

Week: September 16, 1945 - September 22, 1945 238

Week: September 23, 1945 - September 29, 1945 240

Week: September 30, 1945 - October 6, 1945 243

Week: October 7, 1945 - October 13, 1945 245

Week: October 14, 1945 - October 20, 1945 247

Week: October 21, 1945 - October 27, 1945 249

Week: October 28, 1945 - November 3, 1945 251

Week: November 4, 1945 - November 10, 1945 253

Week: November 11, 1945 - November 17, 1945 254

Week: November 18, 1945 - November 24, 1945 256

Week: November 25, 1945 - December 1, 1945 259

Week: December 2, 1945 - December 8, 1945 261

Week: December 9, 1945 - December 15, 1945 263

Week: December 16, 1945 - December 22, 1945 264

Week: December 23, 1945 - December 29, 1945 266

Week: December 30, 1945 - January 5, 1945 269

Afterward 272