In a fit of youthful bravado, fifteen-year-old Bill Lynn from St. Louis, Missouri, joined the marines in the summer of 1941 after lying about his age. (Many teenagers did the same.) Almost immediately after he got to boot camp in San Diego, California, he discovered he had made an awful mistake. Lynn desperately wanted to quit but, being tall for his age, could not convince the marines he was really only fifteen. In a letter to his mother dated August 29, 1941, Lynn begged her to help him come home. (Lynn’s education was limited, and he dictated some letters to older privates, who penned them on his behalf. The following letters, which Lynn wrote himself have an occasional grammatical or spelling error.)
Dear Mom,
This is the lousy place in the world. Our clothes they gave us are to big for some of us. I got my shots today & they really do hurt me. The sargents crabby Just because a boy forgot something when we were moving the man kicked him & made him run all the way over to the other camp & get it. We go to bed at 9:00 & get up at 5:00. Mom tell them the truth about my age and get me out of here. I am getting so lonely I think I will die. We had to get all of our hair cut off but about half an inch. Hurry as soon as possible if you can. Try to get me out by Sunday at least. We had to polish & wash windows last night until 9:00 o clock. I have enclosed the bill. Sorry I did not write sooner. Oh, mom if you only knew how I feel you would not wait to get me out. Send me some clothes when you come get me out. Write me some because I have put some stamps in for air mail. You have to walk on you tiptoes so it will not make to much noise. The sarg, made that up. Tell everybody I said helo. How’s Sandy.
Your son
Bill
Write to me.
It is not known for certain if Mrs. Lynn withheld her son’s birth certificate on purpose, forgot to mail it, or simply couldn’t find it, but she did not send it after receiving her son’s letter. On top of the rigors of training, which he continued to find onerous, Lynn was also being introduced to the brutality of war, as evidenced in the following letter dated January 13, 1942. (Betty is his sister; Bob is his older brother; and Toot, mentioned in later letters, is the nickname for his other sister, Alline.)
Dear Mom,
Please tell Betty that I got her package and I thank her very much. I got a box of candy and I guess you sent it & thanks a lot. Tell Bob that I will send him a Xmas present when I get paid. How did you like the pillow case I sent you.
Mom, I am standing guard by one of these English ships that came in last week. They took off 600 dead & wounded from it. You could not even go down in the hole it stunk so bad. As soon as it landed I went on board and went up forward and there sat a guy with half of his head blown away. There sure were soom of the bloodist sight on that ship that I every saw.
I have a new address now Mom, you will find it on the back of the envelope. I’m just 30 miles north of San Franscico. I am trying to write this letter and listen to Bob Hope at the same time. Mom, if Bob has to go to the Army tell them my right age and tell them I have to get out and help you make a living. If you see Emmett around enywhere tell I said hello.
Don’t get worryed if you don’t here from me very often because when I go on guard for 24 hours I haven’t any time to write. When I get off I have to get caught up with my sleep. If every thing turns out right I will get my first stripe in about 1 month from now. Well mom I guess that about all there is to write now so I will close this letter now. Write soon.
You Son
Bill
Sixteen years old now, Lynn, despite the promise of a budding relationship with a local girl, reminded his mother he was still determined to leave the marines.
March 9, 1942
Dear Mom,
I am sorry I did not write you sooner but I have been to busy out here in California to do anything but guard duty. I am writing this letter from the guard house where we stay before going on guard. It is 8:00 now, at 11:30 I go on guard until 2:30 in the morning, then I come back & sleep until 10:00.
Mom, I am going to have a big picture taken of myself the 20th & I am going to send one to you & one to Eleanor. This is a Navy yard where I stand guard at and is it noisy out here. Tell Toot it was very nice of her to send me those Valentine cards. Mom, Please, make Betty go to school all the time because I know what it is like to not have the education since I got in the Marines.
Is it very cold in St. Louis now mom? We have been having fine weather out here in Calif for about a week now. In the mornings when we go on guard we’re in shirt sleeves until about 5:00 in the evening. Mom, when I want to go on liberty I go to San Francisco about 30 miles from here. Sometimes I go to Oakland, just 26 miles away.
Mom, it sure is bad to see these service men that have been fighting over in Pearl Harbor coming back with one leg or one arm. Some of the have got big cast over their chest where it was broken.
Mom, I use to go to Frisco and just walk around the streets and then go to a show by myself & it was so lonely that it nearly drove me crazy. So last week a guy took me out & I met a girl that is so nice. Every time I get a chance I hitch-hike 40 miles to see her. I go up to her house & if she is not at home her mother will not let me leave until I have had a glasss of wine or something to eat. Her family is so nice to me. She ask me to come up Thursday night & she would teach me how to dance. Mom, everybody thinks I am 18 out here, for one reason I am 5ft. 9inches tall and weight 157 pounds. Was I that big when I left for the Marines?
Mom, will you write to Jefferson City & get my Birth Certificate for me? There was a boy up here just a week ago got his mother to get his for him. When he got it he went down & seen the Captain & told them he wanted out. About a day later he had $155. to go home on & a honorable discharge from the Marine Corp. So will you write up there & get mine & sent it to me so I can come home. There should be plenty jobs open buy now with all the boys going in the service. Mom, I am so lonely I don’t know what to do. I sure would like to see St. Louis again.
Well Mom it took me 1:45 to write this letter but I got it wrote after all. Well that is all I can think of for the time being so I will close this letter.
Bye.
Your Son
Bill Lynn
P. S. Get my Birth Certificate as soon as you can. Please.
At long last, she found it. But, having now spent almost a full year in military service, Lynn realized he was actually developing a fondness for the marines and becoming more mature as a person. A little too mature, in fact. “If you can spare it,” Lynn wrote to his mom, “please send me some smokes. (Camels).” And, in a later letter: “We had some Rum over here two weeks ago. Boy, it sure tasted good. It was given to us by the officers.” Lynn even learned to build a small, makeshift distillery: “In case I haven’t told you,” he reported with pride, “the ‘still’ is doing OK. Made two nice rums & expect them to get better.” On July 2, 1942, he sent his birth certificate home along with the following letter:
Dear Mom,
I got your letter & was very glad to hear from you. There is not much to say. I got out of the Mess-Hall the other day after serving another month. Mom don’t get worried about me because nothing is going to happen. I doubt if I will see Bob when he comes to Calif, because I will be gone.
Mom don’t let Bob get drafted & be a Dog face. Make him join the Marines. I will not be hear another 2 weeks, so do not get worried if I do not write to you for a long while. I met a girl out here in Calif. & went head over heels for her. If Bob would join the Marines I would not be with him because I will be gone by the time he got out of Boot Camp.
I am sending you a trunk with some old clothes that I had. Do not think that I am dead because you get some clothes. Mom just take care of them in case I don’t come back. I will have a year in the service in another month. It does not seem right does it. You will find my birth certificate in a book in the trunk. It won’t be long till I am 17 will it. You will find my new address on the front of the envelope. That’s about all for now so I will close for now.
Your Son
Bill
P.S. Don’t get worried if you don’t hear from me for a while.
A year later Bill Lynn was in the Pacific. His mother hadn’t received word from him for several weeks and did, in fact, begin to worry. “Sorry I haven’t written,” he apologized in a November 5, 1943, letter, “but I just haven’t been able to. We are kept pretty busy here.” The word “busy” meant combat, but Lynn spared his mom the grim details and referred to the fighting only vaguely.
Jan. 27, 1944
Dear Mom, & Betty,
Well here is your baby boy again, writing a letter to you from the front lines. I don’t know if I told you before, but I am now in action again. It was pretty tough for the first three day, but now things are pretty quiet.
I met a boy from St. Louis the other day. He came from the same neighborhood as I did.
How is Betty getting along in school? Fine I hope. Tell her to keep going & be sure to finish because she is going to have to teach me when I get back.
After I get out the Marines, which is next year I am going to live in Wash. State. A man has got me a job up there with Pan-American Air Ways.
I have not heard from Bob in about 2 months. Write & tell him to write, because I lost his address.
Well that’s about all for now so I’ll have to close. I hope to be home for Xmas in 44.
Your Son
Bill
Letters came in only sporadically from Lynn, which made his mother all the more anxious. On August 21, she sent the following:
Dear Billie. I will drop you a few lines as I havent heard from you in 2 weeks. And I get so worried when I dont get letters from you boys. I hope you are well and O.K. I sure hope you are getting my letters, for I do write you often. Gee I sure am lonsome since Toot went back home. The baby didnt want to leave me. She cryed after she was on the train. I sure am glad you hear from them. And I am glad you got the pictures that Toot sent you, and I do hope you have gotten the picture of Bob by now. Honey I sure wish you could have some made and send me one, as I am so lonsome to see you. I know you are a big boy now. Billie you had a letter this morning tell you that your Service life Insurence has elapsed, since april 5, 1944, so write and tell me if you know about it. I guess I will close so write me soon. With Love Mom
When he had not received any replies from his brother Bob , fighting in Europe, Bill was now the one sounding like the concerned parent. “Have you heard from him lately[?],” Lynn asked his mom in August. “He has not written to me in almost a month now.” Three weeks later, Mrs. Lynn informed Bill of his brother’s whereabouts.
Sept 5, 1944
My dear little Son Billie sure glad to hear from you and to hear you are well and O.K. and honey I sure hope it wont be to long before you get a 30 day furlough. I sure want to see you and honey I have kept away from you about Bobbie, but I will tell you as I hope and think he is OK now. he was taken a prisoner of Romania in June 23 but I hope he is back safe agine, for there was 11 hundred relesed last week. I have allmost gone crazy, but I am trusting in God that this war ends soon, and that you boys will get to come home, honey I am living in hopes of having some better news for you soon. I hope I hear that he is save and well. Everything is OK here at home. I hear from the girls often. ans soon
with love Mom
Several weeks later Mrs. Lynn was able to report that Bob was safe. But she had not heard from Bill for some time.
Sept. 21, 1944
Dear Billie will drop you a few lines as I havent heard from you and I have good news, from the last letter I sent you. Bob will be back in the States at the last of this month. I sure was happy when I read the telagram from the government last night. I hope you are well and O.K. I have a pretty bad cold but I guess it will leave. I had letters from the girls they are getting along fine. honey you ask me why I didnt go out to Calif to see Bettie. well I have been working since she left. but I may decide to go now since I have heard that Bobbie is O.K. well honey I dident know what to send you for xmas but you can be looking for a box. and I hope you will like it. so write me soon.
Bob made it back to the States in October, and sent a short note to his younger brother. “How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you in a long time. When are you coming home? Wish you were here now. Well answer soon, would like to hear from you very much.” The letters and Christmas package Bill’s mother and brother sent him in the fall of 1944 were returned unopened; although the exact circumstances are not known, Pfc. Bill Lynn was killed in the Pacific three days after he turned nineteen years old.
