Widow of American soldier deployed to Germany in 1945 receives letter from him 76 years later

Angelina Gonsalves received an unexpected letter last month. A letter her late husband sent 76 years earlier, when he was deployed overseas during WWII. The soldier, 22 at the time, had been sent to Germany. In this letter, John Gonsalves writes to his mother to inquire about his family, and to let it be known that he was thinking of returning to Massachusetts (United States) soon, says CNN.

One GI, John Gonsalves, found the weather “rotten” and the food “infamous” in Bad Orb, near Frankfurt (Germany). His letter, written on December 6, 1945, has just arrived at its destination, 76 years later. “I’ll be seeing you soon. I hope”. https://t.co/zbOj35sOBp

– Maurin Picard (@MaurinPicard) January 12, 2022

The letter, dated December 6, 1945 – written several months after the end of World War II – never reached her mother’s home. But 76 years and three days later, the mail was delivered by the USPS (the United States Postal Service) to his widow. “I got to read it and it was wonderful,” John’s wife, who lives in Massachusetts, said on Wednesday. “It’s in very good condition, I can’t believe it. He talks about the “bad” food and the gloomy weather in Bad Orb, where he only sees the sun for half a day a month.

Angelina and John did not yet know each other when he wrote this letter. The couple married in 1953 and had five sons. In 2015, John passed away at the age of 92. “It was a pleasure to see his face light up as he read his words,” Brian Gonsalves, one of Angelina and John’s children, told CNN. This is something she will hold on to now. “

Postal workers played sleuths

But where had this letter gone for 76 years? It is unclear, but according to the USPS memo attached to John’s mail, she was found in their treatment center in Pittsburgh. The employees, aware of the importance of the letter, would then have started looking for the closest relative of the sender.

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“We are aware of your husband’s passing in 2015 (our condolences),” USPS writes. “Thanks to the dedicated detective work by the postal workers at this establishment, we were able to determine your address, hence the sending of this letter, despite 76 years of delay. Due to its age and its symbolic significance, the delivery of this letter was of the utmost importance to us. “

Angelina received the mail on December 9th. A period heavy with meaning for the son. “It was as if he had come back for the holiday season.”