"On May 29th, 1936, at the age of 27, Lloyd Hunnicutt graduated from
Cavalry School in Fort Riley, Kansas, as a Second Lieutenant in the
124th Unit of the Texas Natonal Guard . . . .  received his first
promotion on November 18, 1940.  Nineteen months later, he went to
war in the South Pacific with the 112th Cavalry."—from the introduction

"A good old-fashioned siege of homesickness wouldn't be so bad—but 
these constantly recurring twinges of emptiness that occur when 
something unconsciously reminds me of you are a little hard to take. 
I don't see now how I even had the nerve to get on the train at Fort Clark. 
I know now why American soldiers always win their battles—they fight 
hard so they can get home to their wives and families. I think our greatest 
hardship is that there is no one near who loves us and to whom we can 
turn for comfort. Each of us must stand on his own feet at all times. But 
that is enough of that. Remember that without your love I would have no 
incentive for anything ever again."—Lloyd Hunnicutt, 1942, somewhere 
in the South Pacific

    In 1942 Captain Lloyd Hunnicutt shipped out for the Pacific. He left 
behind, in Fort Worth, Texas, his beloved and pregnant wife, Virginia. 
Captain Hunnicutt went first to the island of New Caledonia, a 
relatively safe and malaria-free island, and then to the jungles of New 
Guinea, where his men were bombarded by the Japanese and 
threatened by malaria.

    Dearest Virginia presents a selection of the letters he wrote his wife, 
sometimes two a day. Captain Hunnicutt could not tell Virginia where 
he was, but the letters reflect his experiences in the Pacific—his 
efforts to keep busy on ship, the importance he placed on reading, the 
pleasures of fresh food as opposed to C-rations. But above all, these 
are love letters, filled with longing and loneliness, philosophical 
musings on marriage and fidelity, and humor. Reflecting the feelings of 
service men and women everywhere in all wars, these letters are as 
poignant and relevant today as they were sixty years ago.
 
    Of his concern for his wife's pregnancy, he wrote, "I don't want you 
scared by an automobile or anything this late—the baby might have a 
voice like a Chevrolet horn!"

    The baby was a girl, named Gayle, who moved to England and 
became a well-known actress. Clearing out her parents' home when 
her mother moved to an assisted living facility, she found the letters 
from her father, stashed them away for later, and eventually spent 
months sorting, choosing, and condensing them to produce this book. 
Unfortunately, Captain Hunnicutt was required for security reasons to 
destroy any letters he received, so none of Virginia's correspondence 
survives. Gayle Hunnicutt contributed a lengthy memoir, rich with her 
memories of her parents and a childhood in Fort Worth.

    First published in England by Kyle Cathie Ltd: Publishers—2004.

_________________________________________________________

GAYLE HUNNICUTT lives in London. Her mother, Virginia, lives in 
Fort Worth.



What people are saying about this book

"This narrative framework leans inexorably toward the high-society 
sector of Fort Worth . . . but a down-home and folksy tone prevails,
nonetheless. The reader becomes acquainted . . . with two 
fascinatingly un-like families, united by a romance of near-epic 
resonance."—Fort Worth Business Press