War and Family: Letters Home

PFC Arnold John Nerthling Jr., US Army, 232nd Port Company

Arnold John Nerthling,  A young man from Buffalo, with roots reaching back to the Seneca people of the Tonawanda Reservation, Arnold carried out the unglamorous but essential work that kept the Allied advance moving across the Pacific. His words—written between cargo ships, tropical rain, mosquito nets, and distant islands—remind us that victory in World War II depended not only on the men in the headlines, but also on those whose names rarely appeared in history books. Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home.  I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise More than eighty years ago, members of the Greatest Generation sat down with pen and paper to write home from training camps, ships at sea, foxholes, air bases, and distant battlefields. Most never imagined those letters would survive long after the war ended. But some did. They surface today in antique stores, estate sales, and auctions—small pieces of history separated from the families who once treasured them. These are not just military records or casualty statistics. They are personal stories of the men and women of WW2, whose words somehow survived the decades. These letters belong back to their families – maybe this letter was meant for you!

RDM 3/C Luther P Miller US Navy, PC-1187 and the USS Oberon - Letters Sent Home !

Please join me to hear the story and letters of Luther Patterson Miller of Somerset Pennsylvania. Navy radioman Miller witnessed a world at war. Yet perhaps his greatest contribution came after the fighting had ended — returning home to his wife and son, working long hours to provide for his family, and eventually building a company that would continue serving Appalachian communities for generations to come. In many ways, the story of Luther Patterson Miller is the story of so many Americans of the World War II generation — ordinary people who answered the call to serve, then came home and quietly helped build the communities that carried the country forward in the years after the war. Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home.  I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise This podcast shares letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. I find these letters in antique stores and auctions, research the letter writer and tell their story before, during and after the war. My mission is simple: to return World War II history to families—one letter, and one story at a time.

CPL Julian A. Nichols, U.S. Army, 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co - Letters Sent Home !

Welcome to the 100th episode War and Family Letters Home! This episode is about Cpl. Julian Andrew Nichols of the 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co.  Cpl Nichols served in both the European and Pacific theatre of war.  Join me to hear his letters and his activities before, during and after the war!  The best part?  Cpl Nichols letters are going home to his Granddaughter! This podcast shares letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. My mission is simple: to return World War II history to families—one letter, and one story at a time.

Pvt. Martin Leroy Phy., 424th Anti Tank, 106th Infantry Division, US Army

Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home. I’m your host, Lauren Muise. This podcast is built around letters — real letters — written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. My mission is simple: to return that history to families, one letter and one story at a time. Each letter is a time capsule — a voice carried forward from a foxhole, a barracks bunk, a ship at sea, or a field hospital half a world away. And I hope that someone listening today will hear a familiar name… Or recognize a hometown… and reach out. Because these letters belong home. Maybe this letter… is meant for you. Pvt Phy served bravely in the 424th anti-tank battalion – the type of unit often overlooked in WW2 history. They were specialized, supporting and rarely in the spotlight unless something went terribly wrong.  The battalion’s story is not one of sweeping victory, but of duty under impossible conditions.  Anti-tank units were the last line between advancing armor and vulnerable infantry.  In the Ardennes, that line bent and in many places it broke – but not without resistance.  Their experience is a reminder that history is often shaped not just by triumphs, but by moments of shock, endurance, and survival.

S/Sgt Victor Pettus Miles, US Army, 315th Combat Engineers

Victory Pettus Miles was born in Gray Summit Missouri.  he served in the 315th Engineer combat Battalion, it's motto: "We Make"   S/Sgt Miles served in the European theatre and was part of the first wave of landings at Omaha Beach. During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War. Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at and help me get the letters home