From Battle, Soldiers Send War Letters Home

April 1, 2003 -- From a desert battlefield far from home, a U.S. military officer sent his wife a love letter via e-mail, describing how his wedding ring has soothed him and reminded him of her though they are many miles apart.

"Everyday, I find myself fidgeting with my ring … the smoothness of its surface calms me," Captain Scott Smith wrote to his wife, Kelly. "I can't fully describe what I'm feeling. I'm no poet, but its lightness, its beauty, remind me of you. Its hardness is a sign of your strength. Love, you are my rock. You are what I live for."

Before this war in Iraq gave embedded journalists unprecedented access to troops, the only way to get a sense of life on the front lines was from letters like Smith's, from soldiers, writing to their loved ones.

Andrew Carroll, who wrote War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars, has read 75,000 war letters from the Civil War era to Bosnia. Regardless of the year — or even the century in which they were written — many share the same themes.

"The formality of language changes, but the emotions don't, whether they're carrying a musket or an M-16," Carroll told Good Morning America. "This is their war, so the messages are timeless. The messages always come back to 'I love you, I miss you, please write me.'"

A Slice of Life in Wartime

Another letter, which aired on Good Morning America Monday, was from Army Pfc. Favio Melendez Jr., with the Patriot unit from the 108th in Fort Bliss, Texas. He wrote to his wife.

"Dear Babe,

"My journey back home is about to begin. The war would've been halfway over by the time you get this letter. I love you and miss you.

"If anything happens to me remember I'll always love you. I'll always be with you. Tell everybody back home thank you for the letters and for the prayers. I'll see them soon.

"Tell my parents they have raised a proud American son. Tell my sister to achieve her goals for I have fought for them. Pray for those soldiers who have lost their lives for our freedom and pray for those who continue to fight to make the world a better place.