Pametto Book Video Review

Comes A Soldier’s Whisper: A Collection of Wartime Letters with Reflection and Hope for the Future – Compliments of Palmetto Review ★★★★

This collection of letters, written by a young 101^st Airborne paratrooper to his sweetheart from 1943-1945, is so personal and matter-of-fact that I almost forgot that David Clinton Tharp was only one of millions of heroes made by World War II.

Reading his letters all at once, several things become immediately apparent. Most obvious is his lack of enthusiasm in writing about the war itself, which was due to the U.S. Army’s orders for confidentiality. As it is, you will see some of the words in his letters were censored by the government, which forbids the soldiers from communicating their whereabouts and missions. He saw plenty of combat and obliquely mentioned it, but he preferred to write about the weather, the foreign people and places he encountered, and his plans for marrying Betty Lou, his girlfriend and future wife (although he occasionally expressed doubts about whether there would be a wedding). He surely kept to these less sanguinary topics to avoid upsetting his family, but usually promised to tell the full story when he returned home. We can only imagine what those stories were like.

Throughout his letters, Mr. Tharp is consistent in his views about the war. He wanted it to be over soon, but he knew he should stay in it to the end, to avoid planting seeds for another world war that his children would have to fight. After Germany’s surrender, he supported tougher measures against the defeated people and wrote that the Americans (I don’t think he mentions other Allied soldiers) were being too easy on them. As far as I know, these views were fairly common at the time, and they were certainly understandable in the aftermath of that war. He did show some unconventionally progressive views, as well, such as his belief in racial equality, and he didn’t seem to mind if his wife wanted to keep working after the war. It is this individuality that makes the book’s greatest impression on the reader, which may or may not be what you’re looking for. You won’t learn too much about the war itself here. This is solely Mr. Tharp’s story.

David Tharp certainly deserves a book like this in his honor, and it deserves to be read and praised, but I can’t let go of a single reservation: that his wife’s letters weren’t also included. Reading the two lovers’ entire conversation and understanding how they interacted with each other would’ve made the story more emotionally rewarding, and of course more complete. It wasn’t possible, though, for the soldiers to keep every letter and package they received, so I can’t really hold that against this book.

It is a must-read for every American, and especially for veterans of war.

Toginet Radio Interview
January 12 2014
[audio:https://comesasoldierswhisper.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/429476.mp3 | titles=Toginet Radio Interview]