Note: This post is transcribed from an interview Phyllis Haynes did with the soldier

I was a newly commissioned second lieutenant in the United States Army with orders to report in September to the Second Battalion of the 30th Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

The Letter

The world is now in a period of strife, conflict, and change. It will be in the same state when you read this letter. There is no way to attain peace among men when man rarely achieves peace within himself. For every good thought a man has. There is an evil one lurking far in the corners of his mind. He hears talk of God and heaven and witnesses man’s cruelty to man each and every day of his life.

He realizes that he would be stripped and beaten if he did all the right things. The world would acclaim him a martyr. He would be a dead martyr. And life is so very precious to us humans. You, my baby, to be must learn to balance your deeds with your conscience. Use just enough evil to gain the respect of others so that they dare not trod on you.

Do as much good as you can whenever you can to whomever needs it in your lifetime.

You will hear the phrase, all men are created equal, but that’s a lie. Each person is an individual, so how can they be the same? The phrase is used in connection with people of different cultures and colors having the same rights and privileges when living in a mixed society. If there were one race on this earth, there would be the same problems we have today.

Just because you belong to a particular race does not mean that you can communicate with everyone in it. Intelligence background, education, understanding goals, and the openness to new ideas will differ. You will find, however, that the people you can communicate best with cuts across all races of people; treasure these people, for they are hard to come by.

There will always be someone older than you who thinks because of it, they are wiser. This is probably because of a seniority system that rules the world we live in. It can be found in government, business, and even religion. The elders will demand respect. Even if they have not earned it, you must learn to use them.

No matter how arrogant or blind to the truth, there is always something you can learn from them as long as you show them the respect they want; even if it’s fake, they will do anything in the world for you. The education you will need to live in this world will not be found in books. You will find the answers in the people you meet and the experiences you encounter.

Don’t stop meeting or experiencing until you have done it all. Love whenever you can and try not to hate.

Thank God for good things, and find something good in the bad. Your grandmother has a philosophy that will ensure you the happiness most people never find. If you’re old enough to understand the words that preceded this paragraph, you know that there is a catch about to follow.

“To thine own self be true “ are the words you’ll hear her softly say, and then she’ll walk away for she has said it all. To live by this quotation, you must find yourself, and that is a very, very painful undertaking. You will have to expose all the vanity. conceit and fault within yourself. You will have to discover the reasons why you do everything.

If you do a lame excuse like: “ because I felt like it,” it just will not make it. You have to tear yourself apart and examine every piece. You must put all the things in the right perspective and realize your insecurities and deficiencies. And, don’t fool yourself about them.

If you want to travel from New York to California without running into a lot of dead ends, detours, and pitfalls, you need some facts. You will use a map, and then you’ll follow the road signs.

If, along the way, some of the signs are turned the wrong way or covered up. You will get lost no matter what it says on the map. You are on a journey that will end in the understanding of all things, and in order to reach that objective without a lot of dead ends, detours, and pitfalls, you will need some facts.

If you fail to uncover the truth in the depths of your mind and don’t correct the signs that you changed because the right way was too hard, you will get lost.

Know thyself!

Your Father

The writer of this letter wishes to remain anonymous. He feels deeply that this is to be shared for the benefit of all.