Love letters from a World War II soldier
By Carol Sissom
Availability page
Carol's Media/Press Kit
(and then scroll down)
Carol has just found out that Martha Devore Oleson has passed away; more information will be posted soon.
Martha, along with her husband James are, of course, the subjects of Hand Over Heart.
Our sincere condolences, our thoughts, and our prayers, go out to the Oleson family.
(please scroll down to see two pictures of Martha from one of Carol's recent book-signings)
GET A COPY OF THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF INDIANAPOLIS WOMAN MAGAZINE!
There's a large feature article about Carol's book HAND OVER HEART!
Bettina Puckett
Staff Writer
The Shelbyville News
November 10, 2007
Dozens of passionate, funny and heartwarming letters that a 93-year-old former Boggstown resident received from her husband during World War II have been beautifully compiled into a book called "Hand Over Heart" - just in time for Veterans Day.
Martha Devore Oleson, who was born in Indianapolis, moved to Shelby County with her family and graduated from Boggstown High School in 1932. When World War II broke out, she started the USO in Indianapolis, and it was there where she met her future husband and love of her life, James Oleson. "He was attracted to her instantly, and they fell in love immediately," said the book, written by Carol Sissom.
When she met Jim, Martha already had an important career. She was the head of the USO, where she supervised dozens of women. Back in those days, the USO often held dances, and it was Martha's job to make sure the troops from nearby Fort Benjamin Harrison did not get too friendly with the women.
"They were not allowed to dance very long," said Martha's niece, Gerry-Ann Hunter of New Palestine. "She'd have to tap them on the shoulder. It was a different era."
Martha was around 26 or 27 years old at the time, and a little older than some of the other women at the USO. She also was a hostess for the William H. Block Tearoom in downtown Indianapolis and served as a Sunday school teacher at a prominent Presbyterian church.
When Martha and Jim met, he was in the Navy and was attending radio school at Fort Harrison. "He would come (to the dance) and sit down with his newspaper and look over the top of the paper at her," Hunter said. "One night, he waited for her after a dance and things progressed from there."
Exciting train trip
After Jim asked Martha to marry him, she rode the train to Norfolk, Va. - a trip which is described in the book: "She counted 25 passengers on the train - all headed to Virginia to meet a soldier or a military loved one of some sort. Martha told the woman sitting next to her that she was going to be a June bride and how unbelievably excited she was. She couldn't believe, after all these months, she was going to finally see her true love."
Since she was traveling alone, Martha rode with her hand over her heart in anticipation. "Would Jim remember the young, vivacious thick, auburn-haired girl he had fallen in love with in Indianapolis?" the book asked. "Had the war and nearly a year at sea dashed their incredible passion for one another?"
They were married in Norfolk, Va., on June 1, 1943, at the First Presbyterian Church and honeymooned at nearby Virginia Beach. Jim soon shipped out to the Pacific. He was stationed aboard the Navy Ship LST 534 during World War II. "He was on the front lines of battle during the most intense, top-secret bombings and he was an eyewitness to the tremendous devastation and loss of life," Sissom wrote in her book.
Jim later became the editor and publisher of a newspaper, and the letters he wrote at sea were well-written. "They are not all per se love letters," Hunter said. "But you can read the love in them."
In an Oct. 18, 1944, letter that Jim wrote on the ship, he talked about how the sailors regularly wrote to their loved ones. "It never fails - every time I start to write there is some guy who is always asking how do you spell this - how do you spell that and I am practically writing the letter for him," Jim wrote. "I guess I shouldn't be so smart."
Missing fresh fruit
Fresh fruit was hard to come by on the ship. "We just got some oranges aboard - first fresh fruit in a long time and I swiped one - isn't I a rascal, though. I would give a dollar for one juicy Washington apple - or for a few Indiana tomatoes. Sure do miss my fruit," he wrote.
In a Dec. 1, 1944, letter, Jim commented on a photograph that Martha had sent to him. "You are looking very well, and I guess that home cooking must agree with you," he wrote from somewhere in New Guinea. "I don't eat hardly anything down here as it is so hot most of the time that a fellow does not need much to keep going. I usually throw about half of the grub they give me away, and it seems like an awful waste but can't be helped. We would sure be out of luck if it wasn't for the tin can. Nearly everything we eat comes out of tin cans."
Jim wrote that he imagined World War II would be known as the tin can war. "Most everything else is dehydrated, and if you want something extra special for breakfast just get yourself some powdered eggs and powdered milk and, before you know it, you will have a breakfast you can tell the neighbors about."
A talented musician, Jim played the trumpet for his ship and he also once played for Lawrence Welk. At one point, he considered a career in music, but gave it up because it was not financially profitable enough to support a family.
The book contains letters from Martha, but not nearly as many because most were lost at sea. In one letter to her husband, Martha said she would lie motionless at night, waiting for him to appear in her dreams. "From what I've been reading - the war is terrible, dangerous and fierce," she wrote.
"Be safe in the Lord's arms tonight," Martha wrote. "You will be in my arms very soon. Hang on, my darling. Hang on ..." They would have to endure being apart for three long years before being reunited.
Peace at last
After the war, Jim and Martha lived in the state of Washington for 23 years. He worked as an accountant, and later he and Martha opened up a TraveLodge that they ran for more than 10 years.
Jim became ill and died in 1966 from a series of small strokes. He passed away in Martha's arms and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Hunter met Sissom, the book's author, at a flower and patio show in Indianapolis last March. Sissom has written several books, including the 2006 bestseller, "The LaSalle Street Murders."
Sissom said that when she met Hunter, she agreed only to meet her at a restaurant. But when she began reading Martha's letters, she was captivated. "His letters were so passionate, I started crying," Sissom said.
At the time, Sissom was about to go on tour to promote her book, "Miracles Really Do Happen." Although she felt she didn't have time to jump into another book at that moment, she made time to write Martha and Jim's special love story. "I really felt that I needed to do it," she said.
Hunter said that her aunt never re-married after her uncle died. "But she had several boyfriends," she said.
"Hand Over Heart" may be found in Barnes & Noble and Borders book stores. The book was only published in September, but has already sold 600 to 800 copies.
To learn more about Sissom, visit www.carolsissom.com.
Carol Sissom speaks at retirment homes about WARTIME ROMANCES (Hand Over Heart), MIRACLES (Miracles Really Do Happen), and her experiences as a licensed private eye (The LaSalle Street Murders).
YOU DID A WONDERFUL JOB SPEAKING AT THE LAKE!
I COULD LISTEN TO YOU FOREVER! I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN ANN RULE FAN!
NOW AS YOU KNOW I HAVE ADDED YOU TO MY COLLECTION!
IT WAS A PLEASURE TO MEET EVERYONE!
ROBIN - HERITAGE LAKE BOOK CLUB - SEPTEMBER 2007
I look forward to reading the rest of this book. I love this period of history.
Marvin Baker - Indianapolis