"Almost At the Front: The Letters of Sgt. Merrill H. Lundgren" - By Peter M. Lundgren - .pdf format eBook only

Merrill Lundgren, affectionately known as "The Bucket Man" for his pioneering Bucketfilling School program, was also a soldier during WWII, and a fascinating soldier he was. Dr. Peter Liddle, Director of the WWII Experience Centre in Leeds England, wrote us after reading "Almost at the Front", saying, "It is not often I read a book from start to finish in one sitting, but Merrill's letters, with his unique style and perspective, kept my eyes glued until the final page."

This eBook is available in .pdf format and can be read in on most readers. For readers with smaller screens, many free converter softwares are availble for conversion to .epub or other formats. It was decided that .pdf would be the most versatile format to offer this wonderful collection. We hope you enjoy!

From the Introduction:

This document contains a compilation of letters written by my father, then Corporal Merrill Harley Lundgren, U.S Armed Forces, 1st Army, VII Corps, 482nd Military Police Escort Guard Company. Dad was the company clerk and had constant access to a typewriter, which he used almost daily during his period of duty during World War II. From just before his trip to England prior to the launching of D-Day, to his safe return in January 1946, dad's typewriter rang out with words of patriotism for his country, support for his fellow soldier, compassion for the suffering people of Europe, and most of all love for his new bride, my mother, Edna (Leibrock) Lundgren.

One year ago I knew very little about the courtship of my mother and father, how mom would sing to dad with her beautiful soprano voice, and how much dad loved to hear her sing. I knew very little of the early innocence of their relationship, or of their dreams as they planned their lives together. I have learned of the duties of a Military Police Escort Guard unit, and of the tremendous loyalty and patriotism that soldiers of all of the armed forces shared during this tremendous conflict. Shining through the devastating picture of a continent torn apart was a soldier, a compassionate soldier, whose love for his fellow man did not stop in his native United States, whose sense of humor was and still is contagious, and whose attitude, morals, and values have touched the lives of countless others.

The entries in this document have been taken directly from the original letters. I have tried to track the whereabouts of the VII Corps through this book, whenever possible. Dad was unable to communicate his position to mom because of strict censorship of the mail, although he was occasionally able to divulge his location with hints that only mom (or other family members) would know. I have added other significant events of the war as they occurred with the purpose of tying dad's letters to the historical events of the period.

This document will afford future generations the ability to look back in time, to a time when nothing was more powerful than the love of a spouse, and nothing more important than the closeness of family.

Peter M. Lundgren