(I) bid you God speed

Yesterday I wrote about letters. Here is a rather special one that has been in my husband's family since 1918. It was written by George V, the father of the hero of the movie, The King's Speech. In that movie he does not come across as a father who knew how to encourage his troubled son, but as a king, he knew how to encourage and inspire the soldiers coming from a foreign country to fight alongside the British soldiers in the defense of freedom. It must have been presented in its embossed envelope to every American soldier who sailed to England on his way to the continent.

How different from the reception given to American and allied soldiers leaving home today to join forces opposing tyranny abroad, and indeed how different from the treatment given to returning veterans.

Here is the recipient of the letter, my father in law.

It is  cheating to refer a reader to a previous blog post,  but an entry I wrote earlier contains a short essay by my husband detailing his dad's military career. I hope you read it and enjoy it.