The letters presented in The Heart of a Soldier introduce the reader to a decorated yet humble American soldier who fought in World War II, whose acts of bravery and determination attracted the attention of the soldier’s newspaper, Stars and Stripes, which documented the combat path of the Sixth Armored Division of General Patton’s Third Army as it fought its way from the hedgerows of the Normandy bridgehead to Hitler’s lair in the Alps of southern Germany.

As a soldier in the Sixth Armored Division, also known as the “Super Sixth,” my father, First Sergeant George Donald, was decorated with the Silver Star for his bravery and a Purple Heart for his wounds during a German attack on October 9, 1944.  Later, he received the Bronze Star for his heroic actions and leadership during the Battle of the Bulge.  Over 75 years ago, he shared what training and combat experiences Army censors would permit him to share in more than four years of almost daily letters he sent to my mother, the woman he would someday marry.  More important still, these letters highlight one facet of why soldiers fought and endured, namely, their love, the hardship of separation, and their American dream of eventually sharing a life together.

While these censored letters represent the heart and soul of this book, I have supplemented my father’s words within the context of his experiences in training and combat.  This content includes synopses of the war itself and the challenges the “Super Sixth” faced daily and overcame during training and combat.  As I edited my father’s letters and wrote The Heart of a Soldier, in addition to researching the war in the European theater and the “Super Sixth’s” experiences in it, I included similar letters and history of the fighting in the Pacific theater, where my uncles and several of my father’s friends served.  Quite naturally, as the daughter of a World War II veteran, I shared my personal perspective on a war my father seldom discussed.

While reading this book, veterans and their families, descendants of The Greatest Generation, and those with an interest in military history and history as a whole can revisit and perhaps better understand the struggles people endured during World War II and the lasting love of family that helped soldiers survive.