Welcome


Welcome to "The Girl Back Home," a continuation of the ebook by the same name.  This year, 2019, is the 50th Anniversary the letters that tell a story of young love during the Vietnam Era. 

  • Why use a blog to continue the ebook?
    A blog can be updated daily; it allows posting of the letters on the exact day they were written fifty years ago.  We thought you'd think that was pretty cool.
  • How do I can I read the letters from the day they started?
To read letters beginning on the very first day, May 16, 1969, simply go to Amazon and download"The Girl Back Home" by Kate Kensington. It's only a mere 99 cents! The ebook provides the backstory of this couple and insights into the complex feelings of many young people during this period of time.

    Can you describe the ebook?
    The ebook, "The Girl Back Home: a love story told through letters from Vietnam" is best described in the Review below by Author CW Spooner.

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    August 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase

    Once you begin to read Kate and Ted’s letters, it is impossible to stop. You are eavesdropping on a young couple falling in love and you can’t help but root for them. And yet you know the history of the war in Vietnam and a sense of foreboding hangs over their relationship. You say a little prayer for two people you will never meet, hoping against all odds there was a happy ending. And you can’t help projecting from 1968 to 2019. How many stories like Kate and Ted’s are being written today? Will there be future volumes titled, Letters from Iraq? Or Afghanistan? Or Syria? Or [fill in the blank]. There is a line from “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” When will they ever learn? Thank you, Kate Kensington. We need to be reminded from time to time.

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    The Rest of the Story

    The question of whether or not Ted returned home, what happened to the relationship during the couple's time apart, and more will all be revealed when the last letter is posted.   By following the letters we hope you will experience the thrill of falling in love all over again along with an understanding of the 60s from one couple's point of view. You will also have been part of a project that we hope will give insights into your own life. 

    Stolen Muffins 8/27/1969

    The following letter is a continuation from the ebook "The Girl Back Home".  To read the letters and back-story of this project, you can purchase the ebook (series 1) by clicking on this link to Amazon 
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    27 August, 1969
    Dear Kate,
    Hello my love. I hope this letter finds you happy and in love - with me that is! But I hope the separation does not weigh as heavy on your heart as it does on mine.
    I was disappointed to find that you couldn't make it down. But you're right, Kate. Perhaps God has other plans for us. I can see right now that it will never be just the two of us, but the three of us.
    It's 4:00 now. I just got back from school. As usual, Company B is having another GI party this afternoon. The CO probably found a finger print on one of the brass door plates. It's true my life now is a lot easier than basic, but my dislike for the "army" hasn't lessened any. Now that we're just getting settled down, they plan to move us to another battalion.
    I received your muffins yesterday. Thank you! They were very good. As a matter of fact, someone broke into my locker today and all he took was four of your muffins. That's another thing I dislike about the army. Sixty percent of the people in it are idiots. (Let me clarify - that is not to imply that the person who broke into my locker was an idiot because he took your muffins.)
    I just got back from chow. Typical army dinner - ten pounds of starch and one ounce of meat. As if the meal wasn't bad enough, all through dinner, my buddy O'Brien (remember I told you about him?) is giving me a not so brief synopsis of English history. Do you know how boring 1200 years of English history can be? Especially over burnt lamb chops? I didn't want to seem disinterested though, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
    I'm going to try to get to bed early tonight - last night I didn't ger very much sleep. Last night the boys decided to have a shaving cream war. Despite my protestations of neutrality, I became a casualty. Half of the time, it's like kindergarten recess around here.
    I hope things have been going well for you and your family. Give them my regards.
    Well, I guess I'll close now. The only bright spot in my near future is my conversation with you on Sunday. Until then, my love, God be with youl
    Love,
    Ted


    P.S.   I need you...
    P.P.S.because I love you
    Note: One of the most popular books in the 60s was "The Art of Loving"  by psychoanalyst and social philosopher, Erich Fromm. Of course, there's no time in life that drives people to look for inspiration and guidance than when they are young and in love.  The quote:  "Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.'" is directly from Erich Fromm and probably a result of Ted and Kate's sharing the book in 1969.