When the USPS recently delivered a letter written at the end of World War II, it brought up many emotions for the recipient.
The 76-year-old letter was written by Army Sgt. John Gonsalves, when he was a 22-year-old posted in Germany. It was a short but sweet note to his mother living in Woburn, Massachusetts:
"Dear, Mom. Received another letter from you today and was happy to hear that everything is okay. As for myself, I’m fine and getting along okay. But as far as the food it’s pretty lousy most of the time.
Love and kisses, Your son Johnny. I’ll be seeing you soon, I hope.”
However, the letter didn't make it to its destination. Instead it was unwittingly stored in a United States Postal Services facility in Pittsburgh for 75 years, until employees finally found it. The dedicated workers then set about delivering it to its intended recipient, as they shared with WFXT-TV, "delivering this letter was of utmost importance to us."
Sadly the army veteran died in 2015, and his mother had passed away, too. But with a little research, the USPS found the address where Gonsalves' widow, Angelina, lived.
“Imagine that! Seventy-six years! I just I couldn’t believe it. And then just his handwriting and everything. It was just so amazing," explained Angelina, who married Gonsalves five years after the war.
Although the letter was initially meant for Angelina, the fact that the USPS had gone to great lengths to deliver the letter brought her much comfort. As she said: "It’s like he came back to me, you know? Really. That was amazing. He was a good man. He really was. Everybody loved him."
The Gonsalves family was sure to reach out to the USPS to thank them for their service.
