(envelope)
Robert E. Bryan Ph M 3 cl
CMA Med Dept
c/o APO S.F., Calif
Via Air Mail!
Mrs. Robert E. Cox
Route 8
Knoxville
(the letter itself)
Guam
(undated, but it was written in March, 1946)
Dear Auntee & Uncle
Coming home!
This letter was from Robert E. (Bob) Bryan to his aunt and uncle Ethel Bryan Cox and Elmer Cox. Aunt Ethel and Uncle Elmer were known to me as Mamaw and Papaw Cox because they raised Bob for several years when his mother died shortly after he was born.
The letter was written from Guam in March 1946 to let his Aunt Ethel and Uncle Elmer know that he was going to be able to come home soon from the war. He had been gone since July 1943. He finally arrived home on May 7th, 1946.
Back in 1946, the Cox's mailbox was not in front of their house on McCubbins Road where I remember the mailbox being, but rather the mailbox was down the hill from the house at the intersection of McCubbins Road with Thorn Grove Pike. So it was quite a hike to go get the mail. The story is that when Elmer got the letter out of the mail box and read it, he whooped and hollered all the way back up the hill to the house because he was so excited that Bob was coming home.
