From Philadelphia to the Battle of the Bulge : The Brief Life of Pvt. John-Lefty-Zagarella As Told In Letters, 1941-1945

From Philadelphia To The Battle Of The Bulge describes the life of a young couple as they cope with separation, fear and anguish during World War II. The correspondence and photographs, intertwined with timelines and historic events, depict how the conflict affects U.S. Army, 28th Infantryman, Pvt. John Zagarella and his bride, Jeanne, spanning the time period of 1941 to 1945. Their lives are in turmoil: his, during training at several camps stateside, then overseas; hers, as she worked in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and waited anxiously at home. They both contemplated their future together, a future that was not to be; John perished in Luxembourg during The Battle Of The Bulge. Jeanne preserved and treasured their letters to each other for nearly seven decades; letters that reveal extraordinary courage, honor, sacrifice and love, nurtured even during the most trying of historical circumstances. All the letters written during 1945 were Jeanne's letters to her husband; he never received them. He was killed December 20, 1944, but Jeanne was not notified of his death until March, 1945. Her letters to him were returned to her by the Army.