ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Artifact assemblage dedicated to U.S. Army Sergeant (SGT) Edward Curtis McHenry and consisting of a handwritten letter and letter envelope upon Paper Moon Graphics, Inc. stationery. The letter is addressed, "My dearest First Love", is signed, "Good-bye my sweetest love / All my love - All my life / Dori", is dated, "April 1990", and opens with the lines, "As I sit down to write to you I find that the tears still come so easily to my eyes. / I don't know if I will ever get over losing you - the pain is still so real, even after all these years." In content, the author of the letter expresses her undying love, affection, and admiration for SGT McHenry; most poignantly in the lines, "Know that I have ALWAYS loved you my darling - that I have never stopped missing you - and that when I close my eyes, I can still see you and feel your arms around me. / You will be a part of me until the day I die." The artifact was left at The Wall by the daughter, Meridith, of SGT McHenry's former love, Dori, in April 1990.

ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. ARMY SERGEANT (SGT) EDWARD CURTIS MCHENRY AND CONSISTING OF: COMPONENT (A) HANDWRITTEN LETTER AND COMPONENT (B) LETTER ENVELOPE. COMPONENT (A) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A LETTER HANDWRITTEN IN BLUE INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF PAPER MOON GRAPHICS, INC. BRAND STATIONERY PAPER. THE OBVERSE AND REVERSE OBJECT SURFACES OF THE SHEET BEAR A PRINTED GRAPHIC MOTIF IN THE BACKGROUND COMPRISED OF MOTTLED BLUE AND ORANGE COLORATION. GRAPHIC RENDERINGS PRINTED IN GREEN, YELLOW, BROWN, PINK, ORANGE, RED, BLUE, PURPLE, FLESH TONE, & WHITE INK AT THE UPPER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND AND LOWER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNERS OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE DEPICT A YOUNG, CAUCASIAN GIRL IN A GREEN DRESS SURROUNDED BY A GARLAND OF GREENERY AND FLOWER BLOSSOMS AND CRADLING A KITTEN AND THE SAME YOUNG, CAUCASIAN GIRL WITH CURLY HAIR IN A WHITE DRESS AND HAT SURROUNDED BY A PROFUSION OF GREENERY AND FLOWER BLOSSOMS, RESPECTIVELY. GRAPHIC RENDERINGS PRINTED IN GREEN, RED, PURPLE, PINK, BLUE, ORANGE, WHITE, & BROWN INK AT THE UPPER, PROPER LEFT-HAND AND LOWER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNERS OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE DEPICT SPRAYS OF FLOWERS AND GREENERY. PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ROMAN NUMERALS ALONG THE LOWER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE STATIONERY SHEET IS THE MANUFACTURER/SUPPLIER'S INFORMATION, "SRL317 ©MCMLXXXIX PAPER MOON GRAPHICS, INC." THE LETTER IS ADDRESSED, "MY DEAREST FIRST LOVE", IS SIGNED, "GOOD - BYE MY SWEETEST LOVE / ALL MY LOVE - ALL MY LIFE / DORI", IS DATED, "APRIL 1990", AND OPENS WITH THE LINES, "AS I SIT DOWN TO WRITE TO YOU I FIND THAT THE TEARS STILL COME SO EASILY TO MY EYES. / I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL EVER GET OVER LOSING YOU - THE PAIN IS STILL SO REAL, EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS." IN CONTENT, THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER INFORMS HER LOST LOVE THAT SHE VOLUNTEERED TO FLY MAC FLIGHTS FOLLOWING HIS PASSING IN ORDER TO FEEL CLOSE TO HIM, AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT SHE MARRIED AND HAD A CHILD, "[...] BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME SO OFTEN THAT I HAD TO - FOR YOU - IF YOU DIDN'T COME HOME, YOU DIDN'T WANT ME TO BE ALONE." THE AUTHOR GOES ON TO TELL SGT MCHENRY THAT SHE HAS BEEN RAISING HER CHILD ALONE SINCE THE CHILD REACHED THE AGE OF SIXTEEN (16) MONTHS, AND THAT IT IS THE CHILD ("MERIDITH") WHO IS BRINGING THE AUTHOR'S LETTER TO THE WALL. THE AUTHOR THEN SPECULATES AS TO, "[...] WHAT MY LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU HAD LIVED", CONCLUDES THAT, "[...] MY WHOLE LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT", AND ASSURES SGT MCHENRY THAT HE TAUGHT THE AUTHOR MUCH ABOUT LOVING AND THAT SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH HE LOVED HER. THE AUTHOR SUBSEQUENTLY SAYS OF HER CHILD, "I WISH SHE HAD BEEN YOURS MY DARLING. / SHE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER THAN SHE GOT", AND EXPRESSES THE WISH THAT THE CHILD COULD HAVE KNOWN SGT MCHENRY. THE AUTHOR CLOSES BY NOTING THAT SHE WAS ONLY ABLE TO READ SGT MCHENRY'S LETTERS, "[...] ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO" AND HAS BEEN UNABLE TO VISIT EITHER THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) IN WASHINGTON, D.C. OR THE TRAVELING WALL BECAUSE, "[...] SEEING YOUR NAME ON THE WALL WOULD BE TOO FINAL". THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES HER LETTER WITH THE LINES, "MAYBE SOMEDAY I WILL BE ABLE TO COME FACE TO FACE WITH THAT SORROW FILLED WALL. / BUT EVEN IF I NEVER MAKE IT TO WASHINGTON - KNOW THAT I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU MY DARLING - THAT I HAVE NEVER STOPPED MISSING YOU - AND THAT WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, I CAN STILL SEE YOU AND FEEL YOUR ARMS AROUND ME. / YOU WILL BE A PART OF ME UNTIL THE DAY I DIE." THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED FOLDED INTO THIRDS (1/3) AND HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (B). COMPONENT (B) LETTER ENVELOPE. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, PAPER MOON GRAPHICS, INC. BRAND STATIONERY ENVELOPE WITH A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, ADHESIVE CLOSURE FLAP AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. THE OBVERSE AND REVERSE OBJECT SURFACES OF THE ENVELOPE BEAR A PRINTED GRAPHIC MOTIF IN THE BACKGROUND COMPRISED OF MOTTLED BLUE AND ORANGE COLORATION. GRAPHIC RENDERINGS PRINTED IN GREEN, YELLOW, BROWN, PINK, ORANGE, RED, BLUE, PURPLE, FLESH TONE, & WHITE INK ALONG THE LOWER EDGE AND AT THE PROPER RIGHT- AND LEFT-HAND EDGES OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE DEPICT SPRAYS OF FLOWER BLOSSOMS (PARTICULARLY ROSES) AND A YOUNG, CAUCASIAN GIRL WITH CURLY HAIR IN A WHITE DRESS AND HAT SURROUNDED BY A PROFUSION OF GREENERY AND FLOWERS, RESPECTIVELY. AN INSCRIPTION HANDWRITTEN IN BLUE INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT AT THE CENTER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE ENVELOPE READS, "EDWARD "DEAR" MC HENRY / OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS". PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ROMAN NUMERALS ALONG THE LOWER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE ENVELOPE IS THE MANUFACTURER/SUPPLIER'S INFORMATION, "ENL317 ©MCMLXXXIX PAPER MOON GRAPHICS, INC." COMPONENT (A) WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED FOLDED INTO THIRDS (1/3) AND HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (B).

Text of the handwritten and printed inscriptions upon COMPONENTS (A & B) is transcribed in full, as follows: [COMPONENT (A), obverse object surface, lower, proper right-hand corner, printed inscription] "SRL317 ©MCMLXXXIX PAPER MOON GRAPHICS, INC." / [COMPONENT (A), obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "April 1990 / My dearest First Love, / As I sit down to write to you I find that the tears still come so easily to my eyes. / I don't know if I will ever get over losing you - the pain is still so real, even after all these years. / After I lost you, I volunteered to fly MAC flights to Nam - just to feel close to you somehow - nothing helped, nothing ever has. / You were the kindest, most sensitive and gentle man that I have ever known. / I tried to go on - because you told me so often that I had to - for you - If you didn't come home, you didn't want me to be alone. / I tried - I married in 1974, and in 1977 I had the most amazingly beautiful baby girl. / I named her Meridith. / I have been raising her alone since she was 16 months old. / You would love her. / In fact, she's the one who is bringing my letter to you - to the Wall. / She knows all about you Dear. / I often think of what my life would have been like if you had lived. / You always said that you wanted at least 6 kids - [...] over" / [COMPONENT (A), reverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "I would have loved that too. / I know that my whole life would have been different. / You were so happy, and so full of life - So generous and so giving. / You loved me - there's no doubt in my heart, I know you did. / I have never know [sic] that kind of love since then. / Your love was unconditional. / You taught me so much about loving. / I know that the reason that I can love my daughter so deeply is because of you. / I wish she had been yours my darling. / She deserves so much better then she got. / I wish she could have known you - see your smile - feel your wonderful hugs. / Someday, I will her let her read your letters - I have all of them. / I was only able to re read them about 3 years ago. / I just couldn't. / It still hurt too much. / That's why I haven't even been able to go to the traveling Wall when it came to Georgia. / My heart would break all over again. / I guess that seeing your name on the Wall would be too FINAL - Maybe someday, I will be able to come face to face with that sorrow filled Wall. / But even if I never make it to Washington - Know that I have ALWAYS loved you my darling - that I have never stopped missing you - and that when I close my eyes, I can still see you and feel your arms around me. / You will be a part of me until the day I die. / Good-bye my sweetest love / All my love - All my life / Dori" / [COMPONENT (B), obverse object surface, handwritten inscription] "Edward "Dear" Mc Henry / Oak Lawn, Illinois" / [COMPONENT (B), reverse object surface, lower, proper right-hand corner, printed inscription] "ENL317 ©MCMLXXXIX PAPER MOON GRAPHICS, INC."

Item Weight: 5.7g (Weight of COMPONENT (A) only)
Item Length: 27.7cm
Item Width: 20.2cm