letter, handwritten
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From the collection of the National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks.

letter, handwritten

CATALOG NUMBER

VIVE 00700

ACCESSION DATE

11/24/1987

ASSOCIATED NAMES ON THE WALL
ITEM SUMMARY

Handwritten letter dedicated to U.S. Army Sergeant (SGT) William "Spanky" Reed Stocks. The letter is addressed, "Dear Bill", is signed, "Mom", is dated, "Veterans Day, 1987", and opens with the lines, "It's been 5 years since this Memorial was dedicated. / Five years since my heart, again, broke as your father and I found your name on this black wall." The letter reads (in part), "There is a picture of Dad and I in the December issue of Good housekeeping Magazine, taken last Christmas Day when we put a Christmas tree here for you. / You are still in my heart, you are still a part of my life for you will always be my son. / I still love you and miss you, Billy." The artifact was left at Panel W32 of The Wall by American Gold Star Mother Eleanor Wimbish on Veterans Day, November 11, 1987.

ITEM DESCRIPTION

HANDWRITTEN LETTER DEDICATED TO U.S. ARMY SERGEANT (SGT) WILLIAM REED STOCKS. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A LETTER HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACES OF TWO (2) RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, LETTER-SIZED SHEETS OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER. BOTH SHEETS UPON WHICH THE LETTER IS HANDWRITTEN, AS WELL AS AN ACCOMPANYING MAGAZINE CLIPPING AND A BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT, HAVE BEEN AFFIXED (VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE) TO AN UNDERLYING, RECTANGULARLY SHAPED CARDBOARD SUBSTRATE WRAPPED IN WHITE TISSUE PAPER. THE LETTER/CLIPPING/PHOTO/CARDBOARD SUBSTRATE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN ENCASED WITHIN A SHEET OF CLEAR THERMOPLASTIC, WHICH IS SECURED AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE. THE LETTER IS HEADED, "WILLIAM R. STOCKS", IS ADDRESSED, "DEAR BILL", IS SIGNED, "MOM", IS DATED, "VETERANS DAY, 1987", AND OPENS WITH THE LINES, "TODAY IS VETERANS DAY, 1987. / IT'S BEEN 5 YEARS SINCE THIS MEMORIAL WAS DEDICATED. / FIVE YEARS SINCE MY HEART, AGAIN, BROKE AS YOUR FATHER AND I FOUND YOUR NAME ON THIS BLACK WALL." IN CONTENT, MRS. WIMBISH BEGINS BY RECALLING THE TREMENDOUS PAIN SHE FELT UPON FIRST DISCOVERING SGT STOCKS' NAME ON THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM), BUT THEN NOTES THAT THE WALL, OTHER VIETNAM VETERANS, AND AN UPCOMING BOOK REFERENCING HER SON, "[...] HELP TO ERASE THE LONELY YEARS, SINCE YOUR DEATH, WHEN WE THOUGHT WE WERE ALL ALONE IN OUR GRIEF AND VIETNAM WAS ONLY A DIRTY WORD AND THOSE WHO FOUGHT AND DIED THERE SHOULD BE, FIRMLY, PUT IN THE PAST." SGT STOCKS' MOTHER GOES ON TO RELATE HOW PROUD SHE IS THAT HER SON IS REFERENCED IN AN UPCOMING BOOK ENTITLED, "SHRAPNEL IN THE HEART", ACKNOWLEDGES HER APPRECIATION FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED TO HER TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES IN VIETNAM, AND YET RUEFULLY ADMITS THAT, "[...] I WOULD RATHER SEE YOUR LAUGHING FACE COME IN THE DOOR, WITH A COUPLE OF GRAND CHILDREN FOR ME TO LOVE." MRS. WIMBISH THEN ASSURES HER SON THAT HE WOULD HAVE MADE A GREAT FATHER HAD HE LIVED, BEMOANS THE TEARS SHE HAS CRIED OVER HIS DEATH, AND STATES THAT SOME DAYS, "[...] YOU JUST GIVE IN TO THE TEARS AND THANK GOD FOR HAVING YOU FOR THOSE 21 YEARS." SHE THEN INFORMS SGT STOCKS THAT A BOOK ENTITLED, "DEAR AMERICA" (WHICH CONCLUDES WITH THE LEAD ACTRESS READING A LETTER PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN BY MRS. WIMBISH TO HER SON BILLY) IS BEING MADE INTO A MOTION PICTURE PREMIERING IN NEW YORK THAT EVENING, THAT SHE AND HER HUSBAND WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO BUT ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND DUE TO RECENT MEDICAL EXPENSES, AND YET REASSURES HER SON THAT, "[...] THE GOOD NEWS IS I'M DOING GREAT. / GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME." THE AUTHOR PROCEEDS TO STATE THAT, "I CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT THE VIETNAM VETERANS DO FOR ME. / IN EACH HUG IS A LITTLE BIT OF YOU", REFERENCES SOME OF THESE VETERANS BY NAME, AND CHARACTERIZES THEM AS, "[...] THE ONES IN MY DAILY LIFE WHO HELP US FORGET SOME OF OUR PAIN WITH THEIR LOVE AND CARING." MRS. WIMBISH THEN CALLS ATTENTION TO THE MAGAZINE CLIPPING (FROM A RECENT ISSUE OF "GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE") INCLUDED WITH THE LETTER WHICH DOCUMENTS HER DONATION OF A CHRISTMAS TREE (VIVE (11383)) AT THE WALL IN HONOR OF SGT STOCKS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, DECEMBER 25, 1986, AND CONCLUDES HER LETTER TO HER SON WITH THE LINES, "YOU ARE STILL IN MY HEART, YOU ARE STILL A PART OF MY LIFE FOR YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY SON. / I STILL LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU, BILLY." AFFIXED TO THE UPPER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE CARDBOARD SUBSTRATE, VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE, IS A CLIPPING FROM "GOOD HOUSEKEEPING" MAGAZINE UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SEGMENT OF WHITE PAPER. THE CLIPPING FEATURES A COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT (LANDSCAPE ORIENTATION) DEPICTING THE LETTER AUTHOR, MRS. ELEANOR WIMBISH, DRESSED IN A WHITE JACKET, PINK BLOUSE, WHITE SKIRT, AND PINK SHOES WHILE HOLDING HER HUSBAND'S HAND (AS HIS SITS IN HIS WHEELCHAIR) AND POINTING TO A LETTER AND CHRISTMAS TREE (VIVE (11383)) WHICH SHE HAS JUST DONATED AT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) IN HONOR OF HER SON, SGT STOCKS. A CAPTION PRINTED BENEATH THE IMAGE IN BLACK INK AND ITALICIZED, BLOCK SCRIPT READS, " "FOR BILLY, WITH LOVE." / ELEANOR AND RUSSELL WIMBUSH [sic], JR., LEAVE TREE AT VIETNAM MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C." AN INSCRIPTION HANDWRITTEN IN BLUE INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON THE WHITE TISSUE PAPER IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE AFFIXED MAGAZINE CLIPPING READS, "TAKEN CHRISTMAS DAY 1986". AFFIXED TO THE LOWER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE CARDBOARD SUBSTRATE, VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE, IS A BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT (PORTRAIT ORIENTATION) UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE PHOTO PAPER WITH A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, WHITE EXTERIOR BORDER CIRCUMSCRIBING THE IMAGE AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. THE IMAGE AT THE OBVERSE SURFACE OF THE PRINT IS A FORMAL MILITARY PORTRAIT DEPICTING SGT STOCKS DRESSED IN HIS MILITARY ISSUE, CLASS A ARMY GREEN SERVICE UNIFORM AND PEAKED CAP WHILE FACING THE CAMERA IN FRONT OF A NONDESCRIPT STUDIO BACKDROP. AN INSCRIPTION HANDWRITTEN IN BLUE INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT UPON THE WHITE TISSUE PAPER IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE AFFIXED PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT IDENTIFIES THE SUBJECT OF THE PHOTO AND READS, "WILLIAM R. STOCKS / (SPANKY)".

ACCESSION GROUP

VIVE-00046

RECORD COPONENT QTY

1

ASSOCIATED ITEM TEXT

Text of the handwritten & printed inscriptions upon the obverse object surface is transcribed in full, as follows: [Obverse object surface, letter (page 1), handwritten inscriptions] "William R. STOCKS / Dear Bill, / Today is Veterans Day, 1987. / It's been 5 years since this Memorial was dedicated. / Five years since my heart, again, broke as your father and I found your name on this black wall. / I cannot tell you the pain, I suffered, as I saw your name, William R. Stocks. / But this black wall, the Vietnam Veterans, the book "Shrapnel in the heart", all these things help to erase the lonely years, since your death, when we thought we were all alone in our grief and Vietnam was only a dirty word and those who fought and died there should be, firmly, put in the past. / I am proud you are in the book "Shrapnel in the heart". / I am proud of all the ways I have had to wake others up to the pain that the loved ones suffer from losing our young men and women in that senseless war. / But, Dear God, I would rather see your laughing face come in the door, with a couple of grand children for me to love. / I know you would of been the best father in the world, and, oh, how happy I would be to have a few more grand children. / Oh, Billy, the tears, the tears, the tears. / Where do they all come from? / Most days the memories and pain are bearable but then a special day comes [...]" / [Obverse object surface, letter (page 2), handwritten inscriptions] "[...] along and you know the love your have for your son will always be a part of you and so will the pain from losing him, so you just give in to the tears and thank God for having you for those 21 years. / The book "Dear America" has been made into a movie. / The movie premier is tonight in New York. / The movie concludes with Ellen Burysten [sic] reading the letter I wrote to you 15 years after you died. / Dad and I wanted to go so much but could not afford the expense. / Since having a slight stroke, this summer, the hospital and doctor bills have hit us hard but the good news is I'm doing great. / God has been good to me. / I cannot tell you what the Vietnam Veterans do for me. / In each hug is a little bit of you. / Some are so very special, like John Baca, Ray Keefer, Wayne Godwin, Jim Lunczynski, Dave Goff, Dave Smith and your special friend from Vietnam, Jim Vassallo. / These are the ones in my daily life who help us forget some of our pain with their love and caring. / And there are many others. / There is a picture of Dad and I in the December issue of Good housekeeping Magazine, taken last Christmas Day when we put a Christmas tree here for you. / You are still in my heart, you are still a part of my life for you will always be my son. / I still love you and miss you, Billy. / Mom" / [Obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "Taken Christmas Day 1986 / William R. Stocks / (Spanky)" / [Obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] " "FOR BILLY, WITH LOVE." / Eleanor and Russell Wimbush [sic], Jr. leave tree at Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C."

ITEM DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Item Weight: 250.0g
Item Length: 28.5cm
Item Width: 63.0cm

REMEMBRANCES

LEFT ON letter, handwritten
POSTED ON 11.10.2020
POSTED BY: Anoymous
I thank you for giving your life up in the war so I could live mine to the best. Its sad that you died but at least it was for a good cause. Your mother misses you. You were her world and he light on the darkest days. She loved you so much.
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POSTED ON 11.10.2020
POSTED BY: Anoymous
Dear William, I thank you for all you did and that you gave up your life so I could live mine to the best I can. You mom really misses you though. She loved you so much and I hope you know that. You were her world and hero and her light on her darkest days. So I want to thank you for you giving up your life and fighting in the war so I can be free and live my life.
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POSTED ON 11.3.2020
POSTED BY: Anonymous
Earlier today, I read a letter from your mother. It sweet, touching, and moving. It was nice of your mother to pick up the phone and call your friend. I like how he talks about all your fun and lovable moments. Your mother mentioned how you are a happy-go-lucky guy and your warmth and friendliness drew guys to you. It was nice of your lieutenant to give you a nickname. You had a group, Jim included, were all known as ¨Spanky´s gang¨. Your mother remembers you and hopes everyone else will too.
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