ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Handwritten letter & letter envelope dedicated to U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Ira Melton Franklin, Jr. The letter is addressed, "Dear Sir", is signed, "Semper Fi / Kenneth Whitaker", is dated, "Oct 18, 1987", and reads (in part), "[...] you do not know me. / I am a friend of your daughter [...] I have been told stories about you by Catherine, Darlene and I have listened to them time and time again. / So I feel I know you [...] There have been many changes since you left this world, but one thing remains unchanged, you are dearly missed. / Now Sir I will say goodbye, but you will always be remembered. The artifact was left at Panel W20 of The Wall by Kenneth Whitaker on October 18, 1987.

ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. MARINE CORPS STAFF SERGEANT (SSGT) IRA MELTON FRANKLIN, JR. AND CONSISTING OF: COMPONENT (A) HANDWRITTEN LETTER & COMPONENT (B) LETTER ENVELOPE. COMPONENT (A) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A LETTER HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON TWO (2) RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEETS OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER. THE LETTER IS ADDRESSED, "DEAR SIR", IS SIGNED, "SEMPER FI / KENNETH WHITAKER", IS DATED, "OCT 18, 1987", AND OPENS WITH THE LINES, "I SUPPOSE SOME SORT OF GREETING IS IN ORDER, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME. / I AM A FRIEND OF YOUR DAUGHTER. / MY NAME IS KEN." IN CONTENT, THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER INFORMS SSGT FRANKLIN, JR. THAT HE HAS HEARD MANY STORIES ABOUT HIM FROM HIS FORMER WIFE CATHERINE AND DAUGHTER DARLENE, WHICH INCLUDED, "[...] HOW YOU LIVED, AND DIED, AND HOW THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH OF YOU TO BRING HOME." MR. WHITAKER PROCEEDS IN HIS LETTER TO INFORM SSGT FRANKLIN, JR. OF HIS FORMER WIFE'S EFFORTS TO RAISE THEIR DAUGHTER ALONE UNTIL HER REMARRIAGE TO A MAN NAMED, "MIKE" (AND OF THEIR SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS TO RAISE DARLENE AND TWO (2) NEW CHILDREN, "ANDREW AND MIKE JR" TOGETHER), AS WELL AS TO REASSURE HIM THAT MIKE, "[...] IS GENTLE TO CATHERINE AND HE IS LOVING TOWARDS THE KIDS." MR. WHITAKER GOES ON TO TELL SSGT FRANKLIN, JR. THAT, "YOUR DAUGHTER IS PROBABLY THE ONE WHO MISSES YOU MOST. / YOU WERE HER ONE AND ONLY SOFT SPOT", RELATES DARLENE'S ACADEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PLANS TO STUDY MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, AND ASSERTS THAT, "SHE HAS THE SPUNK AND THE DETERMINATION TO DO IT. / AND I HOLE-HEARTEDLY [sic] BELIEVE THAT SHE CAN DO IT." THE AUTHOR THEN CONCLUDES HIS LETTER WITH THE LINES, "THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHANGES SINCE YOU LEFT THIS WORLD, BUT ONE THING REMAINS UNCHANGED, YOU ARE DEARLY MISSED. / NOW SIR I WILL SAY GOODBYE, BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED." THE HANDWRITTEN LETTER WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED AT THE WALL FOLDED INTO THIRDS (1/3) AND HOUSED INSIDE COMPONENT (B). COMPONENT (B) LETTER ENVELOPE. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED LETTER ENVELOPE COMPRISED OF WHITE COLORED PAPER WITH A TRIANGULARLY SHAPED, ADHESIVE CLOSURE FLAP AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. THE MILITARY RANK AND NAME, "SGT. IRWIN [sic] FRANKLIN" ARE HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND CURSIVE SCRIPT AT THE CENTER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE ENVELOPE, WHILE THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) WALL LOCATION INFORMATION, "20W" IS SIMILARLY HANDWRITTEN IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS AT THE UPPER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE LETTER ENVELOPE. COMPONENT (A) WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED AT THE WALL FOLDED INTO THIRDS (1/3) AND HOUSED INSIDE THE LETTER ENVELOPE. ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, AN NPS RANGER'S TAG ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED WITH THE ARTIFACT READ, "10/71".

Text of the handwritten inscriptions upon the various object surfaces is transcribed in full, as follows: [COMPONENT (A), page 1, obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "Oct 18, 1987 / -1- / Dear Sir, / I suppose some sort of greeting is in order, but you do not know me. / I am a friend of your daughter. / My name is Ken. / I have been told stories about you by Catherine, Darlene and I have listened to them time and time again. / So I feel I know you. / These stories included how you lived, and died, and how there was not enough of you to bring home. / I am sorry for this matter. / For two such beautiful people. / Your wife and your daughter should not have to be put through this. / First let me begin with Catherine. / She raised Darlene alone until she was about twelve. / She met a man and they remarried, his name is Mike. / Catherine and Mike have two little boys now. / Andrew and Mike Jr and both are scrappy as can be. / Mike is Naval Reserve. / he is a REMF, but he is gentle to Catherine and he is loving towards the kids." [COMPONENT (A), page 2, obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "-2- / Your daughter is probably the one who misses you most. / You are her one and only soft spot. / She graduated from High School with academic honors and several letters. / She is now attending the University of Alabama. / You should be proud of Darlene. / She wants to be a doctor. / She has the spunk and the determination to do it. / And I hole-heartedly [sic] believe that she can do it. / There have been many changes since you left this world, but one thing remains unchanged, you are dearly missed. / Now Sir I will say goodbye, but you will always be remembered. / Semper Fi / Kenneth Whitaker" / [COMPONENT (B), obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "Sgt. Irwin [sic] Franklin / 20W"

Item Weight: 4.3g (Weight of COMPONENT (A) only)
Item Length: 22.6cm
Item Width: 15.0cm