WWII Letters Led to 75-year Marriage
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96-year-old Phil Wright of Madera Ranchos, CA appears on episode #698 of Hometown Heroes, airing September 11-13, 2021. A native of Elkton, VA, Wright was drafted into the Army after graduating high school, and served with the 567th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion during World War II.
Phil and Hazel Wright celebrated their 75th anniversary in July, 2021. For more photos, visit the Hometown Heroes facebook page.
You’ll hear Phil recall growing up as the oldest of six children in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, followed by his memories of the Battle of the Bulge and the rest of the war in Europe. Like so many servicemen, Phil found solace in letters from home, and he also received frequent letters from a teenaged girl named Hazel. Listen to Hometown Heroes for the unique manner in which Phil and Hazel were introduced, and how that connection would eventually blossom into a marriage that has lasted 75 years… and counting.
How touching you hear about your precious relationship that has blessed each of you for 75 years! What a wonderful message for the rest of us married people running the race! I gave tremendous thanks for Paul Lefflor who has blessed KMJ listeners with an amazing door to the realities experienced by America’s greatest generation! Thank you for sharing your life story! I’m so thankful that you overcame the abuse of your tormented father! Hearing his abhorrent behavior to all the kids brought tears of remorse for each of the siblings. I was VERY touched by your interview!! God bless Phil, Hazel, and Paul!! Bob Bedde
Greetings and Blessings to Phil and Hazel. My dad Cpl William M Wellman, was a a section chief in Battery B 567th AAA. His section was responsible for setting up the firing sites and operating the range-finding equipment. Dad was know as the range setter. He was another Virginian from Danville. He was with the 567th from its inception in California and through Europe. For the rest of his life he hated snow and cold and couldn’t wait to go to Florida in the Winter He was wounded in the leg by mortar fragments on 3/27/45 in Mainz, Germany during the Rhine River crossing and one of his best buddies Jack L Cox from Altavista, VA was killed.
Just before his passing in 2005 we were able to attend the dedication of the WW2 Memorial in Washington DC. He was amazed that so many people came up and thanked him. It was only then that he told me of the many things that he went through. His memory was amazing. He was a kind, humble man of deep faith and I miss him every day.