11 Aug 1965
Dear Tracy,
I find it very hard to begin this letter. The things I want to say to you can never be fully expressed in words.
I want so much to say the right things. I want to say the things that will make you understand how very much I love you. Before you were born I, like most men, wanted a son; but when I saw you for the first time just a few minutes old, I knew I could never love a son the way I loved you. For a Son grows and becomes a man while a Daughter is always a child to be loved and cared for. More than anything I want you to know me and love me. I want the love that will grow between us to be one of understanding, just as the love that exists between your Mother and I.
The next time I see you, you will be a little lady walking and talking. Learn how to say Daddy.
I love you with all my heart.
Love
Daddy
Tyrone S. Pannell (b.1941-d.1965)
U.S. Marine Corps, 1965
On November 30, 1965, Tyrone Pannell was killed in action—six months after his wife Marlene had given birth to their little girl, and the letter’s recipient, Tracy Renee. Letter dated August 11, 1965.
Courtesy of Robert Santos
