WEATHERLY — Gail Furford never expected to become an author, but a box of letters her mother-in-law gave to her years earlier changed everything.
The letters — 88 of them — were written by Sgt. Martin A. Paulson to his sister while he served in the Army during World War II. The Gettysburg woman, who is related to Paulson through marriage, didn’t know what she had until she opened the box one day and began reading them.
Furford thought about preserving them as part of a family history, and started doing research on the letters and flew out to Washington state to interview Paulson, who turned 96 years old last week.
The research and interviews turned into a book, “Letters Home WWII-Sergeant Martin A. Paulson,” which follows Paulson’s service from 1943 to 1946.
Furford discussed her research and the book at the annual 1940s Weekend at Eckley Miners’ Village in Foster Township on Saturday. The event, which continues today, features a 1940s radio show performed by the Eckley Players, World War II soldiers camping and doing demonstrations and Eckley volunteers showcasing life in the village and how people helped the war effort.
Before interviewing Paulson, Furford learned that he never talked about the war with his immediate family. She got him to open up to her with a hug from a mom. His mother died from cancer a year before he was drafted and he believed his mother would have never approved of him serving in the war and killing people. Furford told him that would never be the case, he cried as they hugged and the two bonded, she said.
She started by asking him about some of the letters, such as the one where he was injured. Then, they went through the letters one by one, seeing what Paulson remembered.
Their journey together spanned from 17 weeks of basic training to the occupation of Japan.
“As a soldier, you’re just told what to do and you do it,” she remembered Paulson telling her.
A member of the 27th Infantry Division, Paulson was in one of four Army divisions and two Marine divisions that fought in the Battle of Okinawa. He credited the naval support, rather than the ground forces, with winning the battle, she said.
All the training they received didn’t truly prepare them for the gruesomeness of war, Paulson told her. They sat and ate alongside dead bodies and learned to sleep wherever and whenever they could — even if it was a couple minutes standing against a tree, she said.
Paulson was a radio operator and would relay coordinates to sight in the guns, near where he was situated. The Japanese were always focused on the radio operators, always targeting them, she said.
He said he doesn’t know how he survived, Furford said.
“You hear bullets go by you,” Paulson told her. “You block it out.”
One night, Paulson left the foxhole to relieve himself in the trees and the Japanese began shelling. He fell to the ground, and one shell landed away from him and another next to him.
His unit found him under 2 feet of dirt and thought he was dead. Paulson suffered burns on his arms and face, and still carries a scar on his head 69 years later.
His commander sent him to the medics, which were closed at night to avoid detection, and the injured were kept on litters outside until daylight, she explained. Not feeling safe, Paulson returned to his foxhole. The next morning, they shipped out, and the military never documented his injuries as a result, she said.
Paulson spent three months in the hospital but was not awarded the Purple Heart due to the lack of documentation. Furford, who secured the Bronze Star and the Occupation of Japan medal for Paulson, continues to seek proof to allow him that honor.
Furford also continues to search for a Japanese orphan his unit found in a foxhole or machine gun cave during a mop-up operation. His unit adopted the boy, who they called “Junior.” Paulson is pictured with him on the cover of Furford’s book. The boy would be 70 or 75 years old today.
Furford will speak in Eckley again at 12:45 p.m. today, followed at 3:15 p.m. by Holocaust survivor Severin Fayerman.