One letter, dated May 8, 1943, began: "Dear darling. Will drop you a few lines as I am thinking of you."
When a leather bound trunk filled with letters and pictures exchanged during WWII was about to be thrown out, a passerby took it upon himself to save it.
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Tony Campitelli from Fort Myer, Florida, told WINK that he noticed the antique trunk in a pile of debris. The women sitting nearby said the owner of the trunk passed away.
He opened it to look inside anyway, and discovered a myriad of love letters and pictures exchanged between Staff Sargent Leon Manning, and his wife Lee.
One letter, dating from May 8, 1943, began: "Dear darling. Will drop you a few lines as I am thinking of you."
It concludes: "Your loving Leon."
Another recounted the tale of a three day battle, allied with French soldiers, before the opponent surrendered.
The origin of the letters were equally as diverse, with postmarks from Fort Bragg in North Carolina, to bases in Sicily and Africa.
Campitelli also said the documents in the trunk, that emitted a strong smell of musk, also indicated the couple had adopted a daughter, who was separated from her twin when they were born in 1954.
After going through some of the memorabilia, he thought: "This can't go in the trash, I gotta take it with me."
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According to WINK, he hopes to pass along the trunk to its rightful owners. If he is unable to track down the couple's daughter, or any other living family members, he plans to donate the chest to a local museum.
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