Serendipity Brings Soldier's Diary Back to his Sweetheart after 70 Years

This is truly a beautiful story. 90 year old Laura Mae (Davis) Burlingame was visiting the National WW2 Museum in New Orleans when she spotted her photo in a display case.

The photo was of Laura Mae as a young woman and was part of a display featuring the uniform and diary of Marine Corporal Thomas Jones. Corporal Jones had been killed by a sniper's bullet in 1944 at the age of 22. Laura Mae's photo, signed by her with "Love, Laurie" was taped into the back cover of his diary.

Inside Jones had written  "my life history of my days in the U.S. Marine Corps ... And most of all my love for Laura Mae for whom my heart is completely filled. So if you all get a chance please return it to her. I (am) writing this as my last life request."

Jones and Laura Mae were sweethearts in High School and she gave him the diary before he left to go overseas. Laura Mae now has copies of the entire diary dedicated to her by her sweetheart of so many years ago.


Read more and view photos at Marine's World War II diary, bequeathed to his high-school sweetheart, found by her 70 years later