A WWII Thanksgiving Story

November 26 is a special day for my family because of something that happened many years ago. No one was more surprised than my mother, Virginia Vassey. In February her fiancé, 34-year-old Rol Jett had been drafted and had to report for duty on February 28th. That meant that their March 28th wedding was cancelled. They could not believe this was happening; Rol was too old for the army or so they thought. Their future had looked so bright at the beginning of the year as they had planned their wedding, but now it was clouded with a looming war, many fears, and uncertainty.

Over the next several months they reluctantly adjusted to their new reality. Rol began his basic training at Ft. McPherson near Atlanta, Georgia, but eventually was transferred five hundred miles away to Camp Shelby, Mississippi. During the day Virginia kept busy teaching second grade at Springbrook Elementary School, but at night she was filled with worry. Was Rol doing OK, when would he come home and would they ever get married? Like so many others during WWII, their lives had been turned upside down with unimaginable challenges. For them, being separated was the hardest.

They never knew if and when Rol would get time off. At first, he could only get a short twenty-four hour leave. Yet his future bride eagerly took the bus to Atlanta any time he got a leave. When he moved eight hours away to Camp Shelby, getting together became more complicated. So they each traveled four hours to Birmingham, Alabama, and stayed with her sister & brother-in-law for a welcomed but short weekend visit. That spring and early summer they reunited there several times to briefly put the war behind them. Dancing, seeing movies and being with family were their great escapes. But with each visit, it became more difficult to leave. Daunting questions and a deep longing for each other overshadowed their emotional goodbyes. I miss my baby so much! When will we see each other again? What does our future hold? How long will this war last?

On July 13 after they kissed goodbye at train station, it would be four insecure months before they saw each other again. The reason: Rol was sent to Louisiana for intensive war readiness maneuvers. That summer his infrequent letters were the only thing that kept them connected. When he finally returned to Camp Shelby, he was determined to see his fiancé. However, the army was not cooperating; furloughs were impossible to get.

Finally, on Wednesday November 18, Virginia got two letters with some good news. Rol would be home on Sunday. Hugging his letters, she jumped around her bedroom squealing, “My sweetie’s coming home. Rol’s finally coming home. I can’t wait to see him!” But the day before his arrival, her joy was silenced by a terse telegram saying all furloughs had been cancelled. He would not be coming home after all: that night she cried herself to sleep. It was so painful going from one extreme to the other especially with Thanksgiving a week away. Virginia no longer had the energy to drive to her family’s farm and was grateful that she could spend Thanksgiving with Rol’s sister in Maryville instead.

The day before Thanksgiving, an unexpected knock on her door changed everything. When she opened the door, Rol was standing there, sporting his new staff sergeant chevrons on his uniform. Somehow he had gotten a coveted weekend pass after all. Finally, together after their long separation, they were eager to enjoy their holiday weekend. So early the next morning, he picked her up at the boarding house and they headed to his sisters. But as he was driving through town, he suddenly stopped the car in front of the Byrne’s Drug Store. What happened next was a total shock as his words flew out of his mouth. “Jenny, will you marry me today, without the fanfare of a big wedding? I love you and don’t want to wait any longer. I want and need you as my wife.” Staring at him in ecstatic disbelief, she quickly replied, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

With that decision made, they returned to the boarding house to pack her suitcase then drove straight to her brother’s Lookout Mountain home. That afternoon in front of her brother’s warm, cozy fireplace, Virginia Vassey and Rol Jett were married by a Justice of the Peace. After dating more than five years and overcoming the war’s interference in their wedding plans, they celebrated their first Thanksgiving as Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Jett at the Reed House in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The army had finally obliged with an unexpected furlough and their spontaneous decision to get married. On Tuesday they would have been married 77 years. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! I am so thankful for you and the commitment you made to each other on Thanksgiving Day in 1942.