Most individuals by no means have the chance to realize perception into what their mother and father had been like throughout their youthful days, however two sisters in New Jersey did after discovering letters written to their Navy veteran father from his finest good friend throughout World Conflict II.

Susan Strum and Cindy Sommer had been tasked with the duty of cleansing out their mother and father’ residence following the dying of their 96-year-old mom in January 2021. The ladies had misplaced their father, Al Sitarski, years prior in July 2012 on the age of 91.

Whereas within the attic, the sisters got here throughout a brown envelope with the phrases “A Very Unhappy Story About WWII” written on the entrance in Sitarski’s handwriting. Not figuring out many particulars about their father’s 4 years within the Navy, they opened the envelope and found it was full of letters from his longtime finest good friend, Navy Lt. Fred Fonda.

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“The letters on this envelope had been a set in chronological order of all the letter’s that Fred wrote to my dad,” Strum mentioned, including that the discovering was “very touching and wonderful.”

Fred Fonda, left, and Al Sitarski shortly after enlisting within the Navy in 1942. (Susan Sitarski Strum)

Previous to discovering and studying the letters, Strum and Sommer knew of Fonda, however weren’t conscious of the extent of his friendship with their father – a friendship that may come to a tragic finish with Fonda’s dying in November 1945. Strum mentioned she believed it affected her father for the remainder of his life.

The sisters in the end determined they had been going to learn each letter within the envelope, beginning with Strum. When she was completed she gave them to her sister, who mockingly learn them on Memorial Day 2021.

Each males additionally accomplished naval coaching at Cornell College earlier than they had been separated.

“These two males had such a bond,” Strum mentioned earlier than taking the story again to the place she is aware of it began – Sitarski and Fonda’s highschool years.

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Each males attended Linden Excessive Faculty in Linden, New Jersey, and had been “dearest, closest” pals, based on Strum, however she thinks the friendship might have gone again additional. Sitarski had been in Linden his complete life. Fonda, however, migrated to the world from Italy and have become a nationalized citizen in 1931 at 10 years outdated.

After highschool, they each attended the Newark Faculty of Engineering earlier than enlisting within the Navy in 1942. Each males additionally accomplished naval coaching at Cornell College earlier than they had been separated.

Al Sitarski, left, and Fred Fonda pictured exterior Cornell College in Could 1943. (Susan Sitarksi Strum)

Strum mentioned her father remained on the East Coast whereas Fonda was totally on the West Coast. Each males additionally frolicked on numerous ships.

“My dad’s ship was YMS104 based mostly out of Solomons, Maryland. He truly made a duplicate of the ship,” Sommer mentioned in an e mail. “I discovered the plans to the ship too. I believe he will need to have discovered each inch of it.”

Upon being separated, the boys wrote one another usually. 

It was clear each males had an awesome humorousness whereas sharing their life updates.

Although the sisters solely have entry to the letters Fonda wrote Sitarski, Strum mentioned it was clear each males had an awesome humorousness whereas sharing their life updates.

The conversations centered round girls, hobbies, profession updates and the long run. Strum mentioned there was hardly any discuss of the warfare, not less than from Fonda’s finish.

“I believe of their coronary heart of hearts they pictured the warfare will ultimately be over, we’ll each be married, calm down and have kids, our wives shall be pals, and we’ll have BBQs,” Strum mentioned. “Nevertheless it by no means occurred.”

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On Nov. 9, 1945, simply days after being promoted to lieutenant, Fonda was killed whereas decommissioning the usGreene. The ship was one in every of many broken past economical restore a month prior throughout Hurricane Louise in Okinawa, Japan.

Fonda was the lead harm management officer in control of a gaggle eradicating ammo from the ship’s aft dealing with room when an unknown gasoline surfaced and overtook the 4 males working within the journal. Fonda tried to rescue his fellow sailors, however in the end died with them.

Fonda died at 4:12 p.m. from unintended asphyxiation because of oxygen deficiency, based on Medal Mulisha, a web site that shares the tales behind unclaimed medals. He was initially buried on the Island Command Cemetery in Okinawa, Japan, earlier than being repatriated to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery in Virginia.

Due to his actions, he was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

“[He] died a hero,” Strum mentioned. “Dad by no means actually spoke of it very a lot, however based mostly upon their correspondence and their friendship, you might inform dad and Fred had been expensive pals.”

USS Greene (DD-266) pictured by the U.S. Navy sooner or later between 1919 and 1922. (U.S. Naval Historical past and Heritage Command)

Although the letters got here to an finish, the ladies are hoping to seek out the lacking items of the story.

“At this level, we had all of the letters Fred wrote to my dad, however we clearly didn’t have the letters my dad wrote to Fred,” Strum mentioned.

After Sommer learn the letters on Memorial Day, she got here throughout a publish by Medal Mulisha about Fonda. Not figuring out something concerning the website, she was satisfied it was an indication from her father and Fonda that they’re reunited in Heaven.

Since then, the ladies have been working to see if their father’s letters are someplace on the market by researching Fonda’s household and making an attempt to attach with the kinfolk they discover. They had been in a position to contact a cousin of his in Italy, however that particular person was not in a position to assist and mentioned communication with the Italian kinfolk dwindled after Fonda died.

They found Fonda had a sister named Anna and, as of February, are nonetheless trying to find her. Strum mentioned she can be 103 years outdated, and will probably be deceased, however neither one in every of them have discovered an obituary for her.

Fred Fonda, left, and Al Sitarski in U.S. Navy gown uniforms within the early Nineteen Forties. (Susan Sitarski Strum)

Strum did some digging and located who she thought owned the previous Fonda residence in Linden, however he was a renter. 

“I hoped and praying indirectly, form, matter or kind that perhaps the letters that dad wrote Fred had been sitting within the attic of the home,” Strum mentioned. “You by no means know.”

The renter put her involved with the property proprietor, who knew of Fonda’s story, however he advised Strum he was not the one who bought the house instantly after the Fonda household lived there.

Al Sitarksi pictured holding a canine whereas at sea someday within the Nineteen Forties. (Susan Sitarski Strum)

Although the ladies are uncertain of the letters’ whereabouts, they did obtain some perception into what their father may need written to Fonda throughout a challenge with Voyage Media’s True Conflict Tales: Mission Report.

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In a Feb. 6 podcast episode titled “A Wartime Hero’s Letters,” the present used Strum’s and Sommer’s analysis and Fonda’s letters to reconstruct what Sitarski may need mentioned again to Fonda. Due to the 42-minute episode, the sisters had been in a position to think about what their father’s letters appeared like.

“Oh my gosh, I really feel like I knew dad when he was 18, 19, 20 years outdated,” Strum mentioned.

Al Sitarski and shipmates on board the usYMS104, which was based mostly out of Solomons, Maryland. (Susan Sitarski Strum)

Although their mission will not be but full, Strum mentioned merely discovering Fonda’s letters to her father was “so great.”

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She added that sharing the tales of veterans, even from many years in the past, is “crucially vital” in order that “folks proceed to grasp what these women and men do to guard us” and are conscious of the dedication and sacrifice concerned.