Many Secrets Kept

billie peggy

Until their husbands had reached overseas, the wives were instructed not to tell a single person that their husbands had been drafted. This was the formal procedure that all of the wives of these men had to follow. It was probably to ensure the safety and confidentiality of both the men and their wives. For poor Peggy, hearing about how his husband had safely reached the land of Europe through a phone-call would be the final time she ever heard about him. It was the last time she ever got to know where exactly he was and how exactly he was doing. He seemed fine then. The U.S Army did not handle passing all the information well so Billie’s whereabouts were now never heard of.

Chaos

billie peggy

The army could not find a clear explanation as to where Peggy’s husband had disappeared to. After reaching safely and fighting with the other troops there, the location of Billie slowly began to lose clarity. The army’s Supreme Headquarters in Allied France had already informed her that Billie was on his way home from the war. This would have been a very pleasant news to hear for Peggy except this was all false. Imagine the short-lived excitement that must have ran through Peggy upon hearing about her husband’s return, only to get more confused. She realized the authorities could not be relied upon so she took matters into her own hands as she felt she would need to find him herself.

Remarkably Unsystematic

billie peggy

Peggy was going through the toughest time revealing, “A telegram came – the moment I opened it, I went into pieces. After a while, I looked at it again, then I went down to the telegraph office and brought with me letters from Billie that were written after the date of the telegram. The telegram said, ‘missing: July 7th’, and I had letters, handwritten letters, dated after that. Later, they came up with ‘missing in action: July 17’.”

Not A Single Information billie peggy

Peggy only had tiny bits of information and she tried to clarify everything herself: “I was told not to be concerned, that no doubt he was being ‘processed.’ Billie’s parents and I chose to believe that he was back in the United States. We were hoping that he was in a hospital somewhere and maybe just didn’t know who he was or had lost his memory. We had heard of cases like that.”

Seeking The Red Cross’ Help

billie peggy

Billie was gone for good although his parents and wife did their best to trace him. By March 1945, Peggy was sure her husband had passed away and that he was not coming back. She knew it was going to hurt like anything but still needed to find out the reason behind. She went seeking help from the International Red Cross.

Taking Small Steps

billie peggy

Peggy found new hope after seeking help form a new organization to help trace Billie’s fate. Although the Red Cross was not willing to initiate an official search for Billie, it was successful in unveiling little bits of information and gathering details that were missing before. There was a newfound information about Billie that may have been an answer to Peggy’s many questions.