Old Christmas card a precious reminder for Slovan woman
Pam Tabone of Slovan holds a Christmas card she cherishes from her father, John Dvorsak, who wrote to his mother, Mary Dvorsak, while sitting in a foxhole in World War II.
The back of a Christmas card written by John Dvorsak to his mother while he was sitting in a foxhole during World War II.
Each Christmas, Pam Tabone pulls out her most cherished item, a Christmas card her father penned while stationed in Germany during World War II.
For Tabone, of Slovan, the card is both heartwarming and bittersweet, stirring old memories and emotions.
“When I look at the card, I can see the love and compassion he had for his family,” Tabone said. “It is bittersweet because I know I’m not going to be able to see him again. Or give him a hug.”
Tabone’s father, John Dvorsak Sr. of Slovan, wrote the card in 1944 while sitting in a foxhole along the front line.
” … Truthfully mom, I am now in a foxhole writing and praying at the same time. It’s been pretty rugged and I’d give anything to be home now,” he wrote. “I’m alright and hope that all of you are well.”
He ends the letter by saying he’s hoping to be home the next year for Christmas. Decades after it was received, Tabone said the letter resurfaced roughly 15 years ago when relatives were cleaning out her grandmother’s house.
“My grandmother loved to cook, so it was only fitting that the letter would be found in her cookbook,” she said.
Tabone said the letter was then presented to Dvorsak, who after he briefly shared it with his family, tucked it away for safekeeping. The letter was rediscovered a second time after Dvorsak died in 2008 at the age of 85.
“It was among some of his prized possessions,” Tabone said.
Tabone said her father never talked about his time in the Army. All she really knows is that he was injured when a mortar shell exploded, sending shrapnel into his leg. He recovered in England, was awarded a Purple Heart and sent back to the front lines until the fighting ceased. Over the years, she’s come across numerous medals he was awarded and has created a display.
She thinks it’s only fitting the card serve to honor her father and the other men and women who serve their country.
“When I saw it, I valued their service so much more,” she said. “There are many people who didn’t come home, who don’t come home.”