Several people are searching for clues after a well-kept Army uniform from the 1950s was discovered in a Kansas City ditch along with a love letter tucked inside.
Luann Palmer’s daughter found the uniform, still on a coat hanger, alongside a Piper neighborhood road not far from their family’s driveway, KMBC News reported Monday. In the pocket was a love letter addressed to Howard Pennington from a woman, postmarked Dec. 2, 1957, from Verdun, France, according to the outlet.
“Sweetheart my love, I miss you so very much,” part of the letter reads.
Well-maintained Army uniform with love letter from 1957 found in ditch https://t.co/2PPq70Xqb6
— KCCI News (@KCCINews) May 30, 2023
The discovery sent Palmer to social media to track down Pennington’s relatives, according to KMBC. (RELATED: Remains Of WWII Bomber Lost In Europe Will Be Buried In Illinois Hometown)
“I just thought if it was my dad’s, I would want it back,” Luann told KMBC.
Molly Jennings answered Palmer’s call for help, according to the outlet. Both Jennings and her daughter learned Pennington was in France with army combat engineers to build roads in 1957. They found he died just three days after the letter’s postmark. The researchers don’t know how Pennington died or if he’d ever received the letter, WDRB reported.
Jennings and her daughter also discovered the soldier’s commanding officer lived in Leavenworth, according to KMBC. Pennington’s great-nephew lives about an hour from where the uniform was found, their research revealed.
The army soldier’s great-nephew was unaware of either the uniform or letter’s existence until Jennings reached out, KMBC News said.
“I personally think it was in the possession of someone that’s maybe not related to him, maybe someone he served with, a close friend,” Jennings told the outlet. “I really just want to know who had it. I want to know why they kept it safe for 65 years.”