Their messages were kept in a trunk, put away, they said, to keep the kids away.
But in the 1970's, a thief broke into the home of Marian and Lloyd Michael and the trunk was stolen.
Decades later the letters wound up in the hands of a stamp collector.
When he died, his son started searching for those names signed at the bottom.
He tracked him down through his military service number.
"He says, 'I have something of yours. I've got a box of letters,'" said Lloyd Michael. "It just brings back all those memories and the tension and the not knowing. It's very emotional for us."
Now, as they celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary, the Michaels plan to re-read every letter.