Pen pals: a sentimental journey
Oct. 16—In 2017, Sally Marks was cleaning out a closet at her home when she came across a blast from the past. She found a box of letters she had saved from a pen pal written almost 50 years ago. This sparked a curiosity that led to a renewed friendship.
After finding the letters, she couldn't help but wonder if she could find him. "I wonder if he is still alive? It had been 50 years. I thought, 'Probably not.' I found the phone number I had and a man answered the phone. I said, 'Did you have a pen pal when you were in Vietnam? He said, 'I had one pen pal and her name was Sally.'"
As the United States was at war in Vietnam in 1967, Sally was a sophomore at Athens High School. She and her classmates were asked if any of them would like to have a pen pal with one of the young men serving in the conflict. She quickly added her name to the box.
A short time later, in Saigon, a 20-year-old Army soldier named Paul Adalbert Lauziere picked a name from a box. Lauziere was an Eagle Scout from Lewiston, Maine. He enlisted in the US Army shortly after high school.
He wrote in his first letter to Sally, "Hi, you don't know who I am, so here goes. My name is Paul Lauziere. I am 20 years old 5'7" regular build. I am from Maine, and I like many things. I would like very much to be pen pals with you. Believe me, I need the mail. You never get enough in this place. I have 17,280 [sic] hours left in Vietnam, which makes it 104 days before I leave country and go back to the world, as we say here. Time used to go by fast but now time is dragging. I just got off a 12 hour stint, which I have been working for 2 months without a day off."
They discussed many topics that one might expect young people to discuss — music, dating, hobbies, school. He sent post cards, and they exchanged photos. A real friendship developed over a year of writing letters.
"That's where it all began. He stayed one year in Vietnam and went home to Maine. We never talked again or heard from one another," Sally said. "When I found the letters and I started reading them, I thought, oh my word, I can't believe we exchanged that many. I didn't remember us writing this much."
After Sally was able to reach Paul on the phone, plans were put in motion to meet for the first time. "I think he was just shocked that I had reached out and that I found him. I mean, it had been 50 years," Sally said. "He was very happy."
Sally and her husband, David, travelled to Lewiston, Maine, in October 2017 to visit Paul and his wife Helene. They stayed for two days, and as they were preparing to leave, Paul pulled Sally aside and said, "You will never know what this has done for me." Sally replied, "You will never know what this has done for me. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life."
Paul and Sally continued to stay in touch over the next few years. This time, through phone calls more than letters. Paul had several health issues and on July 12, 2022, he passed away from various cancers at the VA Hospital in Togus, Maine.
Paul's obituary described him as a man who "enjoyed woodworking in his garage building different things, especially toy chests for his grandchildren, other family members, friends, and as auction gifts. He loved being around family and would do anything for them, especially his children and grandchildren. As a grandpa, he enjoyed giving his grandchildren rides in his golf cart at Wild Acres in Old Orchard beach. Most of all, he enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his friends and family."
Since his passing, Sally has continued her friendship with Helene. "I just sent her a letter the other day," Sally said. She misses Paul and thinks of him often. "I will miss the most his voice. I loved his voice, and we really wanted to go back but we didn't get to. He had such a unique voice, I can still hear him."
