Mills County, Military

World War I

Last Letter to His Mother

Corporal Harvey T. Rimel writes a “Mother’s Day” Letter that will, no doubt remain an heirloom in the Family. By request, of a number of our readers, we print the last letter written by the late Corporal Harvey T. Rimel to his mother. It was his “Mother’s Day” letter, and as can be seen contains comforting words for his “dearest friend on earth.”

My Dearest Mother:
It is in memory of “Mother’s Day” that I am writing this letter; also to answer the two I received from you yesterday.

Mother, dear, why do you take everything I say so much to heart? It was only for a week or two that I received more letters from any one than I did from you. I get more letters from you than I do from all the rest of them together, and enjoy them more. Ask Lawrence Day, whose letters I read first. He’s my bunk mate and has been for some time.

I am going to try and tell you what you mean to me. The word “Mother” it seems to me is best defined in the song in which the chorus runs thus:

M is for the million things she gave;
O is only that she’s growing old;
T is for the tears she shed to save me;
H is for her heart as pure as gold;
E is for her eyes with lovelight shining;
R is right and right she’ll always be.
Put them all together and they spell “Mother,”
A word that means the world to me.

A mother is never appreciated until she’s gone, or until a separation, and since the sea separates us, I’ve begun to partially appreciate what Mother really means to me. There’s no one like mother to drive the blues away, to cheer you when you are lonely, nurse you when you’re sick, or sympathize with you in a million different ways.

I’m blessed with as good a mother as ever breathed and her teachings have stood me in good stead. Many a temptation I’ve side-stepped because the memory of your teachings can’t be forgotten. I can honestly say, dear mother, I’m a better man in this far away foreign land than I ever was in my life. Do you know what makes me pass these temptations by? It’s the memory of you. Many times it seems you are very near me, as though your hand was guiding me over the pitfalls, and there’s plenty of them. But do not fear, I’ll come back to you as clean as I left you.

How I regret the many heartaches and sleepless nights I’ve caused you with my thoughtlessness, mother dear; and if my life is spared until we meet again, I’ll try to make up for it, in part.

Do you know the most vivid mind picture I have of you? It’s you standing between the tracks waving your handkerchief as the train pulled out of Glenwood. I stood it pretty well until, then.

Well, mother, I’ve tried in my simple way to tell you what you mean to me. No words can express the feelings of all the boys over here who have mothers at home far across the sea, o I send you the best of cheer and wish for you the best of luck.

Keep up your confidence, for we have plenty of it over here. There aren’t enough Germans in the world to shake our confidence.

As ever, your loving son,
Corporal Harvey T. Rimel
Co I. 168th Infantry
American E.F.

~ source: Mills County Tribune, Glenwood, Iowa; August 5, 1918