The Curious Case of “Duckie” Orndroff

After a long day of work, I got to Moose’s parents house in Anderson County. We were all full from copious amount of homemade pasta with meat sauce and salad, and we parted ways. Moose went outside to tinker in the shop and his mom, Donna went downstairs to watch some TV and unpack boxes that had sat up opened for the last several years.

That left Pop, Moose’s Step-Dad, and I settled in on the couch, bonding over our hatred for basketball - which is sacrilegious in these parts of Kentucky, and our fondness instead for the state of New Hampshire (we both went to college in the ”Live Free or Die” state!)

After a few hours, I made my way downstairs to the basement while Donna was cleaning up and she pulled out what looked to be a simple, inconsequential box - an eBay find from years back, so we decided to take a look inside. I was expecting to find knick-knacks and other small momentos, so what we found was unexpected to say the least!

We opened the box and in it was neatly packed with personal belongings, treasures, and memories spanning 50+ years of family history.

The first thing that caught my eye was a clear bag filled with what looked to be paper money of all sizes and colors. I neatly placed each bank note on the table with my jaw practically in my lap it was so slack. Whoever saved these made sure to lay them flat and store in a cool, dry place because they were so well preserved - I have never seen anything like it! They looked as if they were printed this morning!

Beautiful bills from foreign lands reminded me of my travels during grad school where I studied in Italy. That year of my life was filled with fun findings and I was transported back. Most of the notes looked like they were from China or other far-eastern lands and I was immediately hooked! I had to find out what else was in this curious box!

In the next bag I opened, were other paper receipts, pictures, and postcards. These pictures looked like the corresponded with the money I found moments before. Tucked within the pictures was a letter. Two pages were neatly folded and laid flat as if the recipient wanted to keep the note forever. Immediately I knew I wanted to read what was written to "Dickie." This again, brought me back to my time in Italy when I interned at a research library and transcribed three, primary source diaries to use in my Masters Thesis. The writing was neat - like it was written by female friend, but I was wrong. From reading this letter, it may have been written by a lover or dalliance of some sort.

18 Aug. 46

Hi Duckie:

Hell I guess you are very much surprised to be hearing from me. Remember that night I took you home I told you as soon as I got a chance, I would drop you a few lines, well here I am. I am OK and hope that these few lines find you in the best of health.

How has the weather [been] up around there these days? It has been plenty hot down here and that’s for sure. Tonight there is a full moon and it is real beautiful. It is one of those nights that make you want to be parked along the road or in a park some place with a good looking girl & that’s for sure. It is really a romantic night.

Went fishing yesterday and had a really good time but woke up this morning with a few good dose of poison oak & thats nothing to laugh about.

Hell Kiddo I guess this will be all for now as it is time for lights out so answer soon & be good.

Always,

Bob

"WHAT DID I JUST READ!" I shouted after reading it out loud to Donna! We giggled and blushed the entire way through and had thousands of questions! Who was Duckie? Who was Bob? What happened after this letter?

It took a bit, but I was able to find the envelope. I found that he was a Private First Class stationed at Camp (now Fort) Lee, Virginia. The way the envelope was opened, you can tell that "Duckie", Ms. Deloris Orndroff knew "Bob" because she did not care to save his address. He was an enlisted soldier, post-WWII but it is said that some 30,000 soldiers were still training at the camp, living in wooden barracks.

At the time "Bob" was there, Camp Lee was known for being the primary location for the U.S. Army Quartermaster School. The Quartermaster Corps. is a sustainment branch of the U.S. Army that helps to support the "sustainment of supply" which is why there were still so many soldiers training after the war was over. Even though the war was over, many men were still stationed oversees and we would see the conflict in Korea begin a few years later.

"Duckie" on the other hand was from a small Western Maryland, town, aptly named, Westernport. The town is still small today, boasting only 1,800 residents according to the 2010 Census. That must have been why "Bob" didn't put the house number, he knew it would get to her with just her name. It brings the reader back to a simpler time.

You can tell that "Bob" was reminiscing.. possibly about a night he spent with "Duckie." What he wrote, especially when he spoke about the full moon, leaves you guessing. Other than his musings of the moon, he was pretty to the point and a bit self deprecating. It was like he knew that he scorned "Duckie" which means he may not have received a reply.

The letter was by far the coolest thing we found in the box. She clearly wanted to save this letter, probably to reminisce as well about good old times when she was younger.

After we moved on from the letter, we found folded travel maps, where it looks like she traveled to Orleans, France, Rome, Italy, and Basil, Switzerland in the 1950s. Again, these maps reminded me of my travels and how I saved all my maps to later turn into a collage.

I felt so many connections with "Duckie" after looking through a box of her things - her love of travel, her military connections, her memories, all that her family got rid of; memories lost to a different era. I hope she ended up living a happy and long life, filled with more adventures and love letters! I know I enjoyed seeing life through her eyes - like a time capsule, just waiting for someone else to see the world in which she lived.