1946

ALVIN E. NUNES (1946)

A CITY in Southern California A mystery envelope A clipping' from a newspaper A Newman veteran The Red Cross A war "bride who was lost but didn’t know it.

"WHO SAYS truth can’t be stranger than fiction? Or that luck or coincidence does not play an active part in human affairs? Just listen!

THE STORY began Monday afternoon In the mail the Index received an envelope postmarked Patterson carrying a hand-printed address Nothing to indicate the sender Inside was a brief little clipping snipped from an Oxnard newspaper.

THE CLIPPING said that the Oxnard Chapter of the Red Cross was trying to locate Alvin Nunes Army veteran whose war bride Margarete was due to arrive in New York on Monday April 1st from her home in England/ The address of her husband was given as “P O Box 795 Naumann — one that is clearly inadequate and inaccurate.”

THE INDEX editor dropped all else. Eddie Murtos knew where Alvin was And a very worried -young man — far more worried than he ever was when he parachuted from the airborne fleet into German territory to help smash the Nazi strongholds — hurried in. He had known that the girl he had married in Manchester on June 16 1945 expected to leave England most any day. But he hadn’t heard a word! Yet on Sunday a letter had arrived from Margarete’s best girl friend addressed to Mrs. Alvin Nunes. Which was puzzling

THINGS HAPPENED fast after that for the Red Cross put on a demonstration of the very efficient work it can do especially for a veteran and his bride. Alvin saw Mrs. Frank Nunes home service chairman for the Newman Branch. She phoned Modesto, Modesto phoned Oxnard, Oxnard phoned New York. And New York greeted the girl with the word that all was well — that her husband was eagerly waiting her arrival in California — before she ever knew there had been a bit of a mix-up.

DON’T TELL us that Cupid and Lady Luck don’t look after young folks very much in love. For they directed the eyes of a Patterson reader to a little item in an Oxnard paper — and all’s well that ends well! Margarete should he here before Sunday.

ALVIN AND Margarete were last together on August 6 1945. A very short furlough had permitted a few precious hours with her before he had to return to France to rejoin the outfit that was due to sail for home. And sail they did on September 8th

WE THOUGHT you’d like the story!. [04 Apr 1946]

   English Bride Arrives Here: Mrs. Alvin Nunes, the English bride of the Newman youth who served in the Mediterranean and European Theatres of War with the parachute troops, arrived here last Friday afternoon from New York.
   She is the girl who was lost because the address of her husband was given as Naumann instead of Newman - yet was unaware of the fact so quickly did the Red Cross act after a clipping from an Oxnard newspaper was sent to the Index by a Patterson resident.
   Mrs. Nunes said she received a delightful reception in New York after the long crossing which took fourteen days Her every need was quickly filled and every effort made to guard against any mishap during her journey by train across the continent.
   Yes she did find Newman weather a bit warm in comparison with home But she liked the excellent appearance of the city was quite sure she would be very happy here and was thrilled over joining her husband whom she had not seen since he left England last April to rejoin his unit and sail for home. [18 Apr 1946]

Alvin Nunes who was with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment attached to the 82nd Airborne Division during the time of the Ardennes Campaign (Battle of the Bulge) during the last half of December 1944 is entitled to wear the Belgian Fourregere, a red and green braided cord which is worn around the right shoulder. Each member of the division is to receive the recognition as the result of the unit having been cited twice in an Order of the Day of the Belgian Army which authorized the Fourregere in 1940. [26 Sep 1946]

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