In My Father's Words: The World War II Letters of an Army Doctor

World War II changed the world on a global scale. But it also changed the life of every individual who took part in it.

Dated from 1941 to 1945, this collection of over five hundred letters details the daily life of a Jewish American, fluent in German, who served as a doctor in the US Army. These letters are a time capsule of the time Milton Cantor, MD, spent in Central America and Europe serving his country. They shed light on the conditions of soldiers’ medical care at the time, the small joys that brought hope to those away from home, and the unabashed patriotism of a doctor doing his part to make sure America remained the land of the free.

As Cantor writes home to his wife, he shares his thoughts on censorship, the Nazis, the German POWs, and the army. As time passes, he also discovers the true meaning of family—a wisdom that would lead him to become a better father and husband on his return.

Insightful, uncensored, and illuminating, these letters are a testament to the work of army doctors in any war and the invaluable record of a specific and extraordinary time in history.

Laura Cantor Zelman is a graduate of Vassar College, where she majored in sociology and minored in English. After graduating, she moved to Washington, DC, and eventually settled in the Virginia area, where she and her husband owned a business together for thirty years.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she is the oldest of the Cantor siblings. Laura grew up in a vibrant ethnic household, which never shied away from lively political discussion. The Zelman's have three children and seven grandchildren.

She also has acted as a writer and editor of various volunteer organizations' publications and also enjoys recreational writing. This passion acted as the base for Laura's organization and excerpting of the over five hundred letters that comprise In My Father's Words.