Portrait Through Poetry: Poetry and Letters - Tapa blanda

Miles D. Orr wrote poetry, short stories, and longer works for decades. "Portrait through Poetry" contains a number of his poems as well as letters he wrote over three years, during World War II. They show his affection for his family, but they go beyond that. Though censors ensured the World War II letters did not discuss Miles' role in the war, photos he took show desolate airfields and the bonds of the men. Longing for home is evident in every letter, and he often talks about his two brothers, who also served. He also teases his sister, to whom most letters were addressed, and gives his impressions of Rome. By the end of the war he had met his future wife, and had another strong reason to want to be home. Some of the longing in his later poetry may come from the loneliness he felt while in the Army Air Corps, so far from home.

Miles D. Orr (1915-94) grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri with eight brothers and sisters. A World War II veteran, he served in the Army Air Corps in North Africa and Europe. He met his wife of 48 years, Rita Rooney Orr, in Washington, D.C., where she roomed with his sister in the early 1940s. He and Rita had five children and he was able to meet and enjoy five of his seven grandchildren. Miles enjoyed writing, playing bridge, and singing. This was his first published book of poetry. He wrote for more than 40 years, largely novels. He was more interested in writing than editing, so none was ever published. They remain as his legacy for his family and friends. Miles' war service did have another legacy. He acquired pulmonary fibrosis from using carbon tetra chloride (carbon tet, as he called it) to clean airplane engines in the desert. Though he was fortunate to come home and raise a family, his World War II service did eventually kill him.