This collection is made up of around 180 letters that L. Michael Hardt ("Mike") wrote to his girlfriend and wife, Dale Weeks, while serving in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. The largest group of items consists of around 160 letters that Hardt wrote to Weeks while serving with the commander of Carrier Division Nine in the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea, and Coral Sea from July 13, 1966-January 14, 1967. His daily letters concern his love for Weeks and he frequently discussed their upcoming marriage, planned for January 28, 1967. He also commented on ship life and sent an invitation to a party for the division (September 1, 1966).
From July 14, 1967-September 21, 1967, Hardt wrote 5 letters to Weeks, who had by then become his wife, about his service on the USS Stribling (DD-867) near Mytilene, Greece. He briefly described the town's residents and discussed personal finances. The final group of items is comprised of 17 letters that he wrote from Vietnam between April 5, 1971, and June 19, 1971. He was stationed primarily in Saigon and commented on officers' quarters, complained about his lack of work, shared his opinions of Vietnam and its people, and assumed that the war was winding down. His letter of June 19, 1971, mentions his wife's artistic work and encloses a newspaper clipping about the recovery of El Greco's "Assumption of the Virgin."
Lorry Michael Hardt ("Mike") was born on September 22, 1942, the son of Lawrence H. and Lillian S. Hardt of Olympia, Washington. He received a bachelor's degree in sociology from St. Martin's College in 1964, and attended Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1965. Hardt was commissioned an ensign in the United States Naval Reserve in May 1965, served with Carrier Division Nine in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1966, served on the USS Stribling in 1967, and was stationed in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1971. After the war, he commanded the Patrol Combatant Missile Hydrofoil Squadron and the USS Joseph Hewes; he was also executive officer of the USS New Jersey and commander of Destroyer Squadron 26. Hardt married Dale Watson Weeks (February 14, 1945-May 16, 2001) in 1967, and they had two children: Graham and Michael Hardt III. Weeks attended Georgia Southern University and San Diego State University. A painter, she later taught art for the public school district in Norfolk, Virginia. L. Michael Hardt died on August 30, 1996, and Dale Weeks Hardt died on May 16, 2001. They are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
