Gunner Lee Thornton penned the heartfelt note for Helen O'Pray telling her: "Just because I have passed away does not mean I am not with you."
The love letter was only to be opened if something happened to the Marton soldier during his second tour of duty in the war-torn country.
Tragically, on September 5, the 22-year-old former Palatine High School pupil was shot and fatally wounded while on patrol near Basra.

Gunner Thornton died two days later in a military hospital in Germany with Miss O'Pray and his family by his bedside.
His fiancee – a 21-year-old student – today revealed the contents of the heartbreaking letter left for her by the man she adored and was due to marry in August 2008.
In it, Gunner Thornton tells her, despite his death, he would "always be there looking over you, keeping you safe".
Miss O'Pray today said: "There are no words that can describe how I felt when I read the letter for the first time. I love him so much. He was kind, generous and everything you would want in a man. I miss him dearly and this letter just shows how much I meant to him."
Gunner Thornton was part of a 12th Regiment Royal Artillery unit patrolling the town of Al Qurna when he was shot.
And his family today revealed he volunteered for the dangerous mission after his best friend – fellow Lancastrian soldier Stephen Wright – had been killed by a roadside bomb attack just 24 hours earlier.
Heartbroken mum Karen Thornton said of her son: "He is a hero.
"We're very proud of him and will never forget him."

Lee died doing the job he loved

"HE was our hero, doing the job he loved."
This was the simple message from Gunner Lee Thornton's proud parents.
And today, two weeks after his death, the Blackpool soldier's family opened their hearts to talk about the life of the "special" 22-year-old who died serving his country.
Surrounded by hundreds of sympathy cards and pictures of their beloved eldest son, parents Mick and Karen Thornton described him as "the most loving son they could ever imagine."

Speaking from the family's Marton home, Karen, 44, said: "Lee was a great man, a loyal man and we will always cherish his memory. He had so much love to give and wore his heart on his sleeve.
"The Army made him the man he was. He was tough when he went to Iraq, but when he came back, he was very much a family man and put his fiancee and us before anyone."
Dad Mick, 41, a highways worker, said: "There are no words to describe him, he's an absolute hero. Everyone who met Lee knew they were meeting someone special. We will never forget him, or what he achieved."
Born in Blackpool in November 1983, Gunner Thornton was a keen outdoors man who loved camping and spending time with his brothers and fiancee, Helen.

From the age of two, he was dressing up in army uniforms and carrying out his "Action Man" routine.
After joining the cubs and scouts, Gunner Thornton excelled at sport and was a fitness fanatic.
Last year he ran from Blackpool to Lancaster in aid of prostate cancer research after his grandfather died of the disease two years ago.
On his return from Iraq in November he had planned to run from Blackpool to Scarborough for the same cause.
His mum, a carer, added: "That was the kind of person Lee was. He would do anything for his friends and family.
"He was so full of life and gave everything he had to achieve what he wanted."
Gunner Thornton was also an avid Blackpool FC fan and took his beloved Seasiders' flag on tour with him wherever he went.
Upon leaving Palatine High School, he signed up for the Army and did his first tour of duty in Iraq at the age of 19. He returned for his second duty in April.
Earlier this year, Gunner Thornton's picture was featured on the cover of Blackpool's Veterans Week programme and he was among the contingent of soldiers from the 12th Regiment Royal Artillery who went along to the town hall to be granted the Freedom of the Borough.
Gunner Thornton's parents were on holiday in Bulgaria with their three other children, Ryan, 19, Sean, 15 and 13-year-old Jake when they were told he had been shot and wounded.
Fiancee Helen, 21, and her mother, Janette, were flown to Germany from their home in Sandbach, Cheshire, to be at his bedside.
Mrs Thornton added: "I received a message on my phone from the Army telling us to call them straight away. We did and were taken from Bulgaria via Budapest to the barracks in Germany.
"We had prepared ourselves for the worst, but nothing can come close to how we all feel. The medics did all they could for him, but the wound proved fatal.
"We're all still very numb about it and don't know how to feel about Lee's death.
"He died doing what he loved doing. He is a hero to us all and achieved so much in his short time. We're very proud of him and will never forget him."
A full military funeral will be held on Monday at St Pauls CE Church on Honister Avenue, Marton, followed by a ceremony at Carleton Crematorium.

Best friend's death prompted him to go

GUNNER Lee Thornton volunteered for the fatal mission just a day after his best friend was killed in action.
Fellow Lancastrian soldier Stephen Wright died when his military jeep was ambushed by a roadside bomb outside the town of Ad Dayr, near Basra, in southern Iraq.
The 20-year-old from Leyland died on September 4 together with colleague Gunner Samuela Vanua, 27.
Just 24 hours later, and despite realising the dangers involved, Gunner Thornton volunteered to join his comrades in the 58 (Eyres) Battery of the 12th Regiment Royal Artillery, as it patrolled the nearby town of Al Qurna.
He was shot and fatally wounded as he left a school while on patrol.

Commanding officers said such bravery, coming so soon after the death of a close friend, showed the courage of the Blackpool serviceman.
And today Gunner Thornton's parents said their son volunteered for the dangerous mission because of what had happened to his close friend.
Mum Karen said: "Stephen was Lee's best friend in the Army and they always stayed in contact whenever they were home. They had known each other for a while and they were good friends.
"This was the reason he volunteered for the mission. Lee knew the risks involved, but he was that kind of person. He would put himself forward for the mission despite the sad news of Sammy and Stephen."
Lee signed up for the Army in 2000 after leaving Palatine High School. He went on exercises in Germany, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Poland and Canada before being deployed to the Middle East in 2003.
Cpt Laurence Roche, spokesman for the 20th Artillery Battery, said: "Lee was part of a patrol teaching Iraqi soldiers how to handle a number of situations.
"He had volunteered to go on the patrol the day after two of his colleagues were killed in another ambush, he was that kind of soldier."

Lee's parents said their son would have put his army colleagues before anyone when out on patrol.
Dad Mick said: "Lee achieved a lot with his time in the Army and he loved being part of the action.
"He thrived on it and his volunteering for a mission just shows how dedicated he was to his job."

Words never meant to be read

IT was the letter Lee Thornton hoped his fiancee would never have to read.
Written just days before her boyfriend was posted to Iraq for his second tour of the war-torn country it was Gunner Lee Thornton's heartfelt ode to his beloved fiancee.
The tender words of love and devotion were never meant to be read unless the worst happened.
Tragically the fatal gunshot suffered by Gunner Thornton ended the chances of a happy future for the Marton soldier and his student girlfriend.
They met when they were both just 14 in Sandbach in Cheshire and became firm friends.
They started going out two years ago and had been engaged just a few months before Gunner Thornton's posting to Iraq.
The wedding arrangements were in full flow and the couple were due to marry in August 2008 in Blackpool.
They used his leave time as a chance to look for a home together in Newcastle where Miss O'Pray was due to move to study teaching at the city's university.
Speaking to The Gazette from her home in Sandbach, Miss O'Pray said: "Lee was an emotional man and said what he felt.
"He was strong in the Army, but when he came home he was very romantic and could be very emotional.
"I cannot put into words how I feel about losing Lee. He was my life and I will never forget him."

Hi babe,
I don't know why I am writing this because I really hope that this letter never gets to you, because if it does that means I am dead. It also means I never had time to show you just how much I really did love you.
You have shown me what love is and what it feels like to be loved. Every time you kissed me and our lips touched so softly I could feel it. I got the same magical feeling as our first kiss. I could feel it when our hearts get so close they are beating as one. You are the beat of my heart, the soul in my body; you are me because without you I am nothing. I love you Helen, you are my girlfriend, my fiancee and my best friend.
You are the person I know I could turn to when I needed help, you are the person I looked at when I needed to smile and you are the person I went to when I needed a hug. When I am away it is like I have left my soul by your side. You have shown me so much while you have been in my life that if I lost you I could not live. You have shown me how to live and you have shown me how to be truly happy. I want you to know that every time I smile that you have put it there. You make me smile when others can't, you make me feel warm when I am cold.
You have shown me so much love and so much more. I want you to know how much you mean to me. You are my whole world and I love you with all my heart, you are my happiness.
There is no sea or ocean that could stop my love for you. It is the biggest thing I have ever had.
When I say I love you I am trying to say ..... That you make me feel warm and great about myself, you make me smile and laugh everyday; you make time to talk to me and listen to what I have to say. I know god put me and you on this earth to find each other, fall in love and show the rest of the world what true love really is.
I know this is going to sound sad but every night I spent away I had a photo of you on my headboard. Each night I would go to bed, kiss my fingers then touch your face. I put the photo over my bed so you could look over me as I slept. Well now it is my turn to look over you as you sleep and keep you safe in your dreams.
I will always be looking over you to make sure you're safe. Helen I want to say something and I mean this more than I ever did before. You were the love of my life, the girl of my dreams.
Just because I have passed away does not mean I am not with you. I'll always be there looking over you keeping you safe.
So whenever you feel lonely just close your eyes and I'll be there right by your side. I really did love you with all I had, you were everything to me.
Never forget that, and never forget I will always be looking over you. I love you, you are my soul mate.
Love always and forever. Lee.