I remember listening to Tex Ritter sing the song when I was a kid, if I remember correctly the song came out about the time WW II was coming to an end so it was a big hit.
The original story about the soldier and the deck of cards dates back to 1788, the song was written in 1948 by “T” Texas Tyler and made popular by Tex Ritter’s recording in 1948. It was recorded by many others to include names like Hank Williams and John Wayne.