Four brothers brought up to revere God and love country.
From Rockford, Illinois, a close suburb of Chicago.
Frank, who grew up to be a Marine.
Ralph, who joined the Army and John, an Air Force man.
Their letters home can be found if you google
“The Abandoned History of Four”
Their only surviving relative a second cousin,
A woman who recognizes the value of their letters.
They express the horrors of WWII, the air raids, the submarines,
“The Japs and nasty Germans raiding without warning”
They take you through Pearl Harbor, a particularly nasty day.
You get a feel for the terror, and the aftermath of what they lived through.
None of the three brothers married or had children.
Frank was sent home with malaria and jaundice, and had mental problems.
Ralph and John were probably in similar states.
Optimistic, patriotic soldiers who lived their truth.
At the expense of their futures.