Guest Post by Joy Neal Kidney as part of my Stories of the Greatest Generation series.
The day the second atomic bomb was dropped, Clabe and Leora Wilson’s postman brought a telegram to their acreage near Perry, Iowa. Two sons were MIA. One son was already in the U.S. Navy before Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Four more sons worked with their father, tenant farmers near Minburn until, one by one, all five sons were serving their country in the military. The oldest son re-enlisted in the Navy. The younger three became U.S. Army Air Force pilots.
As the family optimist, Leora wrote hundreds of letters, among all her regular chores, dispensing news and keeping up the morale of the whole family, which included the brothers’ two sisters. Her fondest wishes were to have a home of her own and family nearby. Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II is the compelling true account of a woman whose most tender hopes were disrupted by great losses. Yet she lived out four more decades with hope and resilience.
Guest Author Information
The author, Joy Neal Kidney, is Clabe and Leora Wilson’s oldest granddaughter. What Leora Never Knew: A Granddaughter’s Quest for Answers is her journey to discover what happened to the three young pilots who never came home.
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Thank you< Jennifer, for making sure the sacrifices of these brothers are never forgotten, especially right before Memorial Day.
Thank you for sharing your books!