The Gold Star Mother and the White Cliffs of Dover (PDF)

A true story of a mother, father, daughter, and five sons from typical small town, USA. There is no doubt that America was one nation under God. High school was the stepping stone for the military and it was only age limitations that kept some there until graduation. In 1939 as every man, woman, and child's actions were required to help with the war effort, all turned to essential war materials only. There was total unity and dedication. The book centers around a mother of five sons in the military, one being the author, Ken Wiley. Written like a timeline, the author drives a landing craft in invasions in the Pacific while his brother, Vic, flies to who knows where. Troy and Joe were with the eighth AF flying missions over Germany and Bill joined the Army. Their parents at home did everything they could and waited for those very infrequent letters and sometimes, the dreaded telegram. Ken and Troy, using memory and old letters to lay out the timeline, describe what each are doing at certain times. With communication at that time being so difficult, it comes as a surprise how each of them are notified of Joe's death. This book follows the journey of a B-17 with ten boys who are facing death every minute from German fighters and anti-aircrafts for an eight hour mission over Germany. It shows exactly what was happening 12,000 miles away on a Japanese held island, and exactly what was happening at the same time, 70 years ago back home. If you are interested in any of these things, you'll want to read this book.