This is an album I have been working on since April. It has the history of my Dad, and his two brothers during the years serving in World War II. I made pockets in the album to hold documents from that time (discharge papers, draft letters etc.) My hope was to record the history of 3 brother’s that served the U.S.A.

Love in the time of war is not fair. Waiting and watching your son’s
leave for war is heartbreaking. Sometimes all you can do is put a knot in your faith and hang on. This was my Grandmother’s life during 1941-1944. Her three son’s James, Jack and Stewart would serve in the United States Army and were stationed in various parts of the world.

World War II affected the entire Maxwell family. My grandfather Peter Maxwell and my Great Uncle Bob Murray would work in the defense plants. My Grandma Jeanie Maxwell worked at the bomber plant.
My grandparents were immigrants from Scotland who had become U.S. citizens, yet they felt their duty to support their new country.
Even their relatives back in the old country (Scotland) were not facing their son’s going off to war. They felt terrible for my Grandparents.

I am fortunate that my Dad kept a box containing photographs and memorabilia from his days in the service. Dad had shared some of what the box contained years prior with me. Dad was stationed on Saipan during the Japanese surrender. He had taken photos of that historical event and kept them in his little box for years. We had documented basic facts about his days in the Army as well as his older brothers Jack and Jim. But while I milled through his box one day after his death, I found a multitude of family treasures.Uncle Jim’s Bronze Star medal and his original draft letter (in envelope) dating back to September 2, 1941, Various Army roosters, discharge papers and a treasure trove of personal items.

I decided that a album needed to be made of all 3 brothers, their
photographs, memorabilia and historical information. Not only was I blessed to have my Dad’s war mementos, but his two brothers also.
Dad was the youngest of the three musketeers and the last to leave this earth – but I had the basic information on their lives during the war from previous interviews. Within the album I made pocket pages to contain scans of documents for future generations to view.

I am an Army Mom myself, and I am awaiting my son Andrew’s deployment to Iraq. I am dreading this day beyond what words could ever express. Yet, I am proud of my son and try each day to respect his wishes to serve his county. I must remind myself of my own Grandmother saying good-bye and letting go of three son’s during World War II and all the other mother’s who have faced this before me. I wonder how my Grandmother survived all three of her son’s being sent off to war in different parts of the world? How blessed she was to keep the knot in her faith and have all three of her soldier boy’s return home safely after the war was over! Godspeed!