The photo -- actually it's a composite that Earl Hucks had made for the occasion -- was a big hit among a group of World War II veterans who flew to Washington late last month on the Triad Flight of Honor.
Five young men, Hucks and four of his brothers, peer back at the camera, the promise of their young lives still ahead of them. Each of the brothers in the photo served in the war -- two (Brantley and William) in the Navy, two (Oree and Earl) in the Army Air Corps and one, Frank, in the Army.
By any measure, the family's contribution to the war effort was immense. It's difficult to imagine five brothers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in today's volunteer service. During World War II, though, many American families answered the call the same as the Hucks brothers.
"We did a lot for the country, but then, everybody did," Earl Hucks said. "That's just the way it was in those days."
Called to service
My first glimpse of Earl's photograph came in a gangway leading to a U.S. Airways flight home from Washington after touring the nation's war monuments -- most notably the World War II Memorial -- sponsored by local Rotary clubs.
Earl, 87, and his older brother, Brantley, were patiently waiting to ease into their seats after a long day of sightseeing and reminiscing with fellow veterans. He leaned over with a mischievous grin and said something to the effect of "Good-looking bunch of fellows, huh?"
The men volunteered a short summary of each brother's service and life after they returned. Brantley served in the South Pacific on a destroyer escort ship in the Navy. Earl was stationed at West Point as a military policeman assigned to keep an eye on the cadets as they trained to be pilots in the Air Corps. William, the youngest, also served in the Navy in the Pacific. Oree and Frank fought in North Africa, Italy and on into Germany.
"Frank was in the infantry," Brantley said. "Of all of us, he probably had the roughest road. He was never wounded, but when he came out, they found out he had a hole in his heart. He made out real good, but he died when he was young."
All told, there were 12 Hucks children -- seven boys and five girls -- raised on a farm near High Point in southwestern Guilford County. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, five of the boys were called by Uncle Sam.
"I didn't have to go in until late, 1944," Brantley Hucks said. "I guess my little boy (he had a son) kept me out until then. They needed more people and it was my turn."
Price paid by a generation
Without intending to, Brantley Hucks, 90, summed up the hefty price the nation asked of his generation.
"The Navy had me for two years and it was plenty," Brantley Hucks said. "I'm glad I served and went through it, but I couldn't wait to get back home to see my little boy."
There you have it. Citizen-soldiers who shouldered arms in defense of the country because they were needed. Without much fuss, off they went into the Army, the Navy, the Marines and the Air Corps. Young men such as the Hucks brothers, simple farm boys sent to such places as Guadalcanal, Normandy and Salerno.
"Our parents, especially our mama, they were under a lot of stress while we were gone," Brantley Hucks said.
All of the brothers returned home safely, Brantley Hucks said, "but Dad wasn't here to see it. He had a stroke in the backyard and died in 1945."
Of the Hucks clan, only Brantley, Earl and a younger sister are still here. The brothers made the trip to Washington to see their memorial and will spend part of Veterans Day reflecting on the past -- the names of soldiers and the battles they fought in -- etched on the memorials.
"Korea, Vietnam, World War II ... so many names," Brantley Hucks said. "So many people lost."
ssexton@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7481
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement