Your Forgotten Sons

I've read a lot of World War II fiction and non-fiction but this is the first I've read about the 606 Graves Registry Company. This was a riveting, quick read that focuses on the true experiences of one man, Bud Richardville of Indiana. He was older than most of the men, not drafted until 1943 when he was 29 because he was a manager of a paper mill. Bud's working-class background gives him authenticity as the main character because it's so easy to put yourself in his place.

Bud's unit is mobile, following the advances of the front-line troops. They land in Normandy only 8 hours after the first assault, to begin their grim duty of collecting, identifying, and burying the dead. As difficult as it was to read about the condition of the fallen soldiers, much worse was to come. This unit will be called to duty at the Battle of the Bulge and the execution field in Malmedy. Brace yourself for the body retrievals in the underground tunnels of Brest, where a fire raged during the battle. I loved reading about Luxembourg City, where the company was moved to give them a break from the horror. The locals were so warm and welcoming, a balm for the psyches of the men. From there, they are moved to Dachau. Again, I've read a lot about Dachau but I have never read anything as horrific and monstrous as what is revealed here. I'm sure I will have nightmares.

"The men were exhausted physically and mentally, the visions of what they'd seen and done at Dachau burned into their souls."

I confess I had great difficulty understanding why Bud married a woman he had known for less than a week after he was drafted but it is a big part of this story. On the other hand, his attraction to Eva, a survivor of Gestapo torture in Luxembourg City, made perfect sense. But, as a Catholic, Bud is tormented by his strange wife as well as his relationship with Eva. I felt so sorry for him, struggling to understand his long-distance marriage through infrequent letters. The author does an excellent job of revealing the cumulative effects of stress and trauma on the men in this unit. We follow them for a few months after the end of the war in Europe, as some go home but many are sent to the Pacific. This book is well worth reading, not only because it highlights areas of WW II not usually covered but also because it shines a spotlight on the need for mental healthcare for veterans of all wars. Although reading about the Nazi atrocities is stomach-churning and difficult, it reinforces why we must resist the current political trend in America of normalizing them. We must never forget and never let our guard down. I highly recommend this book to all historical fiction lovers.

Your Forgotten Sons is a bittersweet poignant look at our military men and women (even though this is about a man). "Bud" Richardville grew up in a small town in Indiana. He had a loving mother and sister but an abusive father. "Bud" runs away from home and eventually ends up in a logging camp. At this point he is a happy go lucky person who is drafted into the Army at the beginning of World War Ii. On his way to boot camp "Bud" encounters the big city and somehow ends up married to Lorraine whom he met in a large department store. After boot camp "Bud" ends up in the Graves Registration Service which locates, registers and buries the dead. His initiation to the service is at the battle of Normandy. The unit not only has to deal with the dead on the beaches but has to recover the bodies of an amphibious boat that had an accident before it landed on the beach. We follow Bud" throughout the war through every battle locating, registering and burying the dead. The reader sees the progression of PTSD in "Bud" in each circumstance. Throughout the war "Bud" barely receives letters from his "wife" Lorraine and this further adds to his distress. Eventually the unit ends up in the country of Luxembourg where in Luxembourg City he meets Eva whose husband is in the Nazi concentration ca,p Dachau. "Bud" and Eva develop a relationship which helps him through the toughest part of the war