Since You Went Away by Dean Hughes Children of the Promise Vol. 2
In this second volume of Hughes WWII series, the Thomas family is pulled apart by the raging war. Alex joins the army paratroopers. Bobbi joins the navy as a nurse. Wally is still a POW in the Philippine Islands. When Gene graduates from high school, he joins the marines. Alex's love, Anna fights the Gestapo and her family is forced into hiding.
President and Sister Thomas are having to face the realities of war. Their children are being called to the corner's of the earth and the Thomases are hoping that they will all live to be reunited.
Alex joins the army after hard thought about staying to run his father's parts plant. He becomes a paratrooper, with the army's promise of later moving to intelligence because of his German background. Alex has a hard time thinking of German's as the enemy. The other soldier's in the paratroopers doing like his soft heart and love of the enemy. Even Alex's leaders think he is not cut out for the elite group. Alex proves them wrong and finds himself quickly working his way up the ranks. He is dropped behind the lines just before D day to make way for the incoming beach landing. Alex with only a very small platoon is able to disarm four large weapons. Just days later, while trying to lead his men toward enemy fire, Alex is shot in the leg. He ends up in a hospital in London. There he meets Anna again. They are reunited for the short time Alex recuperates. They get to know each other and find they are in love as much as they dreamed they would be. They marry and have a short honeymoon before Alex is shipped back to the front lines.
Anna and her family find themselves stalked by the Gestapo. Kellerman, the agent that hated the missionaries is on a mission to ruin the lives of the Stoltz family. He comes to their apartment one day while Anna is alone. He attempts to brutalize her. She slashes his face deeply with a knife and seals the fate of the family. Kellerman will never stop until he has had Anna and killed her family. The Stoltz's go into hiding by running away to Berlin and seeking refuge with another LDS family. On the verge of being discovered they run away and live in a bombed out building. Finally, Brother Stoltz is lead by the spirit to find the identification of dead man. He uses these to get other legal papers and find a job. The family is blessed to get an apartment and through Brother Stoltz's government job, their own legal papers. They work and lead a quiet life, waiting for the day they are discovered by Kellerman. Brother Stoltz hates the Nazi's. He decides to join an underground network in order to help save the lives of Jews. The family takes in a small Jewish family to hide. The Stolzt's are found out. They escape, but the Jewish family is taken away. The Stoltz family is able to escape Germany, but in the process are separated from Peter (Anna's brother). He is left somewhere inside of Germany. Anna and her parents make it to England where Anna and Alex are reunited.
Bobbi is stationed in Hawaii. She meets Afton, an LDS girl. They become friends, room together and attend church together. While at church they meet an AJA (American of Japanese Ancestry). We learn of the Japanese Americans being interred in camps because they could be spies. They are then asked to fight for the country that has treated them so regretfully. Bobbi and Afton also meet Richard Hammond, a sailor and also LDS. Bobbi and Richard fall in love but Richard is not able to reveal his feelings because he is afraid there will be no future for he and Bobbi.
Wally is still being held as a POW on the Philippine Islands. He is subject to atrocity after atrocity; no food, disease, death, violence, brutality, and hard manual labor. He is loaded on a train at one point, with so many men there is no room to move. His friends die or he is separated from them, but still he has the grit and desire to continue on. Wally is always the one trying to help those around him. He is proving to himself that he is not the family quitter. He dreams of the day he can return home and show his father what he is made of. Finally Wally is taken to Japan.
Gene joins up as soon as he graduates high school. He is a sweet and kind boy that has been better at sports than even his older brothers. Gene doesn't want to go to war but he feels like it is his duty. He joins the marines and stays true to who he is, not becoming foul and corrupt like many of the soldiers. Gene is able to be with Bobbi in Hawaii for a short time before he sees battle. On his first day on the beaches of Saigon, Gene is shot down and killed. The family mourns greatly over knowing that they will never be a whole family in this life again.
This is my favorite book so far, in this series and in the series to follow. It is heart wrenching and also a historical feast. Fabulous!
Rating 5
Rating PG 13 War and its atrocities.
In this second volume of Hughes WWII series, the Thomas family is pulled apart by the raging war. Alex joins the army paratroopers. Bobbi joins the navy as a nurse. Wally is still a POW in the Philippine Islands. When Gene graduates from high school, he joins the marines. Alex's love, Anna fights the Gestapo and her family is forced into hiding.
President and Sister Thomas are having to face the realities of war. Their children are being called to the corner's of the earth and the Thomases are hoping that they will all live to be reunited.
Alex joins the army after hard thought about staying to run his father's parts plant. He becomes a paratrooper, with the army's promise of later moving to intelligence because of his German background. Alex has a hard time thinking of German's as the enemy. The other soldier's in the paratroopers doing like his soft heart and love of the enemy. Even Alex's leaders think he is not cut out for the elite group. Alex proves them wrong and finds himself quickly working his way up the ranks. He is dropped behind the lines just before D day to make way for the incoming beach landing. Alex with only a very small platoon is able to disarm four large weapons. Just days later, while trying to lead his men toward enemy fire, Alex is shot in the leg. He ends up in a hospital in London. There he meets Anna again. They are reunited for the short time Alex recuperates. They get to know each other and find they are in love as much as they dreamed they would be. They marry and have a short honeymoon before Alex is shipped back to the front lines.
Anna and her family find themselves stalked by the Gestapo. Kellerman, the agent that hated the missionaries is on a mission to ruin the lives of the Stoltz family. He comes to their apartment one day while Anna is alone. He attempts to brutalize her. She slashes his face deeply with a knife and seals the fate of the family. Kellerman will never stop until he has had Anna and killed her family. The Stoltz's go into hiding by running away to Berlin and seeking refuge with another LDS family. On the verge of being discovered they run away and live in a bombed out building. Finally, Brother Stoltz is lead by the spirit to find the identification of dead man. He uses these to get other legal papers and find a job. The family is blessed to get an apartment and through Brother Stoltz's government job, their own legal papers. They work and lead a quiet life, waiting for the day they are discovered by Kellerman. Brother Stoltz hates the Nazi's. He decides to join an underground network in order to help save the lives of Jews. The family takes in a small Jewish family to hide. The Stolzt's are found out. They escape, but the Jewish family is taken away. The Stoltz family is able to escape Germany, but in the process are separated from Peter (Anna's brother). He is left somewhere inside of Germany. Anna and her parents make it to England where Anna and Alex are reunited.
Bobbi is stationed in Hawaii. She meets Afton, an LDS girl. They become friends, room together and attend church together. While at church they meet an AJA (American of Japanese Ancestry). We learn of the Japanese Americans being interred in camps because they could be spies. They are then asked to fight for the country that has treated them so regretfully. Bobbi and Afton also meet Richard Hammond, a sailor and also LDS. Bobbi and Richard fall in love but Richard is not able to reveal his feelings because he is afraid there will be no future for he and Bobbi.
Wally is still being held as a POW on the Philippine Islands. He is subject to atrocity after atrocity; no food, disease, death, violence, brutality, and hard manual labor. He is loaded on a train at one point, with so many men there is no room to move. His friends die or he is separated from them, but still he has the grit and desire to continue on. Wally is always the one trying to help those around him. He is proving to himself that he is not the family quitter. He dreams of the day he can return home and show his father what he is made of. Finally Wally is taken to Japan.
Gene joins up as soon as he graduates high school. He is a sweet and kind boy that has been better at sports than even his older brothers. Gene doesn't want to go to war but he feels like it is his duty. He joins the marines and stays true to who he is, not becoming foul and corrupt like many of the soldiers. Gene is able to be with Bobbi in Hawaii for a short time before he sees battle. On his first day on the beaches of Saigon, Gene is shot down and killed. The family mourns greatly over knowing that they will never be a whole family in this life again.
This is my favorite book so far, in this series and in the series to follow. It is heart wrenching and also a historical feast. Fabulous!
Rating 5
Rating PG 13 War and its atrocities.
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