What Leora Never Knew: A Granddaughter’s Quest for Answers is my journey of research and remembrance, and the companion book to Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II.

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Junior Wilson, the one one the right, is the only brother buried here in Iowa. I didn’t realize that until after Grandma Leora’s death. I was in my mid-40s and had been with Grandma and her daughters to take flowers to three graves at Perry through the decades. I had to know what happened to them.

Dan Wilson is in the middle. He was KIA February 19, 1945–just weeks before the end of the war. He was actually listed as MIA because he was lost in the snowy Alps. The British learned of his death months later, and his folks Clabe and Leora Wilson, weren’t notified until January of 1946.

The story of how he was located and, because his dogtags weren’t with his remains, the trouble taken to identify him is fascinating and heartening. Dan Wilson is now buried in an American cemetery overseas. That story is also included.

Dale Wilson, on the left, along with his B-25 and crew have never been found, although there has been one serious attempt to locate them.

I think you’ll be surprised at the thorough records kept on these casualties, even to this day, and to information redacted before one document was sent to me. Even though these losses still echo through the next generation of the family, it’s been encouraging to be able to learn so much about what happened to the three youngest Wilson brother.

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Elizabeth Gauffreau’s Five Star review

What Leora Never Knew : A Granddaughter’s Quest for Answers is the fourth book in the series Joy Neal Kidney has written about her maternal grandmother Leora Goff Wilson, beginning with Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family in World War II. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading the entire series–and reading it in order–Leora’s Letters, Leora’s Dexter Stories, Leora’s Early Years, and What Leora Never Knew.

Kidney’s quest for answers about the fate of her three uncles killed serving their country in World War II began in earnest with her grandmother’s death in 1987. Leora had left a legacy of family letters, which brought back the full extent of pain and grief the surviving family members experienced, in particular Leora’s two daughters, Doris, Kidney’s mother, and Darlene, her aunt.

Kidney was determined to discover and document as much information as she could about the specific circumstances of her uncles’ deaths to keep their memories alive for future generations of her family. As it turned out, the Leora books are now part of the historical record not only for the State of Iowa but for the entire nation.

What Leora Never Knew is the story of Kidney’s research process and findings about the circumstances of each uncle’s death and the aftermath of those deaths. As detailed in the book, Kidney became a highly skilled (and dogged!) researcher. I was very impressed by the previously-classified military records she had been able to obtain and the range of resources she employed to discover the missing pieces of her uncles’ stories.

The first section of the book introduces readers to the Wilson family, with particular emphasis on the three brothers who were lost, Dale, Danny, and Junior. Some of the information appears in prior books in the series, but it is expanded upon in this volume. These chapters cover each brother’s entry into the service, his training, the day-to-day life of the pilots, the larger context of military operations, and notification to the Wilson family of each brother’s loss, Dale and Danny missing in action, Junior killed in a training accident.

The second section of the book presents the military records that tell the story of each plane’s loss, including horrific eye witness accounts, the disposition of Junior’s body, and the searches to find Dale’s and Danny’s remains. Kidney’s matter-of-fact tone when discussing military operations, the details of the brothers’ assignments, and the missions they went on, followed by the specific circumstances of each death and subsequent search for their remains left me incredibly sad.

The official military documents, particularly the lists of personal effects–”Pants, sweat, Shirt, sweat, Drawers, wool, Undershirts, wool” (p. 85)–really brought home the fact that these were three ordinary, decent young men who were cut down before they had a chance to begin their adult lives, all for love of country. What Leora Never Knew, was an emotional read for me but an important and necessary read, both for the history of this country and for its future. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

What Leora Never Knew is the companion book to Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II. It’s available from Amazon.com in hardbound, paperback, ebook, and audiobook narrated by Paul Berge.

All editions are also available from Amazon.uk.

I’m so grateful this family’s sacrifice during the war is being remembered!