Advertisement
One died, and when the four surviving brothers came home, they faced prejudice, had hard times finding and keeping jobs, and battled their own personal demons.
It’s also a story about the efforts of a son, Eliot Littlejohn, to honor his father and four uncles. The Littlejohn family simply wanted to show respect and honor for the service and sacrifices of the five brothers.
A story in the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune in the 1940s at the time had this to say about the brothers: “The community thinks the family has established a national record among its people in the small war council it has given to Uncle Sam.”
Another more contemporary newspaper account compared the five brothers to the siblings in the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” It also described the living conditions at home:
“The extended Littlejohn family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins lived on the Winnebago Reservation. Grant and Rachel (parents of the five brothers) lived in the main house where meals were served. The sons and their families lived in what Edward (Eliot’s older brother) described as tar-paper shacks. There was no running water, only a well that was shared ... The shacks were insulated with newspaper and measured about 15 by 20 feet.”
From this humble beginning, the five brothers enlisted in the service shortly after the war started. Eliot knows something about war, too. He served in the Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
Here are some details:
n Edward Littlejohn, Eliot’s father, served in the Army as a combat engineer. He took part in the Allied invasion of North Africa and later served in Sicily and Italy. His whole service was under the command of Gen. George S. Patton. He was wounded and contracted hepatitis, which took him out of combat.
n Warren Littlejohn served in the Army in the South Pacific. There, he contracted malaria and was taken out of combat.
n Lawrence Littlejohn was in an Army anti-tank unit in the South Pacific. He was wounded in action.
n Howard Littlejohn, U.S. Army, landed at Omaha Beach and fought across France and Belgium. He was killed at the Battle of the Bulge, just weeks before the end of the European war.
n Woodrow Littlejohn, Army Air Corps, served in the South Pacific.
Newspapers ran stories about the five men when they enlisted. The language of some of the stories is a sober reminder of racial stereotypes.
One headline said, “5 tall sons of Brownsville Indian family on warpath against Axis.”
A photo caption said, “Heap big trouble is in store for the Axis ...”
Eliot and his family heard the stories their father told. But the stories didn’t resonate for Eliot until he was a teenager. And the stories had even more meaning for him when he went into the service.
It’s important for all of us to hear and take to heart the stories of veterans — especially on Memorial Day.
Postwar life was tough for the Littlejohn brothers.
“They were so strong; they tried to hide it,” Eliot said.
What’s the message here? In a word: respect. Respect for the Littlejohn family for the service and sacrifice of the five brothers — and to all veterans and their families.
The family is looking for anyone who served with the brothers or has any information about their service. Let me know and I’ll pass the information along.
Contact Opinion page editor Richard Mial at (608) 791-8232 or by e-mail at rmial@lacrossetribune.com.
