I have relied on my Uncle Bob's recount of stories about World War II and the Pacific Theater. He had been flying troops and cargo around the south Pacific for several years before my Dad (Bucky) was drafted in late 1944. There was a short "window of time" that both brothers were stationed in the Philippines in 1945.
Bob was the little brother. He was almost 4 years younger than Bucky.
Bob discovered that his older brother, Bucky, was living in a tent city in the Philippines close to where he was assigned. Bob's air carrier group was located north of Manilla. Bob requested a jeep and drove over to the area where Bucky was located. Bob said he searched the tent city to no avail. It was like nobody knew of Bucky's location. Then someone heard that Bob was looking for a guy named "Andrews". Bob was asked "if he meant the guy with the high IQ". Then everybody knew who Bucky was.
Bob said it was the first time he can remember when he felt that he had lost the perception that he was the "little kid brother" and there was a respect from his older brother.
So in the summer of 1945, Bob and Bucky did meet in the Philippines far from the tranquillity of little Plymouth, Wisconsin. It was several months later that our B-29's dropped two atomic bombs on Japan and the War ended.
I am always somewhat reticent to talk about "how intelligent" someone is because it is a relative measure. There was no question that Bucky was a bright guy. His Mom (my Grandma Myrna) allegedly got a letter from the Army indicating he had scored one of the highest scores ever on their intelligence tests. I think those tests helped get him a clerical job rather than an assignment of a "ground trooper".
I'm not sure when the two brothers met again but it probably was after the War and both had returned to Plymouth. Thankfully both got back safely.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that siblings remain connected by family ties no matter where they are in the world. It is a powerful connection.
Love,
Dad