Safely Rest

by David P. Colley

From 1945 to 1950, the United States returned 178,000 dead American servicemen back home and reburied another 80,000 in overseas cemeteries at their families' request. Never before had a nation returned so many of its fallen warriors from distant battlefields. But another 78,000 servicemen were missing in action, their bodies never to be found, their families never to know the peace of closure.

Safely Rest recalls this virtually forgotten episode of WWII through the recollections of the survivors and the letters and histories of the dead themselves. It tells of those who struggled to absorb their loss and rebuild their lives-and of those who would never be able to move on.

Most memorably, it tells of Lt. Jesse D. "Red" Franks, Jr.--first reported missing, then dead, then alive-and of his extraordinarily devoted father, who gave up everything to work as a missionary in war-torn Europe for years until he discovered what truly happened to his son.

If World War II was the "Great Crusade," then its dead are the true heroes of the war. And this is their story.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2004

Reviews

[Daniel Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly about the family of the bombardier Jesse D. "Red" Franks, Jr. and there quest to learn about his death during the attack on Ploesti. It includes some details of the history of the recovery of soldiers remains which is an uncommon subject. I enjoyed it for filling in bits of WWII history that I did not know and the torment that survivors of people listed as MIA endure. I recommend this to people who are well read on the ETO as well as to people who would like a look behind the curtain of patriotic fervor and propaganda of this era.

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reveals the processes of the military recovering the dead during war and transporting the remains back to the families (when requested) or burying them overseas. It also covers the grief of the families who's loved ones had been reported missing but their bodies were never located, or sometimes located years later.

Mixes lots of military procedures along with personal stories of several men who died during WWII and the trials of their families trying to find the remains and have them returned. Particularly covers the air raid on Ploesti.

[Tomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so sad! The central story is that of a young man killed in WWII and his father's search for the body. Using that as the base, Colley explains the methods used by the U.S. to recover remains and explains the difficulties involved. Colley pulls on your heartstrings with his writing. I enjoyed this book a lot.

[Laura Ostermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on a part of war that most people don't read about - trying to find out what happens to MIA and also the view point of the family left behind to try and cope with their loved one's loss.