Marie DeSantis & Mark Hayes

Marie DeSantis & Mark Hayes

Interview transcript

MD: In 1944 my brother Joe was in the service, of course he was fighting in Germany. A telegram came saying that he was missing in action and so I was afraid to tell my parents and I ran to get my three sisters who were at church and I said, “You have to come home. Mama and Papa need you.” We were so upset my sister, instead of getting in the car, she ran home, ran all the way home alongside the car. It was the worst news you could get. It was getting closer to Christmas and my mother says, “We won’t be able to have a Christmas tree this year because Joeys not here we don’t if he’s alive, we don’t know anything. So we’re going not have a Christmas tree.” Then Christmas Eve, a letter came from Joey… “I’m in a hospital. I’m alright. I’ll come home soon and by now you must be putting up the Christmas tree.” My mother says, “Oh look what happened, he is telling us to decorate the tree.” And my brother John he says, “Mom guess what? Last night when I came home from work I got a Christmas tree and I put it under the porch because I thought maybe you would change your mind and we could have the Christmas tree.” So we put it up and we decorated it and, “This ones for you Joe.” And it turned out nice.