Justice and Honor for My Sister: The Story of Margie Grey

By Joan Yankey

I can still vividly recall that dreadful day my parents received the telegram that Margie, my twin sister, had taken her own life. Margie, was an enlisted WAC serving as a surgical technician during WWII. A natural beauty with a witty sense of humor; she was always the strong one, fearless, determined, and adventurous. Merely days before her death, she had written me that she had found love again and said she was coming home to see her family before being deployed overseas.

The controve

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781640960374

Book preview

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Justice and Honor

for My Sister

The Story of Margie Grey

(Based on True Events)

Joan Yankey

and

Beverley Reichman

Copyright © 2018 Joan Yankey and Beverley Reichman

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2018

This is a work of fiction based on true events. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner.

ISBN 978-1-64096-040-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64096-037-4 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Prologue

Childhood Memories

Teenage Treasures to Cherish

Turning Point

Home for the Holidays

Valiant Vocation

Reassignment

Desire of the Heart

The Unexplainable

Resignation

Without Answers

Disputable Discrepancies

Shattered Hope

Silent Messenger

Life’s Final Chapter

Dedication

I dedicate this book to

my devoted parents, my loving family, and my aunt for her courage and service to our country. God bless those who search for truth, justice, and honor on behalf of loved ones they have lost.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank my

wonderful husband and family for their support in helping me find the confidence I needed to share this story, which has held a special place in my heart throughout my life.

A special thank you to my friend, Beverley Reichman, for her encouragement, contribution, time, and commitment. With her partnership, this book became not only a possibility but a reality.

Prologue

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. (Author Unknown)

My beloved sister’s tragic death

haunts me to this day. I often dream of times gone by when she and I would play together, as sisters do, utterly carefree and happy—unknowing that her fate would not allow us to grow old together.

Only twenty-four years old, my twin sister, Margie, was found hanging from a shower curtain rod in the latrine of her barrack at 1:00 on the morning of November 22, 1945. Her death was ruled as suicide by strangulation. The official ruling claimed she was mentally unsound. How could this possibly be? I knew my sister perhaps better than anyone, and I have struggled with this ruling since her death.

Sometimes in life, things happen that seem so obvious, but in reality, they are quite the opposite. Although many years have passed, I’ve always felt compelled to tell Margie’s story and give my heartfelt emotions surrounding the incomprehensible and senseless loss of my beautiful, vibrant, courageous, and loving sister.

My vivid dreams shake me to my core and awaken me, horrified, gasping for breath, as I see her hanging there, shadows all around her. Who is with her? I feel completely helpless. Why do I continue to have these dreadful dreams?

Justice is a bold and intriguing word, but final justice is for peace of mind for those who have lost loved ones due to perceived wrongdoing caused by others. I yearn for the truth. I need closure. This is the story of my sister, Margie Grey.

Chapter 1

Childhood Memories

We sometimes underestimate the influence of little things. (Charles W. Chestnutt)

Margie and I were raised

in Brookdale, a quaint little country town in Georgia. The town was named after our grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Brooks Sr. on our father’s side of the family. Settlers came to the area before the Civil War found its way to Georgia in the 1860s. In 1887, a railroad was built from Atlanta to Fort Valley. It stopped locally in a remote place known as Melina.

At the time, locomotives required large loads of cordwood for fuel, and farmers were in need of money. As a result of the railroad’s need for wood, farmers would cut and haul the wood to Nape’s Crossing. Later, it was essential that the railroad expand and acquire adequate land for side tracks, housing for its workers, and, of course, a depot.

Our grandparents owned local land and the town’s entire business district of Nape’s Crossing. The donation of their land enabled the area to become a main stopping point for the railroad. The town was named Brookdale in honor of our grandparents’ generous donation.

Margie and I had amazing and caring parents. Mom was genuinely benevolent, always helping others. She adored cooking for her family and was constantly baking desserts for school parties, church dinners, and soup kitchens. She was truly beautiful inside and out. Her shoulder-length hair, the