Letter Rekindles Man's Memory of His Father

All these years Terry Miklos has held onto that old Simpsons' Leader Times article from 1945 about his father and uncle, two Ford City Soldier brothers reuniting in France, that has in it what his uncle wrote home to their parents.

Reading it again reminds him this upcoming Father's Day of what his father has meant to him.

"It kinda chokes me up, thinking about articles like this," Terry Miklos said about opening up the newspaper telling the story of his late father, Pfc. John Miklos, and his late uncle, Sgt. Paul Miklos. "It makes me think again about all the stories my father told me."

"I start thinking about what he gave up for us so we could have a better life," Terry Miklos said.

Terry Miklos, 50, works at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Butler as a therapist. He said he has heard many stories, just like the ones he heard from his father, shared by Soldiers at the hospital.

The letter contained photos of the two brothers.

"When I look at that picture in the paper of them together, it reminds me of how much my father wanted a better life for me and my brothers," he said. "It reminds me of the sacrifices they all made."

Terry's father John and uncle Paul were the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Miklos.

Participating in the allied invasion of Europe, the brothers wrote home in 1945 to tell their parents that they had a happy reunion in France.

Their parents were surprised when they received a letter and a snapshot of the two of them together in uniform.

They were so happy to hear from their sons that they made the letter available to the newspaper and it made front page headlines at the time for the pair.

Another brother, Pvt. Joseph Miklos, was stationed in Austria at the time that his two brothers were in France. He is currently residing in Florida.

Paul Miklos wrote this to his parents, as it first appeared in the Leader Times in 1945:

"Today is anniversary day of the invasion of France. Before I go any farther, look at the two pictures first. Surprised? Wow, we two sure were. I could hardly recognize Johnny. He is bigger and heavier than I am. The other picture is of me which I promised to send.

"We sure were happy to see each other and I put my arms around him. "We talked over the things we did in this war. I remember when I used to tell him what to do but he'll be the one to tell me what to do. He sure is big. "Well, this is about all that I have to say for now except that we are celebrating D-Day plus 365."

Terry Miklos thinks it was nice that his uncle and father were able to get together overseas.

He thinks it's even nicer that they cared enough about their parents to write letters to them.

"Their parents (Terry's grandparents) were poor, but just like my father wanted a better life for us, all they cared about was their children's future," Terry Miklos said. "It was nice that (dad and my uncle) wrote home (to show their appreciation for that)."