The Boys in the Light

The extraordinary and inspiring true story of a band of young U.S. soldiers who fought together in WWII and, in the throes of combat, rescued and adopted two survivors, one of them being the author's father, from Hitler’s plot to exterminate the Jews of Europe.

The Boys in the Light follows the parallel journeys of Company D and of Eddie Willner, the author's father, as they experience two sides of WWII. This is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and the strength of the bonds forged in war. 

At 16, Eddie Willner was among the millions of European Jews rounded up by Hitler's Nazis. He was forced into slave labor alongside his father and his best friend Mike, while his mother was sent to her death, and spent the next five years of his life surviving the death camps. Eddie and Mike become brothers, and depend on each other to survive the horrors of the Holocaust. 

Meanwhile in the US, boys only a few years older than Eddie were joining the Army and heading toward their own precarious futures. Once farmers, waiters, and coal miners, they were suddenly army officers and infantrymen, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII. Many of these soldiers were immigrants or first-generation Americans who felt compelled to defend the country they had come to call home. But, very few of them were prepared for the dangerous road ahead. 

The soldiers of Company D, led by Elmer Hovland, quickly became battle hardened and weary, constantly questioning whether or not the war was worth it. Eight months in, they got their answer when two emaciated boys stepped out of the woods with tattooed arms raised, Eddie and Mike. Elmer and his soldiers could barely believe their eyes as they finally came face to face with the human cost of Hitler’s evil. Elmer knew there was only one thing to do: rescue the boys and bring them back to life.

Story Locale:WWII, Western Front; European Concentration Camps