Local woman reflects on family's military service

May 27—With pictures of her brothers staring down from atop the piano, 10-year-old Lucy Maddox and her family played and sang the songs they felt would will the young men home from war.

"Over hill, over dale, we will hit the dusty trail, and those Caissons go rolling along. In and out, hear them shout! Counter marching all about, and those Caissons go rolling along."

The "U.S. Field Artillery March" by John Philip Sousa, that was one of the young girl's favorites.

Meanwhile, from their posts spread throughout Europe, Maddox's older brothers — Floyd, Edward, Garland, James, Lewis, Gene and Clee — were doing their parts to help the United States and its allies defeat Hitler's regime during World War II.

It was rare for seven brothers — five in the Army and two in the Navy — to serve together back then, and it was even more rare that all seven of those brothers survived the war.

But maybe they heard the melodies coming from that piano in the Maddox house, their littlest sister said.

Maybe those songs safely called her brothers home.

And even eight decades later, Lucy Maddox — now Lucy Reed — can still remember nearly every word.

The Tribune sat down with Reed lately to talk about her brothers' military involvement, what Memorial Day means to her and what it's like to now be keeper of the family flame.

At 93, Reed is now the lone surviving Maddox sibling, but she said she also knows she's been blessed.

"We had a great life," Reed said of her childhood, pictures and newspaper clippings of her family all around her. "We never caused any trouble. It was so nice to have a big family like that, nothing quite like it."

Reed was the 11 of 12 children, nine boys and three girls.

And so because of Reed's big family, Uncle Sam had a lot of takers when WWII broke out.

"All my brothers wanted to join up," Reed remembers, "except my youngest brother Joe. He was too young.

But he did eventually join and fought in Korea and Vietnam. And the older ones, they just felt like it was their duty."

Even Charles Maddox, Reed's father, wanted to enlist with his seven sons during WWII, but the military decided it best he stayed home with his wife and other children.

And though Reed said she was too young back then to really think about what it was like watching her brothers leave for war, she knows it was difficult for her parents.

Especially for her mother Clara, Reed admitted.

"I absolutely worshipped my mother," Reed said. "I know you're not supposed to worship anyone, but I did. She was unbelievable. I don't know how she stood it. I have six kids, and I know how it'd affect me. But she was a strong person. She had to be to cope with all of that."

Clara Maddox even earned the title of "Indiana's War Mother of 1945" and had the opportunity to be matron of honor at the christening of two ships, the S.S. Kokomo Victory and the U.S.S. YO-222.

But Reed said her mother's greatest joy was celebrating as her sons returned from war.

"That was a great time," Reed said, tears forming in her eyes. "I think we just had a lot of faith in God that they'd all come back home. And that's just what they did."

Most of Reed's brothers, including her younger brother Joe, went on to lead long and healthy lives.

Some became teachers. Others worked in the local factories.

But all of them were proud of their service to this country, Reed noted.

And though she said she feels close to her parents and siblings all the time, Memorial Day is a particularly important day for Reed, she explained.

"Because I was so young, I didn't realize all they (brothers) were going through," she said. "But to me, the fact that they all served their country and came back, it's unbelievable. So whenever Memorial Day comes up, I think of them. But I also think of my mother and what she went through. And any time I see a service member, in a restaurant or wherever, it brings back memories in my own life.

"My brothers sacrificed a lot," she said. "My parents, my mother, she sacrificed a lot. I am so proud of all of them. They really were something special."