Dear Betty, Love, Byron 12+

📕 Byron Chew Yarbrough, the son of Dr. Cecil and Bertha Mae Yarbrough, was born on February 4, 1920 in Auburn. He graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1942, where he studied Agricultural Engineering. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Navy and was commissioned Lieutenant Junior Grade. Byron was stationed in the Pacific on Landing Craft Infantry 449, one of a dozen gunboats helping to prepare the area around Iwo Jima for invasion. In September 1944, Betty Jones of Cordele, Georgia began writing Byron at the request of her cousin, who was the college roommate of Byron’s sister, Jane. Byron and Betty corresponded for five months, sharing stories about their daily lives, SEC football, and the war. Their letters are a window into the reality of war and the relationships that exist despite the distance of time and space.