The Borgstrom brothers were four American siblings, including twin brothers, killed over a six-month period during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Brothers

The brothers were the sons of Alben and Gunda Borgstrom of Thatcher, Utah. The brothers were: * LeRoy Elmer Borgstrom, 30 (born April 30, 1914, died June 22, 1944, in Italy),

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

* Clyde Eugene Borgstrom, 28 (born February 15, 1916, died March 17, 1944, in

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the se ...

, Solomon Islands),

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

* Rolon Day Borgstrom, 19 (born May 5, 1925, died August 8, 1944, in

Yaxham Yaxham is a village and civil parish in centre of the English county of Norfolk. The parish includes the village of Yaxham, together with the neighbouring community of Clint Green. Together, they lay some south of Dereham and west of Norwich. ...

, England),

U.S. Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

* Rulon Jay Borgstrom, 19 (born May 5, 1925, died August 25, 1944, in France),

Early life

Alben and Gunda Borgstrom were the parents of ten children, seven of whom were boys. In 1921, their son Veran died from a ruptured appendix at the age of nine. The other six boys attended Bear River High School in

Garland, Utah Garland is a city in northeastern Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,400 at the 2010 census. History Garland was originally named "Sunset" and settled in 1890. The first settler was David E. Manning. Andrew Jenson. '' ...

. After the U.S. entered the war, five of the remaining brothers enlisted or were drafted into the military: Boyd, LeRoy, Clyde, Rolon Day, and Rulon Jay Borgstrom.

Military service

Clyde, serving in the 2nd Aviation Engineer Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps, on

in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its ca ...

, was killed in an accident involving a falling tree while clearing land for an airstrip on March 17, 1944. Three months later, on June 22, 1944, LeRoy, serving with the 361st Infantry Regiment, 91st Infantry Division was killed in action in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. On August 8, 1944, Rolon Day, serving with the 506th Bombardment Squadron, 44th Bombardment Group, died when his bomber experienced engine problems and crashed near its base at

, England, while on a mission to France. His twin brother, Rulon Jay, serving with the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, was initially reported missing in an attack on Le Dreff, near

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French ...

, but was found and died 18 days later on August 25, 1944, from wounds received in action. When Rulon Jay went missing in August 1944, the Borgstrom family, with help from neighbors and a Utah congressional delegation, successfully petitioned for Boyd, the last Borgstrom son in the military, to be released from service."Hope Dims to Grief As 'Lost' Status Takes Worst Turn," ''Salt Lake Tribune'', November 4, 1944. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred home to the United States and discharged by special order of the Commandant of the Marine Corps

Alexander Vandegrift General Alexander Archer Vandegrift, USMC (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general. During World War II, he commanded the 1st Marine Division to victory in its first ground offensive of the war, the B ...

."4 Borgstrom Brothers Home," ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'', June 25, 1948. The Borgstrom's youngest son, Eldon, sometimes spelled Elton, who was not yet of enlistment age in 1944, was exempted from military service.

Burial

Almost four years after the four brothers' deaths, their bodies were returned to Utah by the American

Graves Registration Service Mortuary Affairs is a service within the United States Army Quartermaster Corps tasked with the recovery, identification, transportation, and preparation for burial of deceased American and American-allied military personnel. The human remains of ...

. A funeral service for the four brothers was then held in the

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

's Garland Tabernacle in Garland, Utah on June 25, 1948. Clarence E. Smith, former principal of Bear River High School, Utah Governor

Herbert B. Maw Herbert Brown Maw (March 11, 1893 – November 17, 1990) was an Politics of the United States, American politician and educator who was the List of governors of Utah, eighth governor of Utah. He served as governor from 1941 to 1949. He was a Uni ...

, LDS Church President

George Albert Smith George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Early life Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territo ...

, and General

Mark W. Clark Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the US Army during World War II. During World War I ...

spoke at the funeral. Rear Admiral

John R. Redman John "Jack" Roland Redman (January 31, 1898 – May 29, 1970) was an admiral in the United States Navy. A naval communications officer, he played key roles in signals intelligence during World War II in Washington, D.C., and on the staff of A ...

, Major General

LeRoy P. Hunt LeRoy Philip Hunt (March 17, 1892 – February 8, 1968) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of general. A veteran of World War I, he was decorated with the Navy Cross and Army Distinguished Service Cros ...

, and Brigadier General Ned Schramm were in attendance. The brothers were then buried side by side in the Riverview Cemetery in

Tremonton, Utah Tremonton is a city in Box Elder County, Utah. The population was 7,647 at the time of the 2010 census. History Although the first settlers came to the Tremonton area in 1888, it remained largely uninhabited until just before 1900, when land ...

. During the funeral service, the brothers were posthumously awarded three Bronze Star Medals, one Air Medal, and one Good Conduct Medal. According to Colonel Leonard R. Crews, "commanding officer of the Sixth Army escort detachment at Ogden," the Borgstrom family was the "only four-star

Gold Star family A service flag or service banner is a banner that family members of those serving in the United States Armed Forces can display. The flag or banner is officially defined as a white field with a red border, with a blue star for each family member ...

on record in World War II" (the

Sullivan brothers The five Sullivan brothers were World War II sailor brothers of Irish American descent who, serving together on the light cruiser , were all killed in action during and shortly after its sinking around November 13, 1942. The five brothers, ...

—all of whom were killed in the same incident in World War II—were a five-star Gold Star family).

Legacy

The ''

Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History A ...

'' reported in November 1944 that the deaths of the four Borgstrom brothers resulted in "the armed services rul ngspecial consideration will be given any family in which two or more sons have been killed and only one member in service survives." Even though the article was published a few years before the

Sole Survivor Policy The Sole Survivor Policy or United States Department of Defense Directive 1315.15 "Special Separation Policies for Survivorship" describes a set of regulations in the United States military, partially stipulated by law, that are designed to protect ...

was enacted (1948), the deaths of the Borgstrom brothers, along with the deaths of the

and others, may have contributed to the development of this policy. The loss of four of the Borgstrom brothers, along with the loss of all five Sullivan brothers, led to the official adoption of the

National Military Establishment The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

regulations in 1948. In April 1959, the Army honored the Borgstrom brothers by naming a reserve training center in

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

in their honor. In August 2001, a soldiers' memorial was dedicated in Tremonton, Utah, which had the images and names of the brothers in a place of prominence."'Gratitude is our Feeling Today'," ''

Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the '' MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...

'', August 25, 2001.

References