Dearest Betty

Conclusion of Dearest Betty BLOG

My dad got home some time early August. I was 17 years old and he nicknamed me Brooke. He said I babbled like a Brooke. The name has stuck ever since.

He seemed like my same dad (as much as a 17 year old could tell) but seven months later on March 23, 1952 he took his own life using his 45-service weapon with a gunshot wound to the right temple. He and my mom had returned from a happy evening out at the N.C.O. Club it happened without any conversation (that I knew of) while mom was getting ready for bed.

I always wondered how he could do that leaving my mom and me after he missed us so much while he was gone. I am convinced now that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Back then there was no concern for the mental health of the service men that had endured such awful living conditions and seen such horrible sights. It took nearly 10 years for my mother to get any benefits from his death, as it was ruled “death by his own misconduct”. It took a congressman from Florida to help her get his pension.


I had never read the letters before this BLOG so it has been a real eye-opener to understand what he went through. I just wish I had talked more about him with my mom before she passed away in 1996.

At present, with the help of another Congressman here in South Carolina, I am trying to find out if Kim Ho Min is still living. So far no word.
(This was Kim's last known address in 1951)



Thanks to all who have taken the time to read This BLOG.

Brooke Hallman