While the soldiers were stationed in Vietnam all they had was each other. In
             the beginning of her letter to her son Eleanor Wimbish writes, "I used to
             wonder how scared and home sick you must have been in that strange country
             called Vietnam. And if how it might have changed you" here she questions if
             her son was among any friends in a country where the Americans where the
             enemies. The key part of that statement though is "used to think", after
             Eleanor got in contact with Billy's friend from Michigan who was stationed
             with him in Vietnam she realized that the soldiers among themselves where a
             family. Billy's friend from Michigan told her how her son had remained the
             same happy go lucky guy, that he was not faded by the effects of was, while
             others were getting angrier and angrier. In her letter to her son she writes
             what her sons friend told her, "How your warmth and friendliness drew the
             guys to you. How your (lieutenant) gave you the nickname of "Spanky", and
             soon your group, Jim included, were also known as "Spanky's gang". How when
             you died it made it so much harder on them for you were their moral support."
             That helped Billy's mother realized that the soldiers were a band of brothers
             and that her son was seen as the oldest brother, the one they all looked up
             to. She also realized that her son was not alone, and that even if he was
             homesick it would be alright because he had another family in Vietnam to take
             In the letter to her son eleanore Wimbish writes, "Later that same day I
             received a phone call from a mother in Billings montana. She had lost her
             daughter, her only child, a year ago. She needed someone to talk to for no
             one would let her talk about the tragedy." She listened to the mother and let
             the mother let out her feeling of pain and heartbreak, so the mother would
             not hold it in her any longer. She wrote, " I cried for this heartbroken
             ...