Growing up, there was always a dragon in my Grandpa’s den.

I never truly understood this dragon but I knew it had something to do with his younger brother, Freddie, who served in World War II. The dragon was actually a caricature of an airplane, and the canvas was adorned with signatures of other young men from his flight squadron.

This story might have been lost in the confusion if it weren’t for my own heartbreak. When my beloved grandmother, best friend, mentor, and confidant passed away, I inherited the somber task of emptying my grandparent’s basement. It was there that I discovered the file cabinets where my grandpa, had kept a trove of handwritten letters, including everyone he’d received from his brother, and copies of all his replies. As I read through these letters I saw the emergence of a profoundly moving narrative that I, almost instantly, realized could not be suppressed any longer.

This story involves an exchange of letters between my grandfather, William (Willie) Raubinger and his younger brother, Fred (Buzz Boy Pete) Raubinger. In 1942 Fred prepared for his journey to the China Burma India (CBI) Theater during World War II, as a pilot for supply planes and fighter aircraft. Nothing Fred learned in flight school prepared him for “The Hump”, a perilous, Himalayan no-man’s land that became a graveyard for hundreds of fearless World War II era fliers, who were battling Japanese fighter aircraft, impossible weather and a supply route to and from Hell.

I like to look at this book as the first ‘bromance’ graphic novel for adults. It’s a heartfelt exchange between two brothers from the ‘greatest generation’ during the war; I used my graphic design talent to bring this drama to life, and the rest is left to the reader’s imagination.

Letters lost then found is a nostalgic, familiar, patriotic, and perhaps optimistic story. It sets apart an emotional connection to feelings, experiences, ideas, and dreams that most everyone can relate to.