A true Band of Brothers

BELLEVUE, Wis. (WBAY) - For one area family, Veterans Day always brings about a great deal of pride. Six brothers, who grew up in Fond du Lac, all served in the military.

Mark and Jeff LeMieux say the unique connection they share with their other four brothers can be traced back to their childhood.

“Our grandfather, Truman LeMieux, was born in the early 1900′s, and he was too young for World War One and he was in his late 30′s with three kids and a wife by World War Two, and he always kind of carried that with him, and so I guess growing up we saw that and maybe that was part of our choice,” says Jeff LeMieux, who now lives in Bellevue.

But it was strictly their choice to serve their country, never any pressure.

“It wasn’t really a family thing, ‘Well, you’re in the family, you’re going to do this.’ It just kind of happened, and really later, years later, Mark, he’s got this picture of all six of us and I’m thinking well that’s all my brothers and we all joined the military, and who does that,” says Jeff LeMieux.

It all started with brother Jerry Jr. serving in the Air Force.

Next, brothers Jeff and Jim joined the Marines.

Brother Tom chose the Air Force, then Mark opted for the Army.

“I favored the Army because the enlistment bonus was higher,” says Mark LeMieux with a chuckle.

Youngest brother Todd completed the military service sweep when he joined the Air Force.

For all the LeMieux brothers, their time in the military was an honor.

“Between the six of us there’s been over 72 years of service combined, so I think that’s noteworthy. My dad always taught, he taught all of us, nothing is for free, so once I got in I learned that there’s a purpose, a bigger purpose to what I’m doing than just having a job,” says Mark LeMieux, who lives in Fond du Lac.

From the mid 1970′s, all the way into the 90′s, a LeMieux brother wore a United States military uniform.

With each year that passes, Veterans Day means more to them.

“People didn’t thank you for your service, OK, so things have changed for the better, and as that’s gone on we’ve seen that and it really has helped us kind of understand not only our own service, but the service of the other men and women in the military,” says Jeff LeMieux.

Of the six LeMieux brothers, three have passed away: Jerry Jr., Tom and Todd.