Family lost one of nine members in the war

When the atomic bombs were dropped and World War II finally came to a close, Coachella Valley pioneer Louise Neeley and her family celebrated many joyful homecomings in La Quinta.

Nine family members — including brothers, cousins and an uncle — were serving in the military.

“We just had many family get-togethers,” Neeley said. “We had so many gatherings maybe 50 to 60 people, family on both sides. It was big time.

“The lives of our boys were saved,” said Neeley, 85. “Our family was greatly relieved. We had all these boys in the service. Everyone came home except my brother.”

Neeley's brother, Herman Granados, a private in the U.S. Army Air Corps, was the first Coachella Valley casualty of the war.

Neeley is president of the American Legion Auxiliary, Herman Granados Post 739 in Indio.

Granados enlisted in May 1941 and Neeley corresponded with her brother during his stateside training and while he was stationed overseas in the Philippines.

“He was so good about writing home,” she said.

“In his last letter, he said the Japanese situation is not as bad as it seems,” she said. “We didn't know what it meant, at all. He did say he was doing good, he was going to church.”

Her brother's last correspondence from Nichols Field arrived right before Thanksgiving, she said.

Weeks later, the Japanese launched their surprise attack.

“Here it is, December 1941, (I'm) at school, we were taking a hike along the highway. On our way back, a girl came running towards us, yelling, ‘Pearl Harbor's been bombed! Pearl Harbor's been bombed!'”

“We didn't know what Pearl Harbor was,” Neeley said.

Later that day, the Japanese bombed Clark Field and Nichols Field, U.S air bases in Manila, Philippines.

“He was just blown up,” Neeley said.

Since Granados' body was never found, he was listed as missing in action for nearly four years.

“After the war was over, he was declared dead,” she said.

“My mother was the first Gold Star Mother out of the valley,” she said. “All of us, our relatives, our friends, all had people in the service serving our country.”

Neeley's cousin, Jess Rodarte, was in the Pacific gearing up for a massive attack on the Japanese mainland.

“Jess was getting ready to invade Japan,” she said. “It was going to be a massacre, even though we had the planes and recovered some islands.”

“I remember the devastation,” of the bombings, she said. “The war was going to be over soon,” she told herself. “It had to end soon.”