Staff Sgt. Alphonse “Butch” Mollaun knew two of his brothers were stationed in the European theater but had no idea where they were. They hadn't seen each other in nearly two years.

Alphonse was serving in Luxembourg when he was wounded on Sept. 7, 1944.

“I was standing on top of an armored tank when a shell hit. It threw me about 40 feet. I landed on my knee and crushed it,” he recalled.

Alphonse was transferred to a hospital in England.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Albert Mollaun was in Belgium fighting in the Battle of the Bulge when he was wounded in the right arm on Dec. 20, 1944. He was sent to a hospital in England for recovery.

“This is the second son of Mrs. Josephine Mollaun that has been wounded while in action in the European theatre of operations, in the last four months,” the Batesville

Herald-Tribune reported in January 1945.

While in the hospital, Albert received a visit from his brother, Julius “Dude” Mollaun, who was stationed nearby the English hospital.

Albert and Julius learned that their brother, Alphonse, was hospitalized just 18 miles away. They decided to hitchhike to his hospital for a surprise visit.

Julius penned home, "Alphonse almost jumped out of bed when he saw us!"

“I don't know how my brothers ever found me in the hospital. It's most impossible. I didn't even know where I was myself,” Alphonse told the Batesville newspaper.

A nurse took a picture of the three reunited brothers. Shortly after, Alphonse returned to the United States with a Purple Heart. Julius and Albert returned to their military units.

Two other brothers, Paul and Eugene “Flud”, also fought during WWII. Paul was an electrician's mate onboard the USS Maryland and Eugene was a seaman in the Asiatic- Pacific theater.

All five brothers eventually received their honorable discharge and safely returned to Batesville.