Meet the six Giles County brothers -- Harry, June, John, Curtis, David and Billy -- known as the Maybrook Men.
GILES COUNTY, Va. – A bridge in Giles County will be dedicated Tuesday in honor of six brothers who served their country during World War II and the Korean War.
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The Atkins Brothers “Maybrook Boys” Memorial Bridge dedication is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 30, at the intersection of Apache Road and Route 46. The public is welcome to attend.
Named after the small Maybrook neighborhood where they grew up, the brothers have long been known throughout the New River Valley as the Maybrook Men.
Six brothers, two wars
It is rare for multiple family members to serve in the military simultaneously — rarer still for all of them to be deployed to active combat. For the Atkins family of Giles County, that was their reality.
Five brothers answered the call during World War II: Warren “June” L. Atkins Jr., Harry B. Atkins, John Edward Atkins, Curtis L. Atkins and David Atkins, who served as a tank commander under Gen. George S. Patton.
The war sent these small-town Giles County boys across the globe. In 1951, the youngest brother, Billy R. Atkins, carried on that tradition of service — enlisting during the Korean War.
In their own words
Before their deaths, two of the brothers sat down to share war stories with 10 News anchor Rachel Lucas in 2020 that remained vivid decades later. June Atkins, who passed away May 11, 2022, at the age of 101, was the first drafted, called into service in 1942.
“I was 19 years old when I was in the army. Stayed 3 years. 22 months overseas,” June said.
His travels took him across some of the most significant theaters of the war.
“I did Italy, France, Algiers, North Africa, Casablanca. I was all over Europe,” June said.
Brother John Atkins, of Christiansburg, was drafted shortly after. Following stateside training and duty with the military police, he crossed the Atlantic by boat headed for France. John Atkins passed away in May 2023 at the age of 97.
“We were going to put up a hospital, and we didn’t finish it, because Germany surrendered,” John said.
His service then took him through the Mediterranean Sea, the Panama Canal, the Philippines and ultimately to Japan.
“That’s my journey,” John said.
A mother’s worry
Despite the passage of decades, both brothers could still recall vivid details from their time at war — including the toll it took on those left behind.
“I guess she worried over us. Bound to with all them boys over there. You don’t know what time you’ll get a telegram if one got killed,” June said.
Three of the brothers were wounded in action. Yet, by what many would call a miracle, all six came home.
Billy Atkins returned to Giles County in February 1953 after his service in Korea.
A legacy remembered
The Maybrook Men’s story has never faded from the community’s memory. In recent years, neighbors and supporters organized a memorial ride in their honor, passing by the family homeplace in Maybrook. One of those rides fell on June Atkins’ 100th birthday — a milestone as remarkable as the man himself.
Tuesday’s dedication is one more way the community is making sure the Maybrook Men are never forgotten. During World War II, more than 16 million U.S. troops were sent into conflict. For the Atkins family, the war was not an abstract event — it was a lived experience shared by an entire household.
The Atkins Brothers “Maybrook Boys” Memorial Bridge will stand as a permanent reminder of that sacrifice for generations to come.
You can watch June’s story below: