The Lonely Road is the story of nine men—all of whom lived on the same road in the small community of Nance in Crockett County, Tennessee, and all of whom, within eighteen months of each other, gave the supreme sacrifice for their country during World War II. They fought in different regiments, platoons, and divisions of the United States military. Eight died in the European Theater; the ninth died in the Pacific Theater.
            The story is narrated through the eyes of Fred Colvett, who was also a World War II veteran, a brother of one of the fallen, and a friend of the others. At a 2008 Crockett County Veterans Day service, the dedication of a special memorial to those who had died in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam sparked Fred’s memory; and in The Lonely Road he recalls each young man’s life, family, and their days before going into battle. His reflections, told to Harry L. Moore and Alice Ann Richardson Moore, include rich descriptions of life in rural America during the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, and describe the devastating effects the loss of these native sons had on the community of Nance.