Having grown up together and played on the same high school football team, Ward Hendry and his seven buddies had a special bond.

Following the Dec. 7, 1941 sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, they all joined the Marine Corps. Following boot camp, they all wound up in the same outfit, assigned to the Second Marine Division. The "gang of eight" survived the battles for Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tarawa and Tinian, and then returned stateside.

Post-war marriages and careers seperated the men until a high school reunion united them once again. Vowing to stay connected, Ward proposed a monthly poker game. But the game became a bit dicey when the men started dying off during a relatively short period of time.