Over a year and a half period, nearly 200 volunteers with Stories Behind the Stars have written individual stories of everyone of the 8,700 WWII fallen buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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The 4 million plus annual visitors can now visit any of their gravesites and read each of their stories at their final resting place.
Read some of these stories here:
1LT John B. Armstrong
By Marilyn Murphy, Wisconsin
Marine Armstrong earned the Navy Cross on the first day of the Battle of Saipan. He stopped an ammunition dump fire from killing many Marines. Read his story here.
T/4 George T. Yamaguchi
by Karen Baker, Arkansas
Yamaguchi was a college graduate with a degree in math, join the Army from an internment camp and served as a translator/interpreter until he died on Okinawa. Read full story here.
2LT Robert C. Robinson, Jr.
by Bob Joyce, Florida
Tuskegee airman and P-51 pilot killed while protecting bombers over Italy. Read full story here.
2LT Evelyn C. Eckert
by Jon Strupp, Minnesota
Army Nurse Eckert served on the hospital ship USS Comfort until killed by a kamikaze plane that crashed into the surgical ward. Read full story here.
2LT Howard T. Willey
by Laura Hanaford, California
Navy F4F-4 pilot was photographed for a national magazine cover shortly before his death in a training accident.
Read full story here.
PVT Joe S. Austell
by Pat Bruwer, Florida
Joined the army at age 15 by lying about his age. He became a paratrooper and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was killed in Operation Varsity, the final airborne operation in Europe. Read full story here.
COL Gustav B. Guenther
by Gretchen Dahlen, Wisconsin
A career military officer for more than 25 years. He was a US military attache at many European capitals in the 1930s. During the war he was a high ranking Office of Strategic Services officer. He was killed in London when a V-1 flying bomb hit the church he was attending. Read his full story here.
1LT Lionel N. Sceurman
by Stephanie Young, New Jersey
Learned to play the saxophone and was a championship swimmer when he was young. He was a B-17 pilot who completed eight bombing missions. The day before Germany surrendered (VE Day), he was flying a mission to drop food supplies in Holland when his plane crashed in the North Sea. See full story here.
CPT Joseph B. Traywick
by John Rutherford, Virginia
Came from a family of doctors (grandfathers, father, father-in-law, son). He served as a battalion surgeon for nearly two years beginning in North Africa. CPT Traywick was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. He was in a forward position to provide timely medical attention to the wounded. He was wounded, refused to be evacuated, and was killed by artillery fire later the same day. Read full story here.
How to read more stories of the WWII fallen buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Meet our volunteer writers here
Download the Find A Grave smartphone app to read these stories at gravesites
Thanks to our volunteer Section Directors
who have been managing the writers
and researchers working on the project
Tammy Burrows
Tricia Castille
Becky Fox
Kathy Harmon
Christy Johnson
Karen Marquart
Katherine Rasdorf
Linda Simpson
Judith Skillings
Thanks to our volunteer story writers
and database researchers
WRITERS
Allison Albert, Rhode Island
Bob Allen, Nebraska
Norene Allen, Kansas
Jenny Allgrunn, Utah
Brandy Anderson, Utah
Richard Appenzellar, PA
Anita Ashworth, Alabama
Peggy Askins, Kansas
Laura Bailey, North Carolina
Neal Baird, Nevada
Alida Baker, Pennsylvania
Kate Baker, New Jersey
Pamela Baker, Alabama
Therese Baker, Mississippi
Peter Bateman, Kentucky
Heidi Bay, Oregon
Michael Bell, California
Mimi Benson,Illinois
Christina Berring, Colorado
Jodi Block, Michigan
Lesa Boatin, Tennessee
Janne Boone, Florida
Steve Booth, Utah
Tom Bowers, Virginia
Liesl Bradner, California
Rhonda Brady, Illinois
Lee Braswell, Colorado
Linda Breler, New Jersey
Molly Brown, Utah
Pat Bruwer, Florida
Hayden Bryan, Virginia
Carol Bryson, California
Sebastian Bufalino, Illinois
Georgene Chastain, Virginia
Thomas Clark, Maryland
Thomas Cock, Washington
Beth Colborn, Pennsylvania
Brian deBruijn, New York
Sue deBruijn, New York
Paul deGategno, PA
Walter Denney, Alabama
George Diaz, Florida
Sharon Dittmer, Missouri
Linda Duarte, Florida
Dennis Dupras, Alaska
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WRITERS
Paul Durand, Texas
Connie Durrance, Florida
Gene Ecker, Minnesota
Bill Ellis, Alabama
Christy Erickson, Michigan
Tony Evangelista, SC
Bryan Fusfield, Colorado
Mona Geidel, South Dakota
Julia Gimbel, Wisconsin
Melanie Ginnity, Georgia
Heather Goodmansen, MD
Thomas Gorham, Louisiana
Susan Gould, Tennessee
LuAnn Greenwell, Utah
Jim Greenberg, New York
Mathieu Guillemant, France
Laura Hanaford, California
Krista Hanson, Wisconsin
John Haskins, Texas
Kim Hardaway, Tennessee
Kathy Harmon, Pennsylvania
Maureen Heim, Oregon
Randy Hervey, Colorado
Tammy Hilt, Virginia
Debra Holley, Utah
Carol Houston, Washington
Kirstin Howard, Utah
Catherine Hutchins, NJ
Susan Jensen, Arizona
Valerie Jones, Oklahoma
Bob Joyce, Florida
Jeff Joyce, Virginia
Rob Joyce, Maryland
Carl Kalie, Pennsylvania
Lisa Keith-Lucas, Florida
Maryalice Keller, Florida
Bob Kenney, Maryland
Kimberlee Kiehl, Ohio
Joan Kirschner, North Carolina
Mac Kolar, Wisconsin
Russ Kuntz, Pennsylvania
Thomas La Padula, NY
Mike Layman, South Carolina
Cyndie Loseke, Idaho
Hudson Louie, Ohio
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WRITERS
Debi Lehman, Oklahoma
Lynn Machen, California
Michael Maloney, Virginia
Leo Marshall, Maryland
Cherie McEwen, New York
Steve McGee, Texas
Pati McGuiness, PA
Kevin McIntire, California
Jill McKeen, Alabama
Don Milne, Kentucky
Gary Miner, Utah
Rick Moll, South Carolina
Chris Moyer, Pennsylvania
Alan Muhlnickel, New York
Chris Mulcahy, Texas
Red Mulvanny, California
Marilyn Murphy, Wisconsin
Pat Nauseda, Ohio
Cindy Nelson, Wisconsin
Denise Nevil, Texas
Kimberly Nichols, WA
Jack Oberholtzer, PA
Karin Olson, Illinois
Robert Olson, Nevada
Ed Osterman, Oregon
Doria Owen, Maryland
Eden Palmer, Illinois
Mona Parish, Texas
Karen Pell, North Carolina
Jacqueline Penrod, PA
Mary Peterson, Minnesota
Lori Pinn, Arizona
Kathleen Reber, Utah
Christy Reed, Texas
Sarah Reiter, Virginia
Brandon Rhea, Utah
LaDawna Roberts, Indiana
Paul Robertson, Wyoming
Judy Rodriguez, Ohio
John Rohrs
Brandy Rose, Utah
Douglas Rupe, Kansas
John Rutherford, Virginia
Kellan Sams, Georgia
Carl Sander, Washington
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WRITERS
Dennis Sauter, Colorado
John Schlatter, Utah
Pamela Schnagl, Wisconsin
Lea Schneider, Tennessee
Jane Schrenzel, California
Al Schutte, Ohio
Joyce Self, Virginia
Sophia Shapiro, Utah
Elizabeth Shaw, South Carolina
Laura Shivers, Florida
John Schlatter, Utah
Jodi Shumaker, Kentucky
Rona Simmons, Georgia
Linda Simpson, Oklahoma
Susan Singleton, Illinois
Judith Skillings, Pennsylvania
Gary Smith, Colorado
Raymond Smith, California
Margaret Staudinger, Virginia
Kandi Stevens, California
John Stinson, Maryland
Vicki Strong, Utah
Kerry Stockdale, New Jersey
Robert Sullivan, Massachusetts
Ronalee Summers, Utah
Anna Swanson, Illinois
Shaunna Syphus, Utah
Gene Talley, Texas
Pamela Tilson, North Carolina
John Turanin, California
Jeff Veesenmeyer, Wisconsin
Eva Vitacek, Illinois
Michelle Volk, Arizona
Betsy Wald, New York
Neil Weisfeld, New Jersey
Les Wiesenfelder, Maryland
Brian Welhoelter, Washington
Roberta Winn, Washington
Charles Woodall, Alabama
Ginny Wortz, Indiana
Judy Wright, Michigan
Sue Wunderlich, Texas
Stephanie Young, New Jersey
DATABASE RESEARCHERS
Karen Baker, Arkansas
Sonya Bayles, Georgia
Michael Bell
Liesl Bradner, California
Lee Braswell, Colorado
Tricia Castille, Louisiana
Brad Cychosz, Wisconsin
Dennis Dupras, Alaska
Becky Fox, Georgia
Teri Fronk, Utah
Molly Green, North Carolina
Kathy Harmon, Pennsylvania
Lois Healen, Ohio
Kirstin Howard, Utah
Kerry Huffstutler, Alabama
Christy Johnson, Tennessee
Valerie Jones, Oklahoma
Jeff Joyce, Virginia
Mary Alice & Wade Keller, Florida
Debi Lehman, Oklahoma
Don Milne, Kentucky
Marilyn Murphy, Wisconsin
Eden Palmer, Illinois
Mary Peterson, Minnesota
Jenna Rabtzow, Colorado
Al Schutte, Ohio
Linda Simpson, Oklahoma
Susan Singleton, Illinois
John Sise, Pennsylvania
Julie Sohlberg, Colorado
Ronalee Summers, Utah
Pamela Tilson, North Carolina
Melodye Whatley, Connecticut
Elaine Young, Utah