Help Us Write the Stories of all 421,000 US WWII Fallen

HELP WANTED to write stories!!

Please contact Kathy Harmon, Special Projects Coordinator with any comments at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org

Arisan Maru –1,670 casualties from 47 states, 661 stories/39.6% completed. These were American POW’s aboard this Japanese hell ship, sunk 10/24/1944. Contact Rona Simmons atrona_simmons@bellsouth.net

Battle of Tarawa from 11/20 thru 11/23/1943 – 1,019 casualties, submitted by John Haskins stories completed for 835 or 82%. A google sheet was started in June. Need help to identify ifstories were completed and/or help to finish stories for the following states –IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, OH, TX and VA.

Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten – 9,918 WWII burials/memorials, 1,938 stories or 19.5% completed that we know of. Casualties from every state. This is 1 of 6 FOH cemeteries in Europe. Submitted and led by Sheree Dowdle. Contact Sheree at dowdles@comcast.net.

Typhoon Cobra, 3 ships lost in a storm on 12/18/1944 – USS Hull, USS Monaghan and the USS Spence. 928 total casualties from all ships, 214 completed stories, stories from 8 states complete. Submitted by Wilma Dempsey and Sheree Dowdle. Donna Fluegel has taken the lead. A google sheet is available with all men and their home states identified. Contact Donnaat donnabf@aol.com.

Women casualties to include all women lost in the wartime – 564 casualties, stories completed for 457, 81% complete. Submitted by Lea Schneider. Contact Lea at leacschneider@gmail.com.

HELP WANTED to lead a project and/or write stories!!

Exercise Tiger – live dress rehearsal for D-Day on 4/28/1944, 4 damaged and/or sunk ships, 639 losses from 43 states, 14.7% complete. Submitted by Jack Oberholtzer. Google sheet is available.

Kassel Mission on 9/27/1944 – about 117 casualties aboard 27 planes and from 34 states. Stories are completed for 12 of the planes, totaling 63 men. The remaining 15 planes range for 1 to 8 stories each that need to be completed.

Merchant Marines - all mariners, 448 ships identified as lost – about 10,000, sheet is available, states are identified for 6,532, 434 stories completed (that we know of). Submitted by Kathy Harmon.

USS Savannah CL-42, ship was attacked 9/11/1943 that caused damage – 205 casualties from 36 states, 33 stories completed. A sheet has been created verified using the Report of Changes for this ship on 9/30/1943 that lists each person that was missing and/or died.

IN PROCESS – Recently updated

70th Infantry Division “Trailblazers” – 887 casualties from 48 states, 121 completed stories. Submitted by Betsy Brannon Mills. 82nd Airborne, 507 PIR, 2nd Battalion, Co F – 41 casualties from 23 states, 98% complete. Submitted by Eric Malinowski. This unit was selected for family connections.

503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment – this includes the 503 PIR, 161 Parachute Engineering Co. and the 462 Parachute Artillery Battalion. 407 losses. Submitted by Cindy Cicco. This was her father’s unit. A google sheet is available.

743rd Tank Battalion – about 187 casualties from this unit. Submitted by Steve Booth. This unit was chosen to honor Steve’s uncle. He wants to do all stories as a promise to his uncle and has completed about 143 stories.

Cambridge American Cemetery – 8,887 burials/cenotaphs, stories completed for at least 411. Submitted by Sheree Dowdle. Amanda Cockcroft has taken the lead on this project.

Clark Air Field, Luzon – 12/8/1941, described as the “Other Pearl Harbor”. 90 casualties, storiescompleted for 68. Submitted and being led by Kevin Harrington.

FOH isolated graves in multiple countries – 32 burials, not maintained by the ABMC, submitted by Sheree Dowdle. Linda Simpson is leading and stories are completed for 20.

Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia – 362 casualties from 21 states, 102 completed stories, submitted by Loren Pilsco. Loren has an excel list with states identified.

P-47 Thunderbolts - focus on pilots killed or missing, 1,325 casualties, 974 or 73.5% stories complete. Submitted by John & Keene Melde. These 2 brothers are writing these stories in honor of a family cousin.

Pharmacists – new project – focus on those men that were pharmacists or student pharmacists before entering the service. Note, most were assigned other duties in the service. 172 identified, 41 stories or 23.8% complete. Submitted by Dennis Worthen. Dennis is working on all stories.

US Submarine Crews – 52 subs lost, 48 with casualties. Total 3,698 casualties and stories completed for 2,092 men. A google sheet is available for these subs, men lost and home states.Submitted by Loren Plisco, Susan Gould and Bob Joice.

USS Indianapolis – ship sunk 7/30/1945, 804 losses. Tom Bowers is currently working on stories from various states with 412 completed stories, about 51.2% complete.

IN PROCESS – please provide updates

3rd Marine Division – about 2,500 casualties, submitted by Gene Major. This unit was selected because Gene’s uncle was a veteran of this unit which mainly fought at Bougainville, Guam & Iwo Jima. No list has been started.

103rd Infantry Division – 857 casualties, main focus is on Company B, 411th Infantry Regiment.Submitted by Terry Toohig. He has a spreadsheet showing various regiments in this division, as well as the 614th Tank Destroyers (an African-American unit).

442nd Infantry in which Japanese-American soldiers were enlisted – about 600 casualties, submitted by Dana Harrison. She is starting on those men from Washington state.

82nd Airborne, 505 PIR – 316 casualties, 90 completed stories. Submitted by Joanne King. This unit was selected for family connections.

Air Force Squadron 96, focusing on 7/28/1943 only – about 60 casualties. Submitted by Steven Lake. His cousin was killed in this squad on this date, 6 planes lost, stories are completed for 4 of the planes.

American Brewing Industry – about 75 casualties, 57 completed stories for members of this industry whose deaths were noted in the industry trade journals, submitted by Greg Casey.

Federal Cemetery, Louisville, KY – about 16 bodies returned from overseas in 1950 and think these are not KY men. Submitted by Sally Drummond.  

MA Nautical School/MA Maritime Academy -  with focus on the casualties from these locations, submitted by Matthew Sargent. Number of casualties unknown.

Marines lost in the sinking of the USS McKean – mostly Company I & M from the 21st /3rd Marines, 38 casualties, 11/17/1943. About 58% of stories are completed. Submitted by GeneMajor.

Merchant Marine Reserve Officers in the Navy -  that died either mobilized or while serving in the Merchant Marines, submitted by Matthew Sargent. Number of casualties unknown.

Okinawa Marines with the focus on Company C, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division – unknown quantity of casualties, 32 completed stories. Submitted by Cara Clark. Her grandfather fought in this unit.

Taffy 3 – during the Battle off Samar - 13 US ships involved. Of those, 5 were sunk and 4 had damages with casualties. 1,161 total losses. Submitted by Jeff Vessenmeyer. Jeff is working on Wisconsin names. Scott Cole has taken the lead on this.

USS Franklin – attacked by a Japanese dive bomber on 3/19/1945. The ship survived, but about 800 crew members were killed. Submitted and led by John Avis, started in Feb 2025. A google sheet has been started.

USS Reuben James – was the 1st ship sunk on 10/31/1941 before the US entered into the war, 99 losses from 27 states, about 8% complete. Submitted and being led by Bob Fuerst.

RECENTLY COMPLETED –

LST-523, ship sunk by the enemy 6/19/1944 – 154 casualties, 100% complete. Submitted by Donna Fluegel. Donna’s uncle died on this ship.

USS Serpens, accidental explosion while loading ship, 249 casualties, 100% complete. Submitted by Janne Boone. All stories were completed with ANC.

Lumberton, NC Train Wreck, collision of 2 trains on 12/16/1943, loss of 52 service men. All stories completed.

Jellico Troop Train Wreck – accident near Jellico, TN with enlistees coming from Ft Benjamin Harris, IN for training at Camp Croft, SC. 33 losses, all completed.

398th Bomb Group, submitted by Eric Malinowski. This unit was selected for family connections.Working with Amanda Cockroft. 304 losses, all completed.IDEAS FOR

FUTURE PROJECTS –

180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division – google sheet has been started with 1,260 names/ranks only. Submitted by Pam Broviak.

European Cemeteries –

Rhone American Cemetery (1,090),

Normandy American Cemetery (10,631),

Florence American Cemetery (5,592),

Sicily-Rome American Cemetery (10,457) and

Brittany American Cemetery (4,811).

Numbers indicate burials/memorials in each cemetery.Google sheets have been started for each cemetery and includes service info and home states.

Field of Honors Cemeteries –6 cemeteries in Europe, total 45,683, ranging from 32 to over10,000 per cemetery.Submitted by Sheree Dowdle. Google sheets have been started for each cemetery and includes service info and home states.

Ardennes in Belgium (4,997 burials),

Epinal Cemetery in France (5,676 burials),

Henri-Chapelle in Belgium (8,437 burials),

Lorraine in France (10,925 burials)

Luxembourg Cemetery (5,341 burials).

Submitted by Sheree Dowdle.

Margraten is listed above, in process.

SS Elihu Thomson – ship struck a mine 9/26/1944, killing 32 men. Of those 32, 20 were from the133 Military Police Platoon. Submitted by John Turanin.

USS Juneau – torpedoed by enemy 11/13/1942, 683 casualties, including the 5 Sullivan brothers. A google sheet has been started with just a list of names.

USS Mount Hood – ammunition explosion 11/10/1944. Submitted by Kim Hardaway. No list has been started.

USS Utah (BB-31) – sunk 12/7/1941 at Pearl Harbor, 58 losses. Submitted by Donna Fluegel.

USS Whitehurst – ship attacked by suicide bomber on 4/2/1945. 42 losses out of the crew of 213, ship survived. No list has been started. Submitted by Connie Breckenridge.

West Loch Disaster – 6 LST ships loading/unloading at Pearl Harbor 5/21/1944, sparked an explosion causing a fire that lasted 24 hours. Death toll was 163. Submitted by Sheree Dowdle.No list has been started.

Please contact Kathy Harmon, Special Projects Coordinator with any comments at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org