I'd like to extend a heartfelt welcome to Scott Rayl who is joining Stories Behind the Stars as our European Theater of Operations Special Project Director, as well as French Communication Liaison.
Scott's background is such that he could have very easily created this project on his own, but since it has already been started, he is adding his skills to help us reach our goal of every World War II fallen having a story.
Scott is from Oklahoma and joined the Army in 1997. He served twenty plus years before he was medically-retired. During that time, he served in numerous capacities in several different countries (Bosnia, Korea, Egypt, Afghanistan), serving in the infantry and intelligence. As a student at the Defense Language Institute in 2012, he learned about the American Battle Monuments Commission at which point he shifted his occupational focus. Since then, he has planned to continue his service as a civilian by furthering the efforts of commemoration, memorialization, and repatriation of American service members. Scott has a B.A. in History is working on a second B.A. in French. He plans to complete a Master’s in the U.K., studying World War I. His eventual goal is to serve as a steward of our war memorials in Europe.
Scott will be working on developing growth opportunities by finding partner organizations with a similar focus. He will develop contact lists and connections to various publications with the prospect of raising awareness to our mission to repatriate the memories of the fallen. He will liaise and coordinate with these groups to create synergy and facilitate communication. He will also recruit people with specific tech skills to further program applications. He can assist in all things involving the French language, particularly our French speaking partners and team members. Last of all he will assess funding opportunities and drive donations.
What a perfect fit for Stories Behind the Stars!
Don Milne
Stories Behind the Stars
Founder and National Director