During World War II, there were 288 fallen service members from McKean County. The day they died, their stories died too. For many, even the how, when and where of their deaths were lost.
Now a statewide writers’ group headed by Franklin County’s Kathy Harmon is telling their stories. For the past three years her volunteers with Stories Behind the Stars have been researching, writing and posting stories of the nearly 31,900 fallen from Pennsylvania. These memorials are posted on the veterans’ website Fold3.com. More than 8,100 of Pennsylvania’s WWII heroes have been remembered by these dedicated volunteer writers. Eighty-seven of McKean County’s WWII heroes have been memorialized so far.
This important project is part of a national non-profit organization called Stories Behind the Stars. The name refers to the Gold Stars that the fallen receive to honor their ultimate sacrifice. The goal is to tell the stories of all 421,000 Americans who died during WWII. Their memorial stories are posted on Fold3.com and are linked to Find-a-Grave’s phone app. Gravesite visitors will be able to scan the name on a headstone and read the fallen’s story on their phone.
Harmon is hoping to double her group of volunteer writers. Telling the story of a fallen hero’s life is rewarding and ensures that each sacrifice is never forgotten. Extra rewards come when messages of gratitude are received from descendants of the Gold Star veterans.
Harmon often receives expressions of thanks, including one from the nephew of Sgt. Charles B. Headland of Lawrence County, who was killed off Anzio, Italy, on Jan. 26, 1944. The relative requested reprints of an article about Headland’s memorial to share with family members. Another message Harmon received was from the cousin of Cambria County’s Pvt. George Victor Potts, who was killed on Attu Island on May 29, 1943, in a banzai charge. The cousin relayed the thanks of Potts’ daughter, “who is so thankful and grateful. She said no one would ever tell her anything about his death. And I guess they had no way of finding out. She said she cried all day.”
The niece of Franklin County’s Frederick Paul Smith, a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division who died on D-Day, had this to say: “Thank you so much for all the info on Frederick Paul Smith published in the local news. He was my uncle; my mother was Anna. A lot of info we didn’t know. You must have done a lot of research. It is greatly appreciated.”
Westmoreland County volunteer John Turanin has written memorials about every WWII Gold Star hero from Monessen. He was contacted by the namesake nephew of Pvt. Victor Albert Trilli, who was killed Jan. 15, 1943, in Tunisia. Trilli’s nephew extended thanks to Turanin for researching and writing his uncle’s story. “We know that other families will feel very grateful, just as we do, for the memorial stories of the sons of Monessen who lost their lives in service to our country.”
Montgomery County writer Chris Moyer was touched by the response he received from the nephew of Mifflin County’s Ensign William Henry Foucart, who was killed during the kamikaze attack on the USS Bunker Hill on May 11, 1945. “I greatly appreciated the article. My grandmother, Evelyn Foucart, and my father, Donald Foucart, did not discuss the loss of their son and brother other than that he died in that war. What a burden those generations endured.”
Harmon is the Pennsylvania director of Stories Behind the Stars. She is looking for more help to complete the stories of the remaining 23,700 fallen from Pennsylvania.
“Eighty years ago, thousands of brave Pennsylvania sons and daughters fought and died for our freedom. Telling stories for those who never could is very powerful,” says Harmon. “They deserve to be remembered.”
Harmon points out that volunteering is fairly easy. Writers work from home at their own pace. This could also be a group project for a history class, a historical society or genealogy project. A bonus benefit is the free access to research sites, Fold3.com, Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. This three-site package would normally cost $479 per year. But it is free to members who can also use it to search for data on their own families.
For more information, Harmon can be contacted at [email protected]. The project website is storiesbehindthestars.org. Discover military ancestors across more than a dozen wars and subjects at fold3.com.