Stray Rounds - SUMMER 2024

World War II Fallen

In an effort to tell the stories of the 421,000-plus U.S. service personnel who perished during World War II, Stories Behind the Stars, established by Don Milne in 2020, is looking for volunteers to write short biographies of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines lost during the conflict. The eventual goal of Stories Behind the Stars (referring to the Gold Star banners representing those killed while in service to the nation) is to have one central digital location to collect the stories of all fallen American servicemen and women; these stories will then be digitally linked to war memorials and military cemeteries by a smartphone app. Volunteers receive instructions on how to research and write the soldier stories, and additional research available through the organization’s website. For more information on how to volunteer and research information, visit the Stories Behind the Stars website at www.storiesbehindthestars.org.

POW/MIA Burial

Technician Fifth Grade Clifford H. Strickland, who became a prisoner of war when U.S. forces surrendered on 9 April 1942 in the Philippines, endured the Bataan Death March, and died in a prison camp on 29 July 1942, was buried on 29 June in Florence, Colorado. According to a 28 February Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency press release, Strickland, a Colorado native who had been serving with Company C, 803d Engineer Battalion, was buried in Common Grave 215 with other deceased prisoners at the Cabanatuan Prisoner Camp. After the war, the unidentified remains were buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. In 2018, the remains were exhumed for identification. Strickland’s remains were identified through dental, anthropological, and DNA analysis.

Revolutionary War Museum

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is constructing a new museum and education center dedicated to America’s War of Independence at its headquarters in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The $30 million expansion to the Society’s existing headquarters and library will feature interactive displays, an educational center, a theatre, and more. Approximately $22 million has been raised and committed to the project; the final fundraising goal is $30 million. In addition to fundraising by the Society, the Kentucky General Assembly allocated $5 million to the future museum. The first phase of the project is expected to be open by Independence Day 2026, with full completion in 2027. For more information on the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Education Center and Museum, visit www.sar.org.

Fort Liberty Museums Exhibit

The Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM) in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is hosting a temporary exhibit featuring some of the rarest pieces from the collections of museums located on nearby Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg). Opening the Vaults: The Treasures of the Fort Liberty Museums, which opened on 14 March, showcases artifacts from the 82d Airborne Division War Memorial Museum, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum, and the U.S. Army Reserve Command History Office. The exhibit runs through 29 December 2024. For more information, visit the ASOM website at www.asomf.org.

endangered battlefields

Endangered Battlefields

Two battlefields, the Wilderness in Virginia and Minuteman National Historical Park (MMNHP) in Massachusetts, made the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2024 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The Wilderness Battlefield, located in Orange County, Virginia, is the site of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant’s opening engagement of the 1864 Overland Campaign. The battlefield is threatened by a rezoning plan for a 2,600-acre parcel that could bring data centers, retail, and hundreds of homes to the area. At MMNHP, which includes Revolutionary War sites at Lexington and Concord, plans to expand the Hanscom Field Airport, which abuts the park, will bring increased jet noise to the area. For more information and the complete list of the 2024 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, visit https://savingplaces.org.