If you are wondering why:
Military & historically focused memorials from Canada, USA & around the world. 99.9 percent of these military memorials were abandoned to the 3,000,000+ Find-a-Grave holding bin so I decided to look for them and take them on. Many of these soldiers had their lives significantly abbreviated in body, mind, and soul so I made a point of printing their rank and the unit they were with, in full, in the biographies I created - which are few. The youngest soldier, in the memorials I manage, was a Royal Marine Light Infantry, Bugler, lost at sea, age 15 - his body was never recovered. The youngest in my virtual cemeteries was killed in action on Iwo Jima at age 14; Another at age 16 was fatally wounded at the Battle of Jutland - he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for the actions he took at the end of his life. Many in my virtual cemeteries gave their lives for causes or for reasons that have withered in value over time and may seem politically incorrect to some, many, or all in this day and age. General William Tecumseh Sherman described the endeavour succinctly. "War is Hell!." ------ Yrs. truly, Billy Budd.
**************************************************************
A touching letter:
The following is from the book "Attlebridge Arsenal, The Men and Aircraft of the 466th Bomb Group" by Earl Wassom and Chris Brassfield.

"Sir, Madame,
I have not the pleasure of being known by you. Allow me then to introduce myself: John Bourdouche, farmer. Queue-du-Bois (Liege, Belgium). It was in my home that your son Robert took refuge on the 19th of June after a forced landing in Holland. It was in my home that he lived, hidden, but surrounded by attentions and affections that every good Belgian owes the citizens of free America.

It was in my home that he spent his days talking to me about you, telling me of his great joy when finally he would be able to see you again. It was at my home, alas, that he died, the 7th of September, without suffering, struck by a stray German bullet (that was certainly not meant for him) a few hours before the arrival of the American Army.

I closed his eyes. My wife and I wept for him very much. Wasn't he a little bit of our family? Hundreds of persons accompanied him to the cemetery in our village. The coffin was completely covered by a heap of flowers, a tribute of admiration and gratitude to Lt. Garrett who symbolized the valiant American Army, which twice, in less than thirty years, has crossed the ocean to deliver us from the German yoke. May my letter somewhat lessen your grief, which I know is deep.

Please accept, Sir, Madam, the expression of my deep sympathy, of my admiration and my eternal gratitude."

John Bourdouche, Belgian farmer and member of the resistance.
****************************************************************
Before he died Lieutenant Kennedy scrawled a letter on the back of a photograph as he lay dying in a Japanese prison camp. He handed the photograph to a fellow POW who delivered it after the war ended:

"Momie and Dad: It is pretty hard to check out this way without a fighting chance. But we can't live forever. I'm not afraid to die, I just hate the thought of not seeing you again. Buy Turkey Ranch with my money and just think of me often while your there. Make liberal donations to both sisters. See that Bary has a car his first year. I guess you can tell Patty that fate just didn't want us to be together. Hold a nice service for me … and put headstone in my cemetery. Take care of my nieces and nephews don't let them ever want anything as I want even warmth or water now.
Loving & Waiting for you in the world be on.
Your son, Lt. Tommie Kennedy"
-----------------------------------------------
Who is Billy Budd you may ask?
-----------------------------------------------
"I'm nobody! who are you?
Are you - nobody - too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know

How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog -
To tell one's name - the livelong June -
To an admiring Bog!"
-------------------------------
Emily Dickinson.
-------------------------------
PHOTO REQUESTS FULFILLED:
Thank you very much to all who have uploaded photographs to memorials on this site and to those who took the time, went looking for grave markers, and sadly found none. Thanks again all of you.

If you are wondering why:
Military & historically focused memorials from Canada, USA & around the world. 99.9 percent of these military memorials were abandoned to the 3,000,000+ Find-a-Grave holding bin so I decided to look for them and take them on. Many of these soldiers had their lives significantly abbreviated in body, mind, and soul so I made a point of printing their rank and the unit they were with, in full, in the biographies I created - which are few. The youngest soldier, in the memorials I manage, was a Royal Marine Light Infantry, Bugler, lost at sea, age 15 - his body was never recovered. The youngest in my virtual cemeteries was killed in action on Iwo Jima at age 14; Another at age 16 was fatally wounded at the Battle of Jutland - he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for the actions he took at the end of his life. Many in my virtual cemeteries gave their lives for causes or for reasons that have withered in value over time and may seem politically incorrect to some, many, or all in this day and age. General William Tecumseh Sherman described the endeavour succinctly. "War is Hell!." ------ Yrs. truly, Billy Budd.
**************************************************************
A touching letter:
The following is from the book "Attlebridge Arsenal, The Men and Aircraft of the 466th Bomb Group" by Earl Wassom and Chris Brassfield.

"Sir, Madame,
I have not the pleasure of being known by you. Allow me then to introduce myself: John Bourdouche, farmer. Queue-du-Bois (Liege, Belgium). It was in my home that your son Robert took refuge on the 19th of June after a forced landing in Holland. It was in my home that he lived, hidden, but surrounded by attentions and affections that every good Belgian owes the citizens of free America.

It was in my home that he spent his days talking to me about you, telling me of his great joy when finally he would be able to see you again. It was at my home, alas, that he died, the 7th of September, without suffering, struck by a stray German bullet (that was certainly not meant for him) a few hours before the arrival of the American Army.

I closed his eyes. My wife and I wept for him very much. Wasn't he a little bit of our family? Hundreds of persons accompanied him to the cemetery in our village. The coffin was completely covered by a heap of flowers, a tribute of admiration and gratitude to Lt. Garrett who symbolized the valiant American Army, which twice, in less than thirty years, has crossed the ocean to deliver us from the German yoke. May my letter somewhat lessen your grief, which I know is deep.

Please accept, Sir, Madam, the expression of my deep sympathy, of my admiration and my eternal gratitude."

John Bourdouche, Belgian farmer and member of the resistance.
****************************************************************
Before he died Lieutenant Kennedy scrawled a letter on the back of a photograph as he lay dying in a Japanese prison camp. He handed the photograph to a fellow POW who delivered it after the war ended:

"Momie and Dad: It is pretty hard to check out this way without a fighting chance. But we can't live forever. I'm not afraid to die, I just hate the thought of not seeing you again. Buy Turkey Ranch with my money and just think of me often while your there. Make liberal donations to both sisters. See that Bary has a car his first year. I guess you can tell Patty that fate just didn't want us to be together. Hold a nice service for me … and put headstone in my cemetery. Take care of my nieces and nephews don't let them ever want anything as I want even warmth or water now.
Loving & Waiting for you in the world be on.
Your son, Lt. Tommie Kennedy"
-----------------------------------------------
Who is Billy Budd you may ask?
-----------------------------------------------
"I'm nobody! who are you?
Are you - nobody - too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know

How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog -
To tell one's name - the livelong June -
To an admiring Bog!"
-------------------------------
Emily Dickinson.
-------------------------------
PHOTO REQUESTS FULFILLED:
Thank you very much to all who have uploaded photographs to memorials on this site and to those who took the time, went looking for grave markers, and sadly found none. Thanks again all of you.