We all should remember that Memorial Day is set aside to honor the soldiers who never came home. For this article, I decided to share my personal journey to keep my Uncle George’s memory alive. He died of his wounds in March 1945 while fighting as a field artilleryman in the Battle of the Bulge during WWII.
For me, Memorial Day 2024 was the culmination of a quest that started in 2007 when I visited my uncle’s grave in the Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France. I always wondered if his name is inscribed on a WWII monument in the United States. Over the next seventeen years, circumstances and my interaction with several people helped me to discover where my uncle is remembered and honored on Memorial Day.
Although her contribution didn’t come to light until 2023, which I will describe later, in 2011 while teaching line dance at a bar in downtown Sharon, I met and worked with a bartender/DJ named “Opie.” Little did I know then how important it would be to maintain our friendship!
Next in the story is a 2019 reunion, of sorts, that I had with my cousin’s son via email. We began conversing online and he emailed me a copy of a letter that my Uncle George had mailed from Luxembourg; it was addressed to Brian’s maternal grandparents and their young daughter. Luckily, Brian’s grandmother (my Aunt Dot) saved that letter, and many other family documents. When she passed away, Brian came into possession of these treasures.
While reading my uncle’s heart-wrenching letter, I realized that I had to renew my pursuit to find his name on a monument. In 2021, I attended a Memorial Day ceremony in the small western PA town of Pulaski, which is where my uncle and his siblings grew up. His name wasn’t on their memorial; however, they suggested I search for one at a few different cemeteries in the area. Over the next two years, my hunt took me to several monuments at various graveyards and courthouses; unfortunately, I didn’t find his name anywhere.
My next destination was the town of West Middlesex, but there was no WWII monument. I contacted the gentleman in charge of the Pulaski observance, to update him on my continued attempts. He suggested that I contact the West Middlesex VFW because they have a ceremony, but there’s no permanent monument there.
This is where “Opie” comes back in the picture; I remembered that she is a bartender at that VFW. I messaged her to find out what night she would be working; then I went there and explained my mission. She immediately knew who I needed to talk to; shortly afterwards, a gentleman walked in the bar and she introduced me to him. He listened to my story and took my name and number to pass on to the VFW Chaplain.
Within 24 hours, I received a phone call from Bill, who is in charge of the VFW Memorial Day ceremony and reads the names of the soldiers who were from the area and never made it back. He confirmed that he reads my Uncle George’s name every year! When I told him that I had visited my uncle’s grave in France, and I also had a letter he wrote in January 1945, Bill told me that the West Middlesex Mayor would be interested in reading an excerpt for the ceremony at the cemetery. My deepest thanks to the Mayor and everyone involved who finally made all the pieces to my puzzle fit into place on Memorial Day 2024.
Dori Yez will continue to write her monthly article here; and may also “guest instruct” at local venues/events!
