There are 122 soldiers from WWI and 702 soldiers from WWII that are buried or listed on the walls of the missing for Utah.
This number is way to large for me to try and search archives in any shape or form. I am also not looking for archives from the newspapers. I want the family members of the soldiers to contact me with the info they have.
I am searching for info, pictures, letters and family stories about each soldier to be shared with the cemeteries.
I have contacted the governor of every state was told to contact the veterans association. i have found that the best way to find family members of the fallen soldiers is through the Newspapers.
I contacted the press associations for each state and got nothing from any of them...
I have also contacted the VFW and DAR chapters of many of the states and have had no response. you can take the below press release/PSA and edit it down if you need to, you can also use the info on my web pages to make an article.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for all the above criteria but i have contacted several hundred newspapers from several states and they want to do everything but run an article in their newspapers.
Michael Beach
apieceofhomeusa.com
facebook.com (1200 stories)
Four years ago Michael Beach began searching for the stories of the Oklahoma soldiers who are buried overseas. Recently, however he began the search for as many of the stories as he could find of soldiers from all around the United States.
Beach began his journey with a visit to all 23 American cemeteries located around the world where the soldiers from his state are buried. he spent six months traveling through Europe, North Africa, the Philippines and Hawaii. where he placed over 2,000 Oklahoma rose rocks at the graves of the soldiers.
"Everything started when I visited a Normandy cemetery and walked up to an Oklahoman's grave. I gave him a rose rock and found about twenty others that day. When I went back, I visited the 144 Oklahoma soldiers in the cemetery and gave all of them a rose rock," Beach shared.
Beach talked about the struggles he had along the way, from having to dig up the rose rocks himself, to having very little food to eat.
"On several occasions I wanted to walk away from my journey and come back home. I had very little money and my feet were so badly blistered because of walking that I shouldn't have been walking but I had to, so I could get my journey accomplished" said Beach.
"On the days I didn't have a host to stay with I would have an apple or orange for breakfast and for supper pasta and tomato paste. I would also camp with a tent and a sleeping bag I had on my backpack to save money," continued Beach on his struggles.
"Once I had made it to each of the cemeteries the thought of going home was washed away and I worked at finding the soldiers. It was hard work but I realized that if I didn't do this that no one would and these men would not have a piece of Oklahoma with them."
After he returned home he began his search for the stories of the 3,000 Oklahoma soldiers. However he soon found road block after roadblock in his way to gathering the stories of these amazing soldiers.
"All too many times I have had family members tell me, 'I wish I had known about this a year ago because my mom was alive and she knew everything about my uncle buried overseas.'"
So far Beach has gathered around fifty stories, some only partially complete, of WWI and WWII members of the military from Oklahoma.
Beach is now in the process of looking for stories of soldiers from other states.
"I have decided to find one story from each state for each of the 23 cemeteries located overseas and Hawaii. I know that if the stories are fading here in Oklahoma they are fading all around the US"
The stories that Beach collects will be shared with each soldier's cemetery so that others passing through them can hear the tales and histories of these honorable men.
Beach is looking for copies of photos, letters, family stories, information about the soldier's life, and even history of the area during the time the soldiers lived there.
Anyone who has any information on a solider who is buried overseas, please contact Beach by visiting apieceofhomeusa.com to arrange a digital transfer.
Information can also be sent by mail to:
Michael Beach
P.O. Box 582
Maysville, OK 73057
