[Genealib] Searching for records of men who died twice.

[SUBVETPAUL at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/22/2006 9:36:53 AM Central Standard Time, 
Susan.Scouras at wvculture.org writes:


> If you are looking for a West Virginian, soon you will be in luck.  Our 
> Veterans Memorial has panels carved with the names of servicemen and women who 
> died during 20th century wars. (I won't go into the history of how the names 
> were collected and verified for the initial carving, or what may be done for 
> 21st century wars.)  There has been one subsequent carving of missed names, 
> and an on-going database now online that includes names "to be carved" and to 
> be corrected.  We have accumulated so many additions and corrections that the 
> current plan is to "scrub"  and re-polish the panels and totally recarve all 
> the names. 
>  
> In a last great effort to get it as correct as possible, the staff  of West 
> Virginia Archives and History/West Virginia State Archives is combing 
> newspapers from around the state for each specific period of combat service (as 
> determined by the federal government) to pick up soldiers and sailors who qualify 
> but whose names were not listed as West Virginians in their final military 
> record, or not submitted by their families, veterans groups or local 
> historical organizations, etc. This way we are picking up those who were missing in 
> action (MIA) and the dates they were later declared dead, usually a year and a 
> day after the date they were declared MIA. Local news reports include a lot 
> more personal information than you will find in military records, of course, 
> so we have found much valuable and interesting information to put in our 
> database.  We have been on the lookout for reburials for years as we search 
> obituaries requested by research letter, or look over the shoulders of patrons, and 
> staff has routinely copied these notices when we find them and turned them 
> in to the Veterans Memorial Archive staff.  If we find a mention of a memorial 
> gravestone or tablet for persons for whom there was no body brought home for 
> burial, we record that also.  The Veterans Memorial Archive staff has combed 
> the American Battle Monuments Commission Web site  for burials or memorials 
> (such as for those lost at sea) in U.S. military cemeteries and other 
> military cemeteries in or outside the United States. 
>  
> We have been picking up many more people that qualify for inclusion on the 
> Monument because the local papers carry reports of those who moved away from 
> WV but whose relatives and friends still lived in the community and passed the 
> information on to the newspaper, or people who fell through the cracks of 
> the various official lists for a variety of reasons.  To qualify, an individual 
> must have been born in WV or lived in the state at least six months, and 
> died from any cause within the official specified dates. We include merchant 
> marine as well as the women who served in ways now recognized by the Veterans 
> Administration as military service.  We think many people did not realize that 
> any cause of death was accepted, not just "killed in action" and deaths while 
> on duty (training accidents, etc.), and we have picked up names never 
> submitted before of those who died by disease, car accidents while on leave, and by 
> suicide.  
>  
> Our Web site also includes a section on the "Hellships of World War II," 
> those ships used by the Japanese to transport POWs. Not only were conditions on 
> the ships horrific, but the unmarked ships were attacked by Allied forces who 
> did not know they were carrying POWs.  
>  
> We are fortunate to have a Veterans Memorial Archive (although funding for 
> any government agency is never a sure thing) to research, compile and preserve 
> this information, and to make it available online.  We also invite family 
> members to donate originals or copies of photographs, letters and other 
> documents for inclusion in their relatives' files.  Browse through the Biographies 
> section that includes these materials and biographies written by family 
> members.  
>  
> The newspaper  reading project is very time consuming and is putting a great 
> burden on our staff (and a couple of volunteers), but since the results will 
> be literally engraved in stone, we determined to follow through.  We are 
> committed to honoring and remembering all who have served and died in the course 
> of that service.  We are trying to flesh out the bare bones of service 
> records so that researchers and family members alike will have a real sense of who 
> these individuals were in their lifetimes.  
>  
> Take a look at the Web pages for the West Virginia Veterans Memorial (
> http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvvets.html), and the Veterans Memorial online 
> searchable database (http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/wvvetmem.html).  
> I think you will be very impressed.  I know we are very proud of what has 
> been accomplished.
>  
>  
> Susan Scouras
> Librarian
> WV Archives and History Library
> The Cultural Center
> 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
> Charleston, WV  25305-0300
> (304) 558-0230, Ext. 742
> 

Susan,
This is a most commendable project.
A set of the two volume publication described at
http://www.subvetpaul.com/Diedwwii.htm
has been donated (by myself) to the Library of Virginia, Attn Edwin Ray at 
Richmond, VA.
If a donor can be found, you certainly should have a set of this research.
Researching WWII men has been a fascinating experience for me.
Thank you for responding
subvetpaul at aol.com
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