Remembering fallen WWII veterans by telling their stories

Judith Skillings says she will by no means overlook her very first bomber pilot.

Arthur Jennett of Tennessee was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crewman who died through Planet War II when his plane was shot down more than Germany.

Skillings mentioned she discovered Janet’s story though researching his background to create his life story for Stories Behind the Stars, an initiative produced to organize a centralized digital place to gather the stories of the extra than 421,000 Americans killed in Planet War II.

Following writing her very first biography, Skillings was hooked. By her personal estimate, Skillings has written at least 500 stories about Planet War II veterans in the previous ten months — an typical of two a day.

“I really feel like I am carrying out anything meaningful,” Skillings mentioned.

Stories Behind the Stars has an ambitious mission: to create the story of just about every American soldier who died in Planet War II. Profiles had been written by hundreds of volunteers from all more than the nation. According to its internet site, extra than 29,000 stories had been completed by mid-Could. The target is for all stories to be completed by 2025.

“The concern is that persons who don’t forget the war are dying, and there had been so quite a few who would by no means be remembered,” Skillings mentioned. “The get in touch with for volunteers went out and they got thousands from all more than the nation.”

Skillings was born in Portland and raised in Skowhegan. Her grandparents lived in Lewiston and attended Bates College. She moved to Pennsylvania following she married, but maintains a second residence in Maine, exactly where she lives 4 months of the year.

Now retired, Skillings study about the Stories Behind the Stars initiative final Memorial Day.

“I believed, ‘I could do that,'” Skillings mentioned. “All the data is fairly significantly accessible on the net.”

The web site contains directions on how to pick a veteran, exactly where to come across data about the veteran’s household and military record, what to consist of in the story, and how to create a profile.

For the very first assignment, the organization assigns a veteran volunteer, commonly a bomber pilot or crew member of a downed plane. As soon as the resume is submitted and authorized, the profile is posted on the military internet site www.fold3.com.

“Each story is fascinating,” Skillings mentioned. “Sadly, they all ended up the exact same way, but they had been such folks.” It really is so entertaining to come across out that this burly Marine loved to play Tiddlywinks. It really is good to attempt to revive them.”

As soon as the volunteer feels comfy, the individual functions with the state director on how to proceed. Skillings, who is the director of Stories Behind the Stars in Maine, mentioned some volunteers will develop a precise cemetery or memorial in their hometown. Some will do one particular distinct branch of the military. A lady in Maine functions for Jewish veterans. A Brunswick volunteer asked to location 25 Planet War II veterans at a memorial he passed every single day on his way to function.

Volunteers are not restricted to writing profiles from their nation.

Presently, the emphasis is on finishing the biographies of all eight,700 veterans who died in Planet War II and are buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

The ultimate target, Skillings mentioned, is to develop a cellphone app that will show a veteran’s story when the telephone is pointed at a headstone.

There are about 25 volunteer story writers in Maine. Skillings desires to see extra participants.

To get began, persons should really go to the Stories Behind the Stars internet site — www.storiesbehindthestars.org — and click on the volunteer hyperlink.

“I am addicted to this,” Skillings mentioned. “I completed one particular and am currently beginning to analysis data on the subsequent one particular.”

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