INDIANA SOLDIERS & SAILORS

The gates opened, suddenly I'm clobbered by a painful consciousness. I'm peering over 152 acres of stunning greenery, blossomed with 17,206 cold, white, marble crosses, graves of American soldiers, lonely for visitors and hungry for home. Breathless I stood, humbly postured on weak knees, speechless, gut-wrenched and misty-eyed with painful respect. American Soldiers and Sailors feared dying on foreign soil and yet the unthinkable . . . here they lie half a world from Home.

 

Overwhelmed and uncompassed, I meekly raised a camera unsure if focusing was possible. "OLIVER B BUTLER, S SGT 124 INF, 31 DIV, OHIO, AUG 5, 1944". Nothing . . . .  no visitor, no fanfare, parade or medals, only unceremonious tombs surrounded by crosses with names, units and dates. I'm at a special place seemingly meaningless, practically forgotten and lost in history. Most everyone who cared were dead or had ignored the pain of long ago. My love for my God, my family, especially my dear brothers and fellow veteran brothers gave me strength to press the shutter button. Now I stand with an insignificant image in my possession until I find someone who cares. Finding a family half-world away seems like the right thing to do.

 

Later trips gave me the opportunity to photograph all Indiana graves and the names of the men on the Tablets of the Missing. As of today, together, with the help of so many unselfish contributers, we have located approximately 306 different families and additionally, another 100 across America. A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed time, information and photographs. God bless you all as our project has blessed so many families. TEAMWORK WINS !!!