Appreciating the Adoption program; a personal letter from the U.S.A.
To the volunteer caretakers of the graves at the Margraten Cemetery,
I recently was made aware of what you are doing for the fallen members of the United States military who are buried at the Margraten Cemetery and I would like to thank you for what you are doing.
My name is Terry Wirick and I am a librarian with the Erie County Public Library in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States of America. Recently, I was made aware of the adoption program at the Margraten Cemetery by a request that my library had received from Bert Caris, who was looking for information on Lt. Kenneth R. Robinson, the soldier whose grave he has adopted. I am pleased to say that, not only did we find information about Lt. Robinson, we were able to put Mr. Caris in contact with his best friend and nephew, which made everyone involved with this search very, very happy.
Until Mr. Caris had contacted my library, myself and other library staff members were unaware of the American Cemeteries that are in Europe and other places around the world. When we found out that, after 60 years, the residents of the area around the Margraten Cemetery still feel so strongly about what the American military did for the Netherlands and the other countries in Europe that they are still taking care of the graves of the men who are buried there is very, very touching and heartwarming. This was the driving force behind our search and why we didn't want to quit searching until we found information about Lt. Robinson.
I really wish I could find the words to tell you how much I appreciate what you are doing, but I can’t. As an American citizen and a veteran of the US Navy myself, all I can simply say is thank you for what you are doing for my fellow citizens and fallen brothers in arms. This American really appreciates it.
Again, thank you very much.
Terry Wirick
Girard, Pennsylvania
United States of America
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| Erie County, Pennsylvania and the Province of Limburg are connected through the adoption program |
Twentyfive men of Erie County, Pennsylvania are buried or commemorated at the Netherlands American Cemetery Margraten, they are :
| Albert
G. Allgeier Sergeant, U.S. Army, ASN: 33408128 474th Anti-Aircraft Arty (Automatic Weapons) Battalion Died: April 16, 1945 Buried at: Plot H, Row 1, Grave 13 |
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| Walter A. Boehm Private First Class, U.S. Army, ASN: 33159750 517th Signal Company, 17th Airborne Division Died: March 24, 1945 Buried at: Plot E, Row 3, Grave 10 |
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| Kenneth C.
Brown Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces, ASN: 13172568 776th Bomber Squadron, 464th Bomber Group, Heavy Died: October 16, 1944 Buried at: Plot C, Row 4, Grave 12 |
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| John F. Bucklin Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33712900 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division Died: February 25, 1945 Buried at: Plot G, Row 10, Grave 6 |
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| Eugene J. De
Voge Private First Class, U.S. Army, ASN: 33435076 333rd Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division Died: May 5, 1945 Missing in Action or Buried at Sea |
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John Frankovitz
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Edwin J. Gott Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces, ASN: 33274816 579th Bomber Squadron, 392nd Bomber Group, Heavy Died: October 4, 1943 Missing in Action
or Buried at Sea |
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| Hugh F. Hilditch Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33712804 49th Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division Died: April 17, 1945 Buried at: Plot G, Row 3, Grave 26 |
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| Joseph A. Kacpura Private First Class, U.S. Army, ASN: 33680986 83rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion Died: March 29, 1945 Buried at: Plot A, Row 16, Grave 13 |
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| John R. Kimball Private First Class, U.S. Army, ASN: 33766390 342nd Infantry Regiment, 86th Infantry Division Died: April 11, 1945 Buried at: Plot I, Row 15, Grave 4 |
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| Leonard K.
Malanowski Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33680981 87th Cavalry Reconn Squadron, 7th Armored Division Died: October 27, 1944 Buried at: Plot P, Row 9, Grave 5 |
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| John E. May Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, ASN: 01060876 407th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division Died: December 17, 1944 Missing in Action or Buried at Sea |
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| Wesley H. Mc
Dannel Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces, ASN: 33273504 327th Bomber Squadron, 92nd Bomber Group, Heavy Died: March 2, 1944 Buried at: Plot N, Row 22, Grave 3 |
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| Marion Michalak Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33411352 377th Field Artillery Bn, 101st Airborne Division Died: September 21, 1944 Buried at: Plot L, Row 14, Grave 2 |
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| Bernard L.
Morton Technician 5th Class, U.S. Army, ASN: 13134676 3951st Quartermaster Truck Company Died: May 11, 1945 Buried at: Plot E, Row 16, Grave 14 |
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| Leroy O. Musolff Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, ASN: O-887515 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division Died: November 8, 1944 Buried at: Plot C, Row 10, Grave 4 |
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| Kenneth R.
Robinson First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, ASN: O1017113 36th Tank Battalion, 8th Armored Division Died: March 5, 1945 Buried at: Plot M, Row 10, Grave 5 |
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| Jesse G. Salajczyk Sergeant, U.S. Army, ASN: 33680960 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division Died: December 5, 1944 Buried at: Plot K, Row 12, Grave 12 |
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| Theodore D.
Sechrist Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33934979 334th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division Died: December 4, 1944 Buried at: Plot L, Row 11, Grave 12 |
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| Truman A. Shannon First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces, ASN: O-733737 326th Bomber Squadron, 92nd Bomber Group, Heavy Died: November 26, 1943 Missing in Action or Buried at Sea |
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| Joseph M. Smith Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 13058581 504th Parachute Infantry Regt, 82nd Airborne Division Died: October 4, 1944 Buried at: Plot F, Row 1, Grave 4 |
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| John R. Snyder Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33933010 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division Died: November 18, 1944 Buried at: Plot E, Row 18, Grave 4 |
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| Patsy Ventura Private, U.S. Army, ASN: 33679756 691st Field Artillery Battalion Died: November 29, 1944 Buried at: Plot D, Row 3, Grave 8 |
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| Dennis B. Weaver Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces, ASN: O-680973 376th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group Died: February 24, 1944 Missing in Action or Buried at Sea |
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| Gerard J. Wickles Private First Class, U.S. Army, ASN: 13134991 175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division Died: November 18, 1944 Buried at: Plot E, Row 10, Grave 17 |
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