A successful mission, but for the loss of a father
The weather was good, for Northwest Europe, on February 9, 1945. The only climate-related information that was reported was cloud cover at 12,000 to 14,000 feet. The P-51 Mustangs of the 20th Fighter...
View ArticleGuest Blog: “My Longest Day” by Edward C. Oechsli
U.S. Marine Corporal Edward C. Oechsli, penned his story in December 2007. It was submitted to me by Edward’s son, Dennis Oeschsli in June 2015, along with this note: As is the case with many WWII...
View ArticleWW2 Dead buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Texas
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas, is named after the Jewish cemetery in Israel. “Mount Olivet” means “Mount of Olives”; the Jewish cemetery is of ancient origin, famous for its many biblical...
View Article1 P-47 Destroyed: The story of Captain Jack Engman
By the time he left his base in England for another raid against German targets in Normandy on July 27, 1944, Captain Jack W. Engman was a veteran: a veteran in an Air Corps with so many young flyers...
View ArticleJohnnie Laughlin
He was a classic air-crew member: five-foot-seven, blue eyes, brown hair. At 122 pounds, he was on the skinny side. His home town was Mont Belview, located in southeast Texas, about 45 miles from the...
View ArticleFrom “Satisfactory” to Medal of Honor
August 3, 2015 marks the 71st anniversary of the death of Frank Witek, by all accounts, a polite, but fairly ordinary kid from Chicago by way of Connecticut. Enlisting in the Marines after the bombing...
View ArticleWomen in WWII: Cornelia Clark Fort
In the course of researching the World War 2 military casualties buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, TX, I came across the name of Cornelia Clark Fort, who is buried in a cemetery by the...
View Article“Devastating Hitter” Hideo Akiyama
Eleele, on the island of Kauai, was a tiny town. It is on the southern side of the island, where the Ko’ula River empties into the Pacific. But it was home to Hideo Antone Akiyama, born July 2, 1912...
View ArticleThe Murder of Private Byrl Babcock
Her five-week WAC (Women’s Army Corps) basic training was scheduled to be complete on April 11, 1944. Private Byrl L. Babcock, of Biggs, California, along with hundreds of other women, was in...
View ArticleShot Down Twice
People who visit ancient battlefields or ruins of ancient cities will see evidence of great dramas played out, but they may be left with many more questions than answers. Who were the actual men who...
View ArticleWW2 Researcher to speak at Silent Wings Museum, Lubbock, TX, Nov 11, 2015
Return of the World War II Dead: How the demands of American families changed history In 1947, across the United States, tens of thousands of American servicemen made their silent return from World War...
View ArticleA successful mission, but for the loss of a father
The weather was good, for Northwest Europe, on February 9, 1945. The only climate-related information that was reported was cloud cover at 12,000 to 14,000 feet. The P-51 Mustangs of the 20th Fighter...
View ArticleThe untold story of WAC Private Byrl Babcock
Byrl Lillian Mitchell was a determined, strong, and independent woman – a single gal, professional, and entrepreneur in an era when it wasn’t exactly fashionable not to marry and settle down in one’s...
View ArticleLt. Robert L. Schanen, Navigator of “Ascend Charlie”
Yesterday, I received this email from the relative of the navigator on Ascend Charlie’s final mission. Ascend Charlie was a B-17 Flying Fortress (tail #42-5903) from the 390th Bomb Group, 571st Bomb...
View ArticleHonoring Lt. George H. Cannon, USMC, on Medal of Honor Day
On December 7, 1941, 1st LT George H. Cannon, age 26, was assigned platoon leader of Battery H, 6th Defense Battalion on a critical power station on Sand Island near Midway. In addition to his duties...
View ArticleWorkshop Presentation: “Researching World War II Military Files”
On September 22, 2016, WW2 Researcher and Historian Bill Beigel presented a two-hour workshop titled, “Researching World War II Military Files.” The session was presented to professional researchers at...
View Article“Lessons From a Corporate Dropout
Professional researcher and World War II historian Bill Beigel presented a keynote address at the 2016 Professional Management Conference, hosted by the Association of Professional Genealogists. The...
View ArticleRemembering Jerry Angelich on Pearl Harbor Day
December 7, 2016 marks the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In honor of this anniversary, I’d like to remember one of the heroes of that day. Sources differ as to where he was...
View ArticleWORKSHOP: WW2 Military Records Research | Torrance CA, 8/17/17
Register Below “Researching the Silent Generation: Solving the Mysteries of WW2 Military Service” Last Day to Register! Do you have a family member who served in the U.S. military in World War II? Have...
View ArticleAPG 2017 Annual Professional Management Conference | Washington, DC 10/1/2017
Researching the Silent Generation: Locating and Understanding WWII Veterans’ Military Records For the second consecutive year, WW2 Researcher and Historian Bill Beigel was a featured speaker at the...
View Article
