ABOUT US

Living in a free country, we owe it to those who fought for our freedom, 
to find them and give them a proper burial for the country 
they so gallantly fought for!
 

One of the goals of the Battery Willis S. Cole Military Museum is for its staff to conduct research relating to those carried as Missing in Action and those Killed In Action.

The museum's research specialty is 'site specific' research.  Our volunteer staff searches for information from diaries, books, and visitor input to seek the exact location where notable events of World War One and Two took place.  These sites are then intensely researched in Europe, including interviews with local people for legends of the event and if possible, locate actual eyewitnesses to learn and record their stories.  

This research makes the museum a very active participant in preserving the military history of the United States and its Allies during both wars.  Upon completion of the research, the research is also presented to the local people, so that they will know all the information of the event and even know the names and fate of those who participated in the event.

The museum's staff works with people seeking information about the service of family members during both World Wars.  With the help of our staff, the families of those still Missing In Action or Killed In Action can search for records that pertain to the loss of their family member and if possible, locate the general area of the death or even the exact place.  If on land, it is often possible to have direct contact with local historians who are researching that area and perhaps, learn even more about the loss.

There is never a charge for this research help, though Battery Corporal Willis S. Cole Military Museum is supported by donations and book sales.  There is no paid staff and all tax-deductible donations and Frequent Flyer Mile donations are used to support the organization goals, such as placing memorials at researched sites in Europe, and for the volunteer staff to travel when possible to conduct further research.  The museum welcomes tax-deductible donations of personal military memorabilia, which will be used for display only.  We do ask for as much history as possible of the person to whom the uniform belonged, so that the display truly represents that person.

The museum's World War Two research started on Christmas Eve, 1991, when the museum's Director was introduced to a grave located in the village cemetery of Cartigny, located a few miles southeast of Peronne, in the Department of the Somme, of World War One fame.

The grave was marked with a French Military Cross and a plaque with the inscription:

Aviateur AMERICAIN
INCONNU
MORT POUR LA FRANCE - en 1943

Aviator AMERICAN
UNKNOWN
DIED FOR FRANCE - in 1943
 

During that visit, a promise was made to the person that lay in that grave in France.  One, that they would be identified and their families would know that they had a grave in France.  A promise that was finally completed, when on the 10th of November, 2000, a new tomb marker was dedicated.

In fact, the grave did not contain the remains of just one American flyer, it actually contained the partial remains of three American flyers.  Each of the three men have an Official Grave, however they also share this common grave in France.  At the end of November, 2001, the museum Director found an American who had been at the crash site of the men's B-24 Bomber on the 10th of November, 1944, and with his help, the Director was able to determine just how the fourth grave came to be.  More information about this bomber can be found on the museum web site at www.ww1.org.

This story is presented so someone entering into such research will know that the research can last for many years, but in the end, a final answer might be known.