Program to highlight stories of Knox County's WWII fallen

The Knox County Historical Society invites you to its monthly Local History presentation on Wednesday, May 6, at 7:30 pm.

Debi Lehman, a Knox County native now residing in California, will be visiting to discuss her work with Stories Behind the Stars, a nonprofit volunteer organization of researchers and writers who are working to tell the stories of all 420,000 U.S. service members who died during World War II. The organization’s goal is to one day make accessible the life story of all of those men and women to anyone with a smartphone.

Approximately 130 men from Knox County were killed in action or died in the line of duty between 1941 and early 1946. So far, Lehman has completed about 70 of their stories.

During her presentation, she will highlight local veterans to show how their individual stories deepen our understanding of history and reveal the profound impact the war had on every community in Knox County. We will hear the story of a Mount Vernon man who joined the RAF even before the United States entered the war — and the way that events after his death added to his family’s grief. We will hear about a radio operator who heroically remained with the injured men aboard his crippled B-24 bomber, passing up the opportunity to parachute to safety. And we will hear about the only Knox County serviceman killed on D-Day at Omaha Beach, By bringing their stories to life, Lehman helps ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten and that they are properly honored.

We also invite attendees to share their own stories — or those of their loved ones — who served in the conflict. Lehman is always looking to supplement her research with photographs, anecdotes, or other material that will allow others to know more about the lives of those who sacrificed so much for their country.

This presentation and discussion will occur at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, at the Knox County Historical Society Museum, 875 Harcourt Road, Mount Vernon. As always, the museum will be open to visitors both before and after the program. For more information, please email knoxcountyhistory@gmail.com or call (740) 393-KCHS.