Brooklyn Cemetery Needs Help Identifying World War II Veterans

BROOKLYN, NY — Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery is asking the public's help to identify World War II veterans that are buried on its historic grounds in honor of the 80th anniversary of the country's entry into the war.

The cemetery, found below Prospect Park, launched a World War II Project on Thursday to identify and honor all "permanent residents" who served during the war both overseas and at home, whether military, medical or civilian.

The project is the latest in Green-Wood's efforts to uncover and highlight the stories of its veterans, who can be hard to identify given that burial records and gravestones don't always indicate military service.

The cemetery previously identified more than 200 World War I veterans and more than 5,000 Civil War soldiers at the cemetery, making Green-Wood the largest Civil War burial ground north of the Mason Dixon Line.

"Our dedicated team will spend countless hours on this important project," Historian Jeff Richman said. "But you can become an important partner in this effort just by letting us know if you had a relative or friend who served in WWII and is interred at Green-Wood. It’s a simple way to preserve and honor their history.”

For the World War II project, volunteers and staff will pore through Green-Wood’s extensive archival records at Richman's direction and will utilize the public records of military pension applications, New York State records and all other available resources to help identify veterans.

After the project, they will compile an online, searchable database of the veterans with short biographies for each. Public programming and tours to honor the veterans will start on Memorial Day, cemetery officials said.

“The lives of our Greatest Generation must be memorialized," Green-Wood President Richard J. Moylan said. "Green-Wood is committed to doing all we can make sure their stories are told."

Anyone with information about relatives or friends who served in WWII and are interred at Green-Wood should email history@green-wood.com or call 718-210-3045 with as much information as possible, including:

• Name of serviceperson
• Date and place of birth
• Date and place of death
• Service details (for example: infantryman; Marine; pilot; nurse; civilian contractor, etc.)
• Lot number at Green-Wood
• Contact information for family
• A photograph of the serviceperson