Registry remembers efforts from World War II

By PAUL WOOD

CHAMPAIGN – Sgt. Jerome April never was much of a joiner after World War II – no American Legion, no Veterans of Foreign Wars for him.
His wife, Nita, wants him to be remembered for service in the Pacific Theater. The Champaign man is not well enough to travel to Washington for the dedication of a World War II memorial, but he will be remembered in the registry of those who served.
Anyone who helped out in the World War II effort – whether in the armed forces or not – can now sign up at a convenient Web site, the Registry of Remembrances.
The congressionally chartered American Battle Monuments Commission sponsors the Web site, which can be found at www.wwiimemorial.com.
April's name will soon be on the list, and his wife is glad that there's something permanent in this impermanent world, where thousands of World War II veterans die every month.
"I want him to be honored in that memorial," she says of her 84-year-old husband.
Any U.S. citizen who helped in the war effort, either on the battlefront or serving on the homefront, like Rosie the Riveter, is eligible for the registry. Its online existence will be complemented by the bronze and granite of the memorial.
Meanwhile, a bus trip from Champaign-Urbana to the May 29 dedication of the World War II Monument still has seats available. The trip is sponsored by American Legion Post 24, which can be reached at 356-5114.
The Registry of Remembrances, maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission, combines lists from those in overseas military cemeteries, the commission's Tablets of the Missing, and official War and Navy Department Killed in Service rosters now in the National Archives.
Rita Watson of the Carpenters Local 44 in Champaign said her union has added about two dozen local names to the list.
"We have 580 members and we called all of them," she said. The two dozen "were real excited. We also put it in the newsletter in case we missed some. We can sign up their uncles or their friends, too."

From: http://www.news-gazette.com/story.cfm?Number=15851