Project Vigil

Abraham Goldstein

#33833739

Today, I am publishing this post in memory of Abraham Goldstein of Allentown, Pennsylvania. This is my post to him on the 75th anniversary of his death in the historic Battle of Saint-Lô.

ABRAHAM GOLDSTEIN

Born: Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1907
H&W: 5’8” 185 lbs.
S/N: 33833739
Conscripted: November 15, 1943
. . .

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July 17, 2019

Taps and the American Bugler Crisis

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Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

The other day I received an e-mail from a Project Vigil follower. The e-mail brought to my attention a problem in America that needs to be addressed immediately. For that reason, I've decided to dedicate a blog post to it.

What is Taps?

In . . .

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July 13, 2019

Experiences in the Cemetery

One Man's Search for Closure

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June 2nd, 2018, telling the life story of Stanley Stockins. You never know who's standing just a few feet away from you.

Introduction

For those of you who do not know what I do, every year I travel to Normandy where, at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, I stand vigil at the grave sites of three . . .

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April 24, 2019

Staff Sgt. Jerry Michael Durbin Jr.

Killed in Action, January 25th, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq

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On this day, 13 years ago, Jerry Michael Durbin Jr. was killed in action when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated while he was on patrol in Iraq. Today, I would like to honor him, his family and his friends with this blog post, on the anniversary of his death.

Michael's early life

Michael was born on July . . .

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January 25, 2019

03xx Foundation

Serving Infantry Marine Corps Veterans and their Navy Corpsman

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03XX Foundation: Serving Infantry Marine Corps veterans and their Navy Corpsman.

I recently discovered something that shocked and saddened me. While researching the US Marine Corps, I came across a very powerful article written by Dave Philipps of The New York Times. In his article, Philipps recounts the story of a Marine Corps . . .

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December 03, 2018

SPC. Leslie Denise Jackson

KIA May 20th, 2004, Baghdad, Iraq

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Photo credit: Elizabeth Reed

I was reading an internet thread about the American women who have died while on deployment since 2001. The list contained approximately 145 names, each with the place of death, her name, and date that she was KIA.

And then, I came across SPC. Leslie Denise Jackson's story. My older . . .

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October 28, 2018

Stanley Stockins' last leave home

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While researching the biographies that I tell in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Daddy and I contacted the families of all three soldiers to help gather as much information about the them as we could. We did this by cold-calling the first family member that we could find. Luckily, we were able to talk to, and make friends . . .

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October 13, 2018

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