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World War II in Savannah - Criteria for Inclusion in Monument
Return to "Chatham County's Fallen" page
Return to "World War II in Savannah" page
CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN SAVANNAH/CHATHAM COUNTY WORLD WAR II MONUMENT "A WORLD APART" MEMORIAL TO THE FALLEN
Criteria 1. Military Service
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Army Air Forces
- U.S. Navy
- U.S. Marine Corps
- U.S. Coast Guard
- U.S. Merchant Marine
- Military forces of U.S. Allies
Criteria 2. Death or Missing-in-Action Date
- December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946
Criteria 3. Location of Death
All Theaters of Operation:
- European-North African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operation
- American Theater of Operation
Criteria 4. Casualty Type
- Killed-in-Action
- Died-of-Wounds/Died-of-Injuries
- Missing-In-Action/Declared Officially Lost
Criteria 5. Residency
- Entered service from Chatham County
Clause 1. Previously Compiled Lists – Published Military Casualty Lists
Grandfather in individuals identified in the lists compiled and published by the service branches following the war:
War Department (Army and Army Air Forces)
Navy Department (Navy, Marines and Coast Guard)
- Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II by States, 1946, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Volume I, Alabama through Missouri. Casualty Section, Office of Public Information, Navy Department, compiled and Revised 1946. “State Summary of War Casualties [Georgia].”
Treasury Department (Merchant Marine)
- Treasury Department, United States Coast Guard. Summary of Merchant Marine Personnel Casualties, World War II, CG 228, July 1, 1950. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1950. Pages 27-30 “Georgia.”
Clause 2. Previously Compiled Lists – Bacon Park Memorial Stadium, Savannah, Chatham County
Grandfather in individuals identified by the honor roll of World War II dead from Chatham County on the Memorial Stadium plaque at Bacon Park. This list was compiled by the City and published in the local newspapers for public review and comment in 1959 when more World War II veterans who served with the individuals and more next-of-kin of the dead were living and available to provide input.
- In 1949, George K. Gannem Post 184, American Legion, under the leadership of Wrennie W. Johnson compiled a list of Chatham County’s World War II dead (initially 287 names). The list was released in the newspaper for public review on September 17, 1949 and relatives and friends of those accidentally omitted were asked to contact Assistant City Attorney A. Leopold Alexander [“Tentative List of War Heroes Drafted For New Street Names,” Savannah Morning News (18 September 1949), 24].
- On August 16, 1959, a list of Chatham Countians who died in World War I, World War II or Korea was published in the newspaper in preparation for erection of a memorial plaque at the City’s new football stadium in Bacon Park [“City Lists Names Set For Plaque,” Savannah Morning News (16 August 1959)]. The following month, Savannah alderman Jay Shoob, in charge of compiling the names of deceased veterans for Memorial Stadium’s plaque, released an updated list in the newspaper for final review [ “Jay Shoob Releases List of Veterans,” Savannah Evening Press (26 September 1959)].
Data Collection Process
The City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives undertook an initial data collection project during the first quarter of 2009 to compile all known existing lists and sources of Chatham County World War II casualties, including:
- Published military casualty lists
- Existing Chatham County monuments and memorials
- Savannah Morning Newspaper indexes, obituaries and death notices
- Chatham County municipalities
- Miscellaneous published sources, including, but not limited to:
- High school and college annuals and newsletters
- Vertical clipping files of the Live Oak Public Library Bull Street Branch, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah Jewish Archives (housed at the Georgia Historical Society), local cemetery records (including Bonaventure, Laurel Grove, and Catholic cemeteries)
The gathered research was then compiled into one master Microsoft Access database from which the following reports will be printed:
- Public Review List for Web Publication (full name, as it would appear on the monument, and service branch, date of death, location of death and casualty type, when known)
- Public Review List for Print Publication (full name, as it would appear on the monument)
- Public Review Individual Information Sheets (full database information minus any fields protected by law, including next-of-kin name and address)
- Individual Information Sheets (full database information needed for application and of criteria)
No additions will be made to this database or the final reports prepared from it following dedication of the monument. The final reports identified above will be preserved in the “World War II in Savannah Research Collection” in the Research Library & Municipal Archives for researchers. Hardcopy documentation gathered by the Review Committee for corrections and additions will be added to this collection, but the Access database, and its resulting print reports, will not be updated.
Public Review Process
The general public and all citizens of Chatham County will be invited to review the proposed names for the monument (after application of criteria), and provided the opportunity to comment on spelling errors and omissions. In addition, those with documentation that could fulfill the verification process will be asked to submit copies to the Veteran’s Council of Chatham County Review Committee. A closing date for comments and submissions for inclusion on the monument will be included in all public review products.
Public review will be provided through the following outlets:
- Public Review List for Web Publication on City of Savannah’s website [www.savannahga.gov, Research Library & Municipal Archives, Featured Exhibit webpage “World War II in Savannah”] online in time for monument groundbreaking
- Public Review List for Web Publication on Veteran’s Council of Chatham County’s website [http://www.veteranscouncilofchathamcounty.com/]
- Public Review List for Print Publication published by the Veteran’s Council of Chatham County in the Savannah Morning News (possible second publication in newspaper at mid-way construction point)
- Public Review Individual Information Sheets provided in the City Hall rotunda and/or Research Library & Municipal Archives
Verification Process
All individuals identified by the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives during the Data Collection Process who are not grandfathered in by Clauses 1 and 2, as well as those individuals who have spelling inconsistencies, will go through an initial verification process to be completed before inscription of the names on the monument. Verification will be requested through the National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis through the Military Personnel Records section. Verification will require supporting evidence for the established criteria, including service, date and location of death, casualty type, and where entered service from.
Verification of additional individuals submitted by the public during the Public Review Process will be the responsibility of the submitter. A process for submission to the Review Committee will be established and published with the Public Review List. The submitter will be required to present the necessary military personnel records from the National Public Records Center providing supporting evidence for the established criteria.
- Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard records are available through the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63132-5100, (314) 801-0800, http://vetrecs.archives.gov. A fire in 1973 destroyed many of the Army and Army Air Forces military personnel records. However, the National Personnel Records Center can still provide verification in most cases through the reconstruction of personnel records with additional existing Army records.
- Verification of Merchant Marine service is available through the U.S. Coast Guard, National Maritime Center, Director (NMC-4A), 4200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 510, Arlington, VA 22203-1804, however the burden of proof lies on the requestor.
- Those submitting individuals who served with Allied forces will be required to provide equivalent documentation for verification purposes.
- The National Archives and Records Administration’s pamphlet “Finding Information on Personal Participation in World War II” provides contact information and general guidance to military records and record repositories (available at www.archives.gov).
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