This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Zimmerman
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ZJYBAEB/1485
Message Board Post:
Seaman Second Class Sammy Richard Zimmerman of Princeton, Indiana and the United States
Navy Reserve, was previously listed as missing in action and was presumed dead August 10,
1943. His name is honored on the "Tablets of the Missing" at Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines.
References:
Indianapolis Star
October 3, 1942
Missing in Action
Page 11, Column 2
Indianapolis Star
August 25, 1944
Decorations
Page 5, Column 4
We located these references at the Indiana State Library World War II online database. We
would appreciate any help obtaining these. We also welcome any information that would lead
us to find the family of this Indiana hero.
Hello, I am a retired American residing in the Philippines with my Filipino wife. A year
ago we visited the memorial as visitors but came home with a mission in our hearts. As we
gazed over the beautifully manicured acres and the 17,202 American graves, it was obvious
only a few families had ever visited their graves.
I stepped into the soft grass and focused my camera on one of the white crosses, a grave
of an Ohio soldier. A strange calmness was in the air as I walked a few more steps and a
cross of an Indiana soldier lay square in my path. The letters of the inscription on the
marker was bolder than ever, here lay a soldier from my home state.
At that moment a quiet brainstorm aroused my humble thoughts. I wondered if I could locate
any of the families of these men. My stride became more defined and within a few moments I
had located and photographed eight more graves.
Since those gut-wrenching but touching moments we have energized our efforts in finding
the families of these American men from Indiana. We have located well over 100 and have
delivered the FREE photographs to them via email.
Please visit our website and see the men we have honored and the families we have assisted
in finding a more genuine closure of a horrible tragedy.
http://fizkid.tripod.com/
Our success in finding the families was the result of journalists, amateur genealogists,
historians, historical societies, librarians and lots of wonderful Hoosiers and those with
Indiana ties across America.
During our search we have also reached families from other states as well and have filled
special requests for photos from the Manila American Cemetery. We presently have
photographed only the graves of the Indiana soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen; however
we have photographed all of the names that are engraved on the "Tablets of the
Missing". We offer them free of charge to anyone who asks.
We ask for your help in finding their families. We understand this is a genealogy board
but we do not need immediate genealogy in that form, we need leads to find the families.
Please become one of our special volunteers today and find the family of an Indiana
serviceman from near your home. A list of the men from your Indiana county is available,
free and all you must do is request it.
Dave and Apple Dwiggins
San Pablo City, Philippines