Author: mike@edisonheroes.com

Find a Grave

Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com) is a website that contains gravesite photos and other information on millions of people from around the world. It has been a valuable tool for finding information about the Edison Heros featured on this site. You would likely find pages for your relatives or friends on the site.

Jon Strupp of Minneapolis, MN, a World War 2 researcher, author, and subscriber, has created a virtual cemetery dedicated to the 116 World War 2 Edison Heroes on Find a Grave.

https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/1973693?page=1#sr-11478645

It is a nice companion site to this site. I recommend checking it out.

Thank you, Jon!

D-Day

Today is the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France.

The invasion force included over 7,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft. Approximately 129,400 soldiers landed at 5 beaches along a 50 mile stretch of the Normandy coast. Nearly 24,000 airborne paratroopers landed inland from the beaches. By the end of the day, 2,501 Americans were dead and thousands more were wounded.

At least 5 Edison Heroes were involved in the invasion.

Walter T. Anderson was a tank commander who landed on Utah Beach and was killed in action on 8Jun1944.

Paul Raupach was a paratrooper who parachuted into Normandy and was killed in action on 8Jun1944.

Casimir Karbowniczak was a paratrooper who parachuted into Normandy and was killed in action on 19Jun1944.

Roger Nielsen was a fighter pilot who supported the landings on D-day and was killed in action on 18Jun1944.

William Mueller was a fighter pilot who supported the landings on D-day and was killed in action on 18Jul1944.

Donald Grisen (Update)

Donald was killed in action near Grosbliedsserstroff, France on 6Feb1945. There is a monument in Grosbliedsserstroff dedicated to the 70th Infantry Infantry Division and the US Soldiers killed during the liberation. Donald’s name is engraved on the monument.

Donald’s page has been updated to include pictures of the monument and pictures, and a YouTube link for a video taken when the town celebrated the 80th anniversary of their liberation in February.

Learn more about Donald here.

Donald Grisen

Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors all U.S. military personnel who died in service.

Originally called Decoration Day, it began in the late 1860s as people decorated Civil War soldiers’ graves with flowers. In 1868, General John A. Logan, head of a Union veterans’ group, designated May 30 for this purpose, chosen for its neutrality and blooming flowers. By the late 19th century, it was a widespread tradition. Post-World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American war dead. In 1971, Congress made it a national holiday.

This site was created to honor and memorialize the 116 Edison Tommies who died in service during World War 2. In 1946, the Edison Wizard yearbook dedicated 5 pages to feature 105 of the 116 heroes. On Memorial Day 1949, The Plaque, was dedicated and placed at the entrance to the auditorium where it has been located for the last 76 years.

Sadly, it does not appear that any official school recognition was afforded to the 7 Edison Heroes who died in service during the Korean War, or the 11 Edison Heroes who died in service during the Vietnam War.

On this Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, this site has been expanded to include these 18 heroes that Edison High School has mostly forgotten. Their names can be found here.

Korea

Vietnam

Look for pages dedicated to these men to appear on this site soon.

2025 is the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2, the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, and the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. This Memorial Day, please honor and remember all the men and woman who died in service to the country.