Comment by sandinmyjoints

Family lore says my great uncle died in the second wave on Omaha Beach and was posthumously awarded a Bronze Start. And I have no reason to doubt this -- the people transmitting this information are fairly trustworthy in my experience. However, the medal itself has been lost. I was able to find records confirming his death on June 6, 1944, but a few years ago when my father looked into it, he found that the records that would document his award were destroyed in the fire. I don't know if we will ever be able to replace the lost award or find out more about his death. Makes me sad. I wish they had made copies of these records.