BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The ancient Egyptians believed we all die twice: First, when we take our final breath; second, when our name is spoken for the last time.
But a national nonprofit group believes the names and achievements of America’s military fallen should never be forgotten and their ultimate sacrifice for the cause of preserving freedom should live forever.
- Stories Behind The Stars, a national nonprofit, researches and writes about World War II veterans who died in combat to ensure they're not forgotten
- The story of U.S. Merchant Marine Michael J. Marko, a Coplay native, is chronicled in the latest memorial post
- The memorial posts are released on the dates the veterans lost their lives
That’s the mission of the national nonprofit Stories Behind The Stars.
Volunteers across America track the dates and pertinent information about each veteran from their state who died in action in World War II.
It uses information gathered from military websites, as well as online sites such as ancestry.com, newspapers.com and findagrave.com, to post written memorials on storiesbehindthestars.org as each anniversary date approaches.
Among the names Stories Behind The Stars intends never to be lost in the mists of time is Lehigh Valley native and U.S. Merchant Marines veteran Michael J. Marko.
Lost at sea
Seventy-nine years ago today, on April 20, 1944, Marko was among 580 men who died when their ship, the SS Paul Hamilton, was blown apart by a German torpedo bomber in the Mediterranean Sea, near Algiers on the northern coast of Africa.
Marko, 23, an Allentown High School graduate, was among 41 Pennsylvania servicemen and 539 others who were killed. Only one serviceman’s body ever was recovered.
Heroes lost at sea. Names lost in the turned pages of time.
"We believe it is very important to keep the names of these veterans alive with these memorial stories.”Kathy Harmon, Pennsylvania director of Stories Behind The Stars.
"We believe it is very important to keep the names of these veterans alive with these memorial stories,” said Kathy Harmon, Pennsylvania director of Stories Behind The Stars.
“It’s important to remind people who these veterans were, what they did, and what happened to them.
“Just like the story about Mr. Marko, these stories really hit home. Some families lost multiple sons during World War II. Sometimes, when I’m researching a veteran’s story, it affects me so deeply I have to walk away for a moment.”
As is likely true of many of the cases Stories Behind the Stars researches, the 79 years since Marko's death mean little evidence of his life apparently remains.
Efforts by LehighValleyNews.com to find surviving relatives or other details were unsuccessful.
A hero's story
Stories Behind The Stars tries to trace the life of the fallen veteran from beginning to end.
It noted Marko was born Oct. 11, 1920, to Joseph M. and Anna M. Chudy Marko in Coplay. He had brothers, Steven and Alexander, and a sister, Angeline.
The family moved to Allentown around 1935. After high school graduation, Marko worked on a Works Progress Administration road project and, later, at Bethlehem Steel.
Marko joined the Merchant Marines in 1941 and shipped out as a fireman aboard an oil tanker. He served on a cargo transport that made stops at countries that bordered the Mediterranean.
But it's the details of the veterans’ final moments that underscore why they should never be forgotten.
In spring 1944, Marko signed on as a crewman on the SS Paul Hamilton. In early April 1944, the ship was bound for Venusa, Italy, as part of Convoy UGS 38.
The ship was carrying supplies, ammunition and ground personnel of the 485th Bombardment Group and the 5th Reconnaissance Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces.
The convoy included dozens of merchant ships, two Navy tankers and a Coast Guard vessel.
The attack — and remembering
On the evening of April 20, 1944, the convoy was attacked by 23 German Junkers Ju88 torpedo bombers.
One aerial torpedo hit the Hamilton, igniting the high explosives in the hull. The ship, her entire crew and passengers were lost in 30 seconds.
"Remembering our heroes. What’s more important than that?"Kathy Harmon, Pennsylvania director, Stories Behind The Stars
The Hamilton’s losses were the worst suffered by any U.S. Liberty ship during World War II.
An eyewitness account by Merchant Marine Howard E. Morseburg, who viewed the attack from a nearby ship, can be found on YouTube.
He described the horror as "a sheet of flames from the ocean to the sky."
Famous people and their monumental achievements come readily to mind. But what of the rest, plodding along in unremarkable lives? How will they be remembered?
“Somebody needs to make sure they’re never forgotten,” Harmon said. “Remembering our heroes. What’s more important than that?"
