Soldiers at ​Colleville-sur-Mer

Student rubbing sand on headstone in Normandy American Cemetery

Since the Institute's inception, the cornerstone project of the program is the soldier research project. Each team picks a soldier from as close to their hometown as possible who is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The team will research the life of this soldier from birth to death and will present their findings to their peers in the program and provide a copy to the Cemetery for preservation in its archives.

 

 


Soldiers Previously Researched

These are the soldiers researched by teams in the 3 most recent Institute classes: 2024, 2023, 2022. The full, internal archive since the inception of the Albert H. Small Normandy Institute includes over 200 soldiers.

Soldier NameStateUnitStudent
Pvt. Otis William DillMissouri149th Engineer Combat BattalionMichael Wise
Cpt. Thomas A. ChastantLouisiana501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne DivisionJoshua Adams
PFC Raymond C. DunnMassachusetts329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry DivisionChelian Subbiah
TSgt. James A. KnightNorth Carolina120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry DivisionEireann Marcus
Pvt. Lawrence P. WoodsideNorth Dakota17th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored DivisionMaKenna Vigness
Cpt. David L. WilhiteKentucky566th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomber Group, HeavyMcKayla Thomas
T5 William G. WeberWisconsin101st Signal Company, 101st Airborne DivisionKate Olson
SSgt. Harold J. BroganOregon508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne DivisionClementine Rust
Pvt. Joseph PreiserNew York359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry DivisionIsaac Lorin
Lt. Col. William E. WarfieldMaryland115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry DivisionKyrill Foustoukos
TM2 Auvergne S. BreaultMichiganU.S. NavyIan Smith
TSgt. Adolfo A. Lopez Jr.Florida555th Bomber Squadron, 386th Bomber Group, MediumMelissa Gonzalez
PFC Harry H. BurgessNew Mexico38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry DivisionValentina Chavez
2nd Lt. Joseph R. FierroNew Jersey262nd Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry DivisionJulia Sauers
Pvt. Edward J. PillisConnecticut507th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne DivisionFinn Outwater
Pvt. Rochester BoydFlorida6th Armored Division, 3398th Quartermaster Truck CompanyNicholas Bachfisher
SSgt. Maurice WilliamsVirginia29th Infantry Division, 116th Infantry Regiment, A CompanyStatler Brunsman
PFC Annis Irving AltmanTexas83rd Infantry Division, 331st Infantry RegimentAdam Buchsbaum
T5 John C. BerlinLouisiana501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne DivisionMatthew Gorbaty Jr.
Sgt. Kenneth GunningMaryland507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne DivisionVictor Jacobsen
PFC Nicholas Francis MydraMinnesota4th Medical Battalion, 4th Infantry DivisionMatthew Jegers
2nd Lt. Edward B. GunnMississippi26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry DivisionWilliam Giles Jones
Cpl. Joseph N. HeaddNew Jersey3912 Quartermaster Truck CompanyZara Lall
2nd Lt. Wallace W. MummeyMontana339th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group, HeavyLindsey Leinwand
1st Lt. Robert Foss ShipleyMissouri49th Troop Carrier Squadron, 313th Troop Carrier Group, 9th Air ForceAkhil Nadithe
PFC John Marion LoveSouth Carolina4th Infantry Division, 8th Infantry RegimentRiley Price
PFC John R. RulandColorado197th Anti-Aircraft Artillery BattalionViolet Pyles
2nd Lt. Carleton E. ThompsonMichigan485th Fighter Squadron, 370th Fighter Group, 9th Air ForceErika Rice
PFC Bryce Leaver FountainCalifornia506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne DivisionAlex Uhrlaub
Cpt. Ralph B. HartgravesTexas329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry DivisionJackson Capra
Petty Officer Wilbert E. HenkeMinnesotaUnited States Naval Reserve, Motor Machinist Mate Second ClassHeidi Danielson
Sgt. John P. RayLouisiana505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne DivisionIan Doody
Pvt. Hugo P. BibryTexas502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne DivisionGerardo Elizondo
1st Sgt. James O'NealTennessee117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry DivisionJessie Henderson
1st Lt. John Joseph HendersonPennsylvania12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry DivisionXander Hill
SSgt. Homer L. AndersonTexas146th Engineer Combat Battalion, Company BChloee Hoover
Sgt. Thomas Eugene BrattenKentucky116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry DivisionEvelyn Johnson
PFC John D. HallsColorado506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne DivisionNatalie Lopez-Ramirez
PFC Harry M. ThoraldsonPennsylvania2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry DivisionAudrey McCollum
Sgt. Roger Lewis EppleyPennsylvania16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry DivisionJoseph Messina
Cpt. Jefferson D. DicksonMichiganHeadquarters, 4th Bomb WingGeethika Polepalli
1st Lt. Homer C. BiggsColorado323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, HeavyTahila Trevino