BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
The Defense Logistics Agency’s William Kuner – a property disposal specialist at the Disposition Services Anniston field site – makes use of social media in a unique way in his off-duty time managing a Facebook page dedicated to honoring fallen U.S. servicemembers.
What began as a mild curiosity and occasional hobby has now transformed into a daily undertaking of managing the North Alabama and Middle Tennessee and Northwest Georgia War Memorials Facebook group. Kuner initially began this group with the intentions to merely identify and recognize everyone that was originally named on Gadsden, Alabama’s Etowah County Memorial Bridge – completed in 1920 in dedication to the memory of local Alabama servicemen killed during World War I.
“Other sites would post some of the fallen but leave others out, and I felt I could do better [and more consistently],” said Kuner. “I started the Facebook group with those names that were on the bridge – honoring and identifying them. The next thing you know I was getting messages from people asking me about other people in other areas and it just bloomed from there.”
Kuner creates a post honoring each local fallen servicemember on the anniversary of their death – including pictures, personal details and other graphics depicting their affiliated service. Using various online resources to determine key dates, Kuner acts as a detective of sorts when it comes to tracking down information.
“I have solved many mysteries for people,” said Kuner regarding his research. “The information collection and putting the story together is the tough part. Anybody can go out and just find a grave.”
While this page originally began honoring fallen servicemembers from his immediate surrounding Alabama area, as interest in his group grew so did the region he covered. Eventually the page began including parts of Tennessee and Georgia given the overlapping geography of the region.
His research encompasses conflicts from present-day back to World War I. Even though this process is often time consuming, Kuner gets satisfaction from knowing that others are appreciative of the work he puts into making these stories known.
“I enjoy doing it and what motivates me is the positive comments I get every day,” said Kuner. “I get comments from all parts of the country. I have gotten responses from each of the states in the continental U.S.”
For Kuner, the reward is in knowing that there are people who genuinely appreciate his efforts.
“One of the most recent messages was from someone that didn’t even live in my area,” said Kuner. “She just wanted to tell me that she had the utmost respect for the work I was doing and that is what motivates me.”
The page’s database is continually updating information on each fallen hero he researches. Dedication posts may differ from year to year as he unearths more information. Kuner has run this page for the last three years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. His page currently boasts over 3,000 followers and that number is continually increasing as more individuals are exposed to this labor of love.