Just wanted to make everyone aware of the new category on the sidebar “Photos sent to Our Precious Gift” This is a collection of photos that are being sent to us. Please send photos along with your story when possible. It can be a picture from then or now or both.
Thanks to Matt’s sister, the wiz at genealogy, she found information on Earl Rose for us.
U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead 1939-1945
Earl B Rose Jr.
Male, White, Protestant
Cemetery Name: Any private cemetery in KY.
Disposition: According to next of kin.
Service Branch: Army
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Service #: 449418
We are still interested in finding his surviving family so if you have any information please let us know. I have a couple of emails going out to people I think might be able to help us.
Thanks Chrissy for all of your hard work.
I am very honored to include Jim Schueckler, the founder of The Virtual Wall to the site. Although Mr. Schueckler did not receive a Purple Heart I feel that he as made such a contribution to those that have I wanted to include him on the site. Please look on the side bar for his stories under “Stories from Jim Schueckler” and a link to “The Virtual Wall” Thank you Mr. Schueckler for provided to wall and allowing us to link to your page.
If anyone has any information about Earl B Rose, Jr. please contact me. A gentleman has contacted me to help him find any information about Earl B. Rose, Jr. His purple heart was purchased at a thrift store and the man that bought it wants to return it to his family. The name was engraved on the back of the Purple Heart but that is all of the information he has about it. I will keep everyone updated if we find out any more information.
I have just added the 250th name to the site. Thanks for all of your emails and contributions to the site. I hope you are enjoying the site and finding out some information.
Now you can watch the video yourself. I want to say the response has turned out really well and this was just the first day after the interview. We have 5 new registers, 3 people have contacted me with their information and we have at about 500 visitors to the site today and that is pretty good. I want thank those who have sent me emails and I want to tell the rest of you not to be shy, I really want to hear from you. Oh and last night when the interviewed air I had to watch it again because when she said it was fish fry night at the local VFW all I could do was think about that fish. 
Hope you enjoy the video.
Below is the article published on Tampa Bay News 10 website about Our Precious Gift.
By: Kathryn Bursch
Brandon, Florida – From the battle fields of World War II, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the deserts of Iraq, over the years American servicemen and women have made untold sacrifices. But now a local woman is working to have some of those sacrifices told.
Melissa Campos has created a website called Our Precious Gift to register the names of Purple Heart recipients and to tell their stories. “These stories are out there and if we don’t get them out there, we lose them. And it’s sad our children are growing up not knowing the sacrifices these men and women made,” said Campos.
At VFW Post 8108 in Riverview, it’s fish-fry night. And no doubt the walls here have heard plenty of war stories. But veterans here also think it’s important for some of the stories to make it outside the walls and onto the web.
“This country was built on the backs of the past wars,” said Leonard Paskoski, an army veteran. “Most kids are in the now generation and they don’t really know what happened to get them there.”
Campos just started her website in early January and already has over 200 people registered. One name, one story at a time; she’s trying to save history and honor those who made it. “Years from now our children and grandchildren will have a place to go and remember what these people gave to us.”
For more information on the Purple Heart website, click on the following link: http://www.ourpreciousgift.com/
Kathryn Bursch, Tampa Bay’s 10 News
I am so very excited. I woke up this morning with two new people registered on the site and 3 emails with information to be add. I liked the story last night and I think Tampa Bay 10 did a wonderful job with the story. I was just very excited that they were even interested in putting it out there for us. I will start adding the information as it comes in, just keep coming back to see what is new. As you can see the list are getting very long for one page. I am going to split it in half on two separate pages to hopefully make it a little easier to scroll through.
Please continue to visit and send information. It is through all of you that this site is possible and I will never forget that.
I am continuing to add names to the site, we are up to over 200 now. Today is the news interview so wish me luck and hope they don’t make me look too stupid. I am excited to get the word out about the site so hopefully you will see more names come up shortly. I have also added a couple of pictures of Dad on the “Why the list” page, so take a look at those.
I don’t know if anyone noticed but most of the data from my Vietnam list disappeared. I had a heart attack and there was nothing I could do to get it back. Even my husband and computer wizard tried his magic and was not able to help me. I just wanted to cry. I was able to put most of it back because I had a copy of the chart from a couple of weeks ago but that meant re-keying everything all over again. Well that is complete but as you can see some of the info is still missing. All of the research gone. Oh well, I guess that was my test for the week.
