For Memorial Day, telling the stories behind the gravestones

The simplest facts of James Gerald LaMarre Jr.’s life and death are etched in his gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery: born on May 2, 1921; died on Feb. 2, 1945; a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army from Virginia who served with the 18th Infantry.

It’s enough to convey that LaMarre gave his life in service to a worthy cause, but Don Milne wants you to know even more about the 23-year-old.