Daughter honors her father
DAUGHTER HONORS FATHER AT THE WALL OF MISSING PERSONS
A very special event took place on Saturday, 27 May 2007, at the American cemetery of Margraten: Sharon Estill placed a bronze rosette before the name of her father on the wall with the names of missing persons to signify that he had been found.
It was the final chapter of a search that lasted years and which was crowned by the discovery of the wreckage of the P-38j airplane in which her father Shannon had crashed in eastern Germany a month before the Germans surrendered. After the discovery, the burial followed in 2006 at the military cemetery of Arlington, and now the rosette at the cemetery of Margraten makes it clear that first Lt. Shannon Eugene Estill has reached his final resting place. When Mrs. Estill visited the cemetery of Margraten in 2001 and saw the name of her father on the wall, she promised that one day she would return with a rosette.
The sober but elegant ceremony at the cemetery was witnessed by the US ambassador to the Netherlands, Ambassador Arnall, and his wife and by the Mayor of Margraten, H. van Beers, and his wife.
After Mrs. Estill – who was accompanied by several persons including her husband Paul Taylor, who greatly helped her in her investigations, Hans Günther Ploes, and chairperson Gerry Morenski of the American World War II Orphans Network (AWON, of which the children of fallen soldiers are members – placed the bronze rosette before the name of her father and cemetery superintendent Michael Yasenchak described the history of Mrs. Estill’s search and sang the American national anthem, the lengthy search came to a definitive end.
Of the 1722 names on the wall of missing persons at the American cemetery, 48 are now accompanied by a bronze rosette.
* The name of Shannon Estill on the ‘wall of missing persons’. On the right: arrival of Ambassador Arnall and his wife and of Mayor Van Beers and his wife.
* The ceremony was sober but elegant. On the right: those present are welcomed by Superintendent M. Yasenchak of the Margraten Cemetery.
* Sharon Estill places the bronze rosette before the name of her father. On the right: a special contact with her father.
* Michael Yasenchak salutes and sings the American national anthem. On the right: radio and TV stations covered the ceremony.
* Mayor Van Beers of Margraten in conversation with Sharon Estill. On her left, her husband Paul Taylor.
* Mayor Van Beers in conversation with Gerry Morenski of the AWON. On the right: Ambassador Arnall talks with the press about his feelings during the ceremony.
Click here for the diary of Sharon Estill |
Click here for the article about the search published in ‘Los”t Magazine’ |