By Ron Jackson
The Oklahoman
ELK CITY - Joe Harold Britton figures he and his fellow World War II veterans are racing against the clock.
Racing to be remembered.
Britton, 82, recently had his own legacy secured when his name was added to the World War II Memorial's Registry of Remembrances. The database consists of the names of nearly 2 million Americans -- military and civilian -- who contributed to the war effort more than 60 years ago.
"One of us is dying every minute," said Britton, who served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Fulton, a submarine tender. "That's how fast World War II veterans are dying.
"I didn't even know this registry existed. I don't think many do. I know I've told a number of my friends about the registry.
"I'd like to see every veteran get recognition for serving."
Jeannie Walker of Rocky feels the same way. She told Britton about the registry.
Walker, 63, has helped more than a thousand people sign up on the registry, including veterans like Wade Pratt of Burns Flat, Paul Galloway of Elk City and Marvin Humphrey of Rocky.
Walker heard about the registry years before the April 29, 2004, opening of the World War II Memorial in Washington.
Since then, Walker has spread the word.
"If I'm at the grocery store and I see someone who looks like a World War II veteran, I will asked them if they served," Walker said. "If they say they did, I'll ask them if their name is on the registry. If not, I put them on it myself.
"I think they should all be remembered. They paid the price for our freedom -- and some died doing so."
American Battle Monuments Commission spokesman Mike Conley, whose organization maintains the registry, said anyone can add the name of a friend or loved one who served during the war. There is even a category for civilians who served on the homefront.
"We had more than 400,000 Americans who lost their lives during the war, and more than 16 million who served in some fashion," Conley said. "During the construction of the memorial, we realized right away there would be no way we could engrave all those names on the wall. We also learned that no definitive database existed of all those who served.
"That's when the idea emerged for the registry."
Conley estimates more than 9,000 names are added to the registry each year. He would love to see more.
Veterans and family and friends can search the registry online at www.wwiimemorial.com.
"We have found the registry has really personalized the war effort," Conley said. "This is not just about a memorial, but individual people who served, and the registry becomes a very special part of those family memories.
"We have sons and daughters and grandchildren who have added the names of their loved ones to the registry."
