pilot — All Stories — More Than A Headstone

Ties that Survived Captivity

On January 21, 1918, Frank Leigh Gitchell Jr. was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, to his parents, Frank Leigh Gitchell and Laura Mae Miller. Before Frank’s first birthday, his mother passed away, leaving behind her husband and three children. Frank was the youngest of the Gitchell children with two older sisters. Following Frank’s first year of high school, he dropped out and pursued a job with University Press at the University of Virginia.

Know Your Enemy, Long Road HomeJulianna BeckertOctober 17, 2025POW, pilot, lifelong friends

Sing Low, Fly High

It was June 2, 1927, when Albert and Laura Skari, two farmers from Arnegard Township, North Dakota, welcomed their twins into the world. One of these children was Vernon Edwin Skari. Vernon and his twin sister Verna were the youngest of Albert and Laura’s ten children, all of whom were raised on the family farm and ranch in North Dakota.[1]

Lifetime of ServiceJulianna BeckertOctober 4, 2025farming, athlete, opera, singer, Tokyo, Pacific Theater, World War II, pilot, G.I. Bill