For the 81st anniversary of D-Day, volunteers with the nonprofit Stories Behind the Stars are commemorating the sacrifice of the 1st Infantry Division, which lost 27 members on Omaha Beach. Cpl. Vincent J. Makarczyk of Shenandoah was among the casualties.

Makarczyk was born on Dec. 22, 1915 to Polish immigrants Vincent William and Lucy Ludwika Anna Dargavage Makarczyk. His father was a coal miner. They lived in West Mahanoy. He had two older brothers, three younger brothers, and one younger sister.

Makarczk enlisted in the Army on June 26, 1934 and reenlisted on April 19, 1939. He spent five years at Fort Amador at the Panama Canal, one year stationed in NJ and three years in Iceland before being deployed to England in December 1941 and was assigned to Company C, 121st Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Infantry Division.

On June 3, 1944, the battalion embarked for Normandy from Weymouth, England. By June 6, all first wave landing craft had left their ships and moved toward Omaha Beach.

Upon landing, the soldiers were met with heavy enemy machine gun, mortar, artillery and small-arms fire.

Makarczyk was killed in action on June 6 during the assault of Omaha Beach and is buried at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

For more information on memorials like Makarczyk’s, visit http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org.