Jewish Identification of WWI heroes finally noted

More than a century after their deaths on the battlefields of World War I, five Jewish American soldiers have finally received headstones bearing Stars of David instead of crosses at a US military cemetery in France. The June 2 ceremony at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery honored Pvt. Samuel Tamkin, Pfc. Barney Bardman, Pvt. Samuel A. Backer, Pvt. Hyman Aronoff and Pfc. Maurice W. Akabas, whose graves had been incorrectly marked for decades. The changes came after years of research by Operation Benjamin, a nonprofit dedicated to correcting burial records for Jewish service members. Officials called the effort a long-overdue step toward ensuring the fallen are remembered accurately and with the faith they lived by.