For my Honors Independent Study project this year, I chose the Veterans Legacy Project. I chose this curriculum path because I enjoy learning about military battles and people who served in wars. The goal for my project is to write a biography about a veteran buried in a national military cemetery in Louisiana, which will be posted on the Veterans Legacy Project website as a memorial. I also hope to contact a family member of my chosen veteran to share my research with them. Through this project, I hope to honor a veteran’s legacy while also collecting primary source research and uncovering historic details.  

 

I began my research by looking at National Veterans Cemeteries in Louisiana and came across a veteran named Harry LeBert. Harry was raised in Crowley, Louisiana, which caught my attention because it is not far from where I live. This local connection drew me to him, and I began to uncover his story. 

 

Harry officially entered the military at 22 years old on October 16, 1940. Before Harry enlisted into the military, his prior career was as a carpenter. He was also the husband to Aza Mae LeBert and the father to Robert and Barbara LeBert. Harry fought honorably in World War II, but unfortunately did not return home. He died in the Battle of Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

 

Harry’s remains were left on Saipan until the battle was over, and then they were moved to the Philippines for examination. From there, his remains were moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where they were officially labeled as “X21” because his identity could not be determined. Not until recently, after careful inspection of his jaw and dental records, did scientists conclude that the remains were, in fact, Harry’s. They were returned to Louisiana on July 2, 2025, four months after his positive identification.

 

As a part of my final project, my biography will include visual evidence to support my research. This includes a U.S. census of his family that he was born into. This serves as a proof for life and a time frame of his existence. I also found Harry’s military registration card that would have been filled out the day he enlisted into the military. Also included in my research are his dental records. Dental records are needed in the military for identification if a soldier is presumed to be dead or missing. The second set of dental records was actually for the remains of “X21.” Later, of course, these remains were identified as Harry. Included with my research of Harry’s death, I also found the record of his remains. 

 

Harry received a Purple Heart Award at his burial in his new grave at the South West Louisiana Veterans Cemetery. Purple Hearts are typically awarded to veterans who are wounded, killed, or suffer a traumatic head injury in combat. I tried to access the National Archives Records to get more information about Harry’s Purple Heart by submitting a request for access to all of Harry’s records. However, because the Government of the United States is shut down, I have not been able to progress in that research.   

 

It is very important to me that the legacy of veterans be celebrated and remembered. I also believe that family members and descendants of veterans should be very proud to have someone in their family play a vital role in the strength of this country that we call home. When speaking to LeBert’s family and friends upon his final return home, Donavan Mansfield, who heads the U.S. Department of Defense's Veteran Repatriation Department for the Marine Corp, said, “Everyone in this room should feel honored to be associated with Harry LeBert because what those men went through was horrific and what he did was essential to ending the war.”