Family of World War II soldier found in Oklahoma

NewsOk: Family of World War II soldier found in Oklahoma
Jim Harkins last saw his older brother, Wilburn, in England as the two men prepared to take part in the Allied invasion of Nazi-held France on D-Day in 1944.

The two Oklahomans made plans to meet in Paris after the Allies liberated the French capital. Wilburn missed the meeting. He was wounded July 26, 1944. As two other soldiers took him to a field hospital, they were ambushed by a German sniper.

Wilburn was killed. Jim Harkins, who served in a different unit, got the news when he tried to send his brother a letter. It was returned with “deceased” written across it.

Sixty-seven years later, Jim Harkins was stunned to read in The Oklahoman earlier this month that a French woman had been tending to his brother’s grave in France and was looking for living family members.

Bill Harkins, Jim Harkins’ son, said his father is 91 years old. The two men live in Wheatland. The May 2 story mentioned Cathrine Meunier, a French woman who has put flowers on Wilburn Harkins’ grave each Memorial Day. Meunier hoped to see a picture of Wilburn Harkins and learn what he was like as a young man.


Search helpMeunier, who doesn’t speak English, was being helped in her search by Robert Stuard, president of the Lacey-Davis Foundation, an American organization that works with the families of soldiers killed in World War II. The group helps American families attend memorial services in France, but Stuard also works closely with like-minded French groups.
Meunier is involved with Flowers of Memory, a French group whose members do their best to honor Allied soldiers who died liberating their country from Nazi Germany during the war.

Bill Harkins said he sent Stuard a letter, which is being translated into French for Meunier. The letter details some of the family history and gives information about Wilburn Harkins. Most importantly, Bill Harkins said, the letter thanks Cathrine Meunier.

“We appreciated the French people remembering the men that didn’t make it home,” Bill Harkins said. “I was really happy to learn that someone was taking care of Wilburn.”


Great nephewWilburn Harkins didn’t have any children, but his name lives on. One of his great nephews is Michael Wilburn Harkins, who grew up in Oklahoma and now lives in Virginia.
Michael Harkins, 36, said he knew little about his great uncle other than a picture and a letter that hung in his grandparents’ home and the stories he heard about his service.

Michael Harkins said he is proud of Wilburn Harkins and has shared his great uncle’s story with many of his friends.

“My father gave me the middle name to provide me with the legacy of Wilburn,” he said. “I intend to have his legacy live on so everyone knows there was a Wilburn Harkins and that he served his country.”