Welcome to Stars of Sacrifice: WWII—the official podcast of Stories Behind the Stars.
More than 421,000 Americans lost their lives in World War II. Every one of them had a story worth saving—and worth sharing.
When a serviceman or servicewoman was killed in action, their family was presented with a banner bearing a single gold star. Stories Behind the Stars was created to ensure those stars are never forgotten by building one central digital home for the stories of the more than 421,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to our nation.
This national effort—researched, written, and financially supported by people who believe the fallen must be remembered—exists to ensure future generations can learn about the Americans who paid the ultimate price for freedoms we too often take for granted.
Stories Behind the Stars partners with genealogy and historical organizations across the country. Through Stars of Sacrifice: WWII podcast, we bring these stories to life on an audio platform—reaching younger generations, those who are able to dream because of the brave.
Press play, and step into the stories of those whose courage shaped the world we live in today.
Harry Cybak, Jr., had grown up in a large immigrant family in a Pennsylvania coal town. He worked hard. He answered his country's call before America had even formally entered the war. He trained, crossed an ocean, and prepared to join a battle that would help determine the outcome of the war in Europe. He never had the opportunity to reach that battlefield. Instead, his service ended in the English Channel on Christmas 1944.
Welcome to Stars of Sacrifice: WWII, the official podcast of Stories Behind the Stars, where we honor the lives of the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives during the Second World War. Every name represents a story, a hometown, and a future that was never realized. And most of all a family who carries a gold star.
Patriotic Feelings by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/ (https://maxkomusic.com/)
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Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US)
27 Sept 2026
1st Lt. George Thomas Hunter Jr. US Army Air Corp
Lt. George T. Hunter Jr. was the bombadier on the B-24 as it left an Italian air field on a mission to bomb the Maybach tank-engine factory in Friedrichshafen Germany.
His plane, the "Hell's Bells" went down over Lake Constance.
Welcome to Stars of Sacrifice: WWII, the official podcast of Stories Behind the Stars.
More than 421,000 Americans died during World War II.
We know their names. We know their dates of death. Their names are engraved on memorials, recorded in military files, and preserved in history.
But a name is not a story.
Behind every name was a person. Someone with a family, a hometown, a life before the war.
On this podcast, we uncover those stories. and to honor and remember the lives behind the sacrifice.
This is Stars of Sacrifice: WWII. Because every star has a story.
Patriotic Feelings by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
22 Aug 2026
1st LT Grace M. Dito, US Army Nurses Corp
Grace Dito became western Pennsylvania’s first female World War II casualty to be returned home under the Army’s mass repatriation program.
Her story is a reminder that service takes many forms—and that sacrifice is not always found on the front lines. Sometimes, it belongs to those who heal the wounded, who carry the burden of war in quieter ways, and who give everything in the process.
Welcome to Stars of Sacrifice: WWII, the official podcast of Stories Behind the Stars.
More than 421,000 Americans lost their lives in World War II—but they were never just numbers. They were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends, neighbors… and the center of someone’s world. Behind every name is a story, and behind every loss, a family forever marked by a gold star.
This podcast is here to tell those stories. To remember who they were, how they lived, and what they gave. Because when we preserve their voices and honor their sacrifice, we ensure that the true cost of freedom is never forgotten.
Patriotic Feelings by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
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