1LT Nathan Baskind Marker
Details:
A mass grave in the center of the cemetery. Marker
A flat brass inscribed plaque.
The plaque marks the location where First Lieutenant Nathan Baskind of the 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached to the 9th Infantry Division) laid in an unknown grave from 1944 to 2024. In 2024 he was positively identified and laid to rest on the 80th Anniversary of his death at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
From the Operation Benjamin Facebook Page for more information on this marker:
"After 80 years, we finally welcomed 1st Lt. Nathan B. Baskind home. The remains of this Jewish-American soldier, missing for nearly 80 years, were recovered from a mass grave where he had been buried alongside the enemy
.
On June 23, 2024, Baskind was laid to rest with full military honors at Normandy American Cemetery.
Lt. Nathan Baskind landed on Utah Beach on D-Day, commanding four M-10 tank destroyers{Platoon} in the U.S. Army's 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion. On June 23, 1944, accompanied only by his driver, Baskind bravely scouted a position near a road junction south of Cherbourg. They were ambushed, and his driver returned severely wounded, reporting that Baskind had been hit by machine gun and rifle fire and was presumed killed.
Despite extensive searches, no trace of Baskind or his vehicle was found and he was officially listed as Missing in Action.
Thanks to the remarkable dedication and support from the Baskind family, the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund/VDK), the Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre (ONACVG), anthropologists from the University of Marseille, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), DNA labs like Bode Technology, anthropologists from the University of Wisconsin, the PFC Lawrence Gordon Foundation, Operation Benjamin board members, supporters, and governments worldwide.
It is an absolute honor to bring closure to the Baskind family after all these years."
1LT Nathan Baskind is now buried at Normandy American Cemetery, Grave Site: Plot A Row 14 Grave 45.
Monument Text:
HEIR RUHE
List of German Soldier Names which also includes:
NATHAN BASKIND
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
899th Tank Destroyer Battalion
9th Infantry Division
Wars:
WWII
Battles:
Normandy Invasion
Other images :
