MILWAUKEE— A Wisconsin author and researcher is dedicating his life to honoring soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

This is a story that begins many years ago, 1944 to be exact. It’s a story featuring a Wisconsin Army Red Arrow Soldier, Staff Sgt. Walter A. Schaller. Schaller was a World War Two Veteran who was killed in New Guinea in 1944.

Schaller’s story gets a bit interesting over nearly 80 years from his death.

“You can’t get much more unknown when you have no gravestone,” author and researcher, Tom Mueller says.

Walter Schaller became forgotten but has since been found thanks to the help of Tom Mueller. After working on a project ten years ago, Mueller says he began locating lost veterans from a tribute put out many years ago. In the top left-hand corner of the tribute, you’ll find a picture of Walter.

“Walter was one of them and when his turn came, very quickly I turned to find a grave to see where he might be buried and find a grave just had a picture of a blank spot of grass,” Mueller says.

That blank spot he mentioned is in Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. However, the spot is no longer blank it now has a headstone to honor a man who sacrificed his life for this country.

“I said we are going to do something about that. That just isn’t proper. A World War Two Solider was killed and brought back five years later and now nobody knows about him,” Mueller says.

Now, as you make your way to the back portion of the cemetery across the way from the maintenance department, you will find Schaller’s headstone with his name, his rank, and his sacrifice now resting where he lays nearly 76 years after his death.

“We find a lot of veterans who are not marked and if they have a father or a mother that have served and if we find them we can get them a medallion and attach it,” Holy Cross Cemetery Family Service Advisor, Caryl Gruenewald says.

Mueller says finds joy in giving soldiers the respect and peace they deserve, even if it means volunteering hours of his time to research.

“To come here and see that… Walter, we will always be buddies and I know I will see him one day,” Mueller says.

In his work finding this grave location, he found himself building a connection to a lost soldier he’s never met. He says it’s a privilege to honor men and women like him.

The headstone was paid for by Wisconsin Electric, the company Schaller worked for long ago.