GROTON, Conn. -- A Groton man has made ensuring the recognition of World War II heroes his post-retirement labor of love.

John Casey has spent the past five years entering names of World War II veterans from Connecticut and the surrounding area into a national database.

PDF: WWII Registry Of Remembrances

The database is part of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and features four touch screens that display the names of those who served the country during the war. The monument was dedicated on May 29, 2004, and honors the 16 million who served in uniform and the countless others who contributed on the home front.

"There are three categories: World War II veteran, killed in the war or civilian on the home front," Casey said.

Casey said that the names of only 20 percent of those who contributed are currently in the database.

"Fourteen million people have to be entered into this database at least, and then there were 100 million people at home -- Rosie the Riveter and stuff like that," he said.

"When you serve your country, especially for me for World War II veterans -- they came home, they went back to raising their families. They built the schools that you and I went to, they built the roads, they built the infrastructure that we enjoy. They saved the world. They are part of the greatest generation and they didn't say anything." -- John Casey

Casey said that entering the names into the database is the least he can do for those who defended the country's freedom during the early 1940s.

"When you serve your country, especially for me for World War II veterans -- they came home, they went back to raising their families," Casey said. "They built the schools that you and I went to, they built the roads, they built the infrastructure that we enjoy. They saved the world. They are part of the greatest generation and they didn't say anything."

Casey said the he has personally entered 6,000 names into the database. He finds the names of the heroes in town halls and then enters their names and details of their service during the war one at a time from home.

Casey said that the monument remains incomplete because the government doesn't have a centralized list of everyone who served during the war.

"The only way they get on is if they weren't lost or missing in action or killed during the war is to be individually put on there," he said. "I first search the registry, see if somebody did it, a member of the family. If not, then I enter the information that's required."

Casey said that he had the pleasure of adding the name of his father and step-father, both World War II veterans, to the registry.

"They are my heroes," Casey said.

Anybody can help to enter the names of veterans into the registry. Casey said that all that is needed to enter the names is the hero's discharge papers, which are usually available at the town hall where the veteran registered them.

"We ask you to fill out a form, require identification, so that we know that you are one of the eligible people to look at this record and get a copy of it," said Barbara Tarbox, who is the town clerk and registrar of statistics in the city of Groton.

For information about the memorial and to help register veterans to the database, visit the World Word II Memorial's Web site.

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