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Navy veteran Lawrence L. Heideman, buried in Lake View Cemetery of Calumet Township, finally has a grave marker that reflects his true heroism. Heideman won the Silver Star for his actions on D-Day. His unit was responsible for clearing the beaches around Normandy of obstacles to help aid the Allied invasion of June 6th, 1944. As such, the men were some of the first troops, from any branch, to run into the teeth of German defenses. Most of them never got the chance to come home.
Heideman shared their fate, but his death happened a year later in a plane crash that remains unexplained. Military historian John Antkowiak of North Carolina talks about the incident.
Antkowiak was first made aware of Heideman thanks to a request from the D-Day Museum in France. They had a picture of the Navy lieutenant, but no other real information. Antkowiak went to work, first trying to find the location of the photo. He was able to track it to a home in Detroit.
Antkowiak requested a copy of Heideman’s service record from the Naval Archives in St. Louis, Missouri where he was able to piece together an oversight dating back 70 years. Heideman’s gallantry had initially earned him the Bronze Star, before his commendation was changed in 1946. After the crash that killed him, a summary of service was inserted into the file. That was before the Silver Star designation.
When Heideman’s body was finally returned home, his family applied through the Veterans Affairs Department for a grave marker. Antkowiak says he knew immediately upon examining the file how a Bronze Star marker had been delivered.
Houghton County Veteran Service Officer Mike Bjorn says situations where a grave marker needs to be installed are not uncommon.
Those cases are obviously less involved than Heideman’s is. Research is being done currently for a situation that dates back to the Civil War, with the hope that another ceremony will be required soon.
On Friday, the Copper Country Veterans Association gathered to salute Heideman’s service, along with family members spanning generations. Antkowiak was there as well, his first visit to the Copper Country. He spent the hours after the ceremony listening to their stories of Heideman and touring landmarks like the parsonage that played a role in the formative years of the soldier’s life.
