LEWISTOWN — Lewistown native Lewis O. Aikey and his 461st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion stepped onto Normandy’s beaches a week after D-Day and fought in support of the Allied forces’ advance to liberate Europe. Their pursuit of the Germans progressed through France and Belgium but stalled at the Luxembourg-German border. The enemy mounted a counterattack on Sept. 20, 1944 at the doorstep to their homeland along the Sauer River. Aikey and a comrade were tasked with stemming the German assault at the river’s bridge crossing to enable the orderly withdrawal of the Allied troops.

The intrepid pair wielded their M16 half-track and .50 caliber machine guns to delay the Germans long enough for the Allied retrograde maneuver to succeed. Success came at the cost of Aikey’s life. The Germans destroyed his half-track vehicle and machine-gunned him in the stomach at the Sauer River bridge.

Lewis Oscar Aikey was born on Jan. 3, 1922 in Lewistown Lewis Edmund and Esther M. Hockenberry Aikey. Aikey was the couple’s only son among six children, including his older sisters Kathleen M., Grace E., and Esther L., and younger sisters Ruth E., and Shirley Ann “Meme.” Their father supported the household initially working as a laborer for American Viscose Corporation and later, as a crane operator for a steel mill. Their mother was a homemaker.

Aikey’s entire upbringing occurred in Granville Township. Tragically, his mother died when Aikey was eight-years-old. Aikey worked for Standard Steel Works in Burnham. He registered for the draft in Lewistown on June 30, 1942.

Aikey enlisted in the Army in Altoona on Nov. 30, 1942 and was activated in Lewistown on Dec. 14, 1942. He received basic and advanced individual training stateside for the next eight months and was deployed to the European Theater of Operations in July 1943. Aikey attained the rank of Private First Class with the 461st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, Coast Artillery Corps, VII Army. His unit was stationed initially in England at RAF Burtonwood and was one of 76 AAA battalions that hit the Normandy beaches before the Allied forces’ break-out.

Aikey was killed in action on Sept. 20, 1944 at Luxembourg while defending the Sauer River bridge crossing against a German counterattack. Aikey’s remains were recovered and were laid to rest at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Liege, Belgium. A cenotaph in his honor was placed at Lind Memorial Cemetery, Lewistown. Aikey posthumously was awarded the Silver Star for “conspicuous gallantry” and posthumously received the Purple Heart.

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Stories Behind the Stars memorials are accessible for free on the internet and via smart phone app at gravesites and cenotaphs. The non-profit organization is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania. To volunteer or for more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.