Arkansans find shared World War II connection

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- It’s not every day that people run across a piece of history that leads back to their roots and family origins.

One Arkansas native has unveiled a picture and documents that goes back to World War II and links back to a Little Rock man’s family.

Beau Stricklin says when he was an enlisted infantry soldier, he came across Oscar Finkbeiner’s photos and citations.

He later reserved the pieces after finding out their significance to his family and another Little Rock family.

Oscar Finkbeiner was a young lieutenant who lost his life in World War II. He received the Bronze Star Posthumously award after defending his platoon.

Beau Stricklin says Finkbeiner is his wife’s grandmother’s last name and he’s also related to another Oscar Finkbeiner, who Stricklin found, and gave the historical pieces to.

“He was my father’s younger brother; he was killed November 6, 1944,” Finkbeiner said.

With the same bloodline and name, Oscar Finkbiner says he remembers his uncle, who he last saw when he was six years old.

“I’m happy but it’s really sad to think that he didn’t live long,” Finkbiner said.

Beau Stricklin says as the pieces of the puzzle came together, he learned about Finkbiner’s bloodline instantly making a connection.

“I realized that my wife’s grandmother was a Finkbeiner maiden name, so I asked her was there any relation and she said yes Finkbiner was her uncle,” Stricklin said.

But that was just the beginning, 20 years later after Stricklin secured the photo and citations he began searching for the next Finkbeiner.

“And then I got in contact with Oscar Finkbeiner who it turns out was named after young lieutenant Finkbeiner,” Stricklin said.

Stricklin has gifted Finkbeiner with pieces of his family’s history and says he’s proud to have connected him back to a part of his legacy.

“It feels like this was part of the purpose honestly to get this back in the hands of the namesake of Oscar Finkbeiner,” Stricklin said.

And now this Finkbeiner has something to pass on to his kids and many generations.

“I’ve told them about my uncles going to World War II, and now they’ll get to see his picture and what he was honored,” Finkbeiner said.

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