The Finney County Historical Museum has opened a new short-term exhibit in the Front Door Gallery, entitled “Coming Home.”
The display features Sgt. Gregory Knoll, a U.S. Army solider from Garden City whose remains were returned home last summer, 79 years after he lost his life in combat during World War II.
Knoll, just four months past his 22nd birthday, was killed Nov. 7, 1944 in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest as U.S. forces attempted to push into Germany five months after D-Day. Though confirmed killed, his remains weren’t positively identified until DNA matching was conducted nearly eight decades later.
The sergeant’s remains were returned to Garden City with full military honors, including transfer stops attended by an honor guard at the airports in Dallas and Wichita. A funeral mass was conducted July 7, 2023 at St. Mary Catholic Church, on what would have been Knoll’s 101st birthday, and he was interred in the Veterans Field of Honor at Valley View Cemetery.
The exhibit includes more than 15 photographs from the return trip, service and burial, as well as family photos dating to the 1940s. One of those depicts his wedding, conducted while the sergeant was home on leave.
Visitors will also see a downtown veteran banner honoring Knoll, the soldier’s medals and military dog tags, plus various letters and certificates issued in his honor, including a statement of condolence issued in 1944 with the signature of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In addition, the display incorporates eight historic photographs from the battle, plus a brief account of the fierce three-month conflict in which up to 55,000 Americans were killed.
Most of the items in the exhibit are on loan from the family, which gathered May 14 for a private viewing.
The exhibit opened May 9 and will remain in place through July.
Admission is free and viewing hours are presently 1-5 p.m. daily, with extended summer hours beginning May 28, when doors will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.
The Front Door Gallery is located just inside the museum’s main entrance at 403 S. Fourth Street in Garden City’s Finnup Park, adjacent to the pedestrian arches at Lee Richardson Zoo. It hosts at least four changing exhibits each year. All other museum displays are accessible simultaneously and the gift shop is open the same hours. Front Door Gallery exhibits are supported by the Steve Stone Memorial Fund.
