2013 veterans day

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VETERANS A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE SABETHA HERALD Day November 11, 2013 November 6, 2013 FEATURING MILITARY PROFILES ON WWII POWS: ANDY LEUTHOLD LAWRENCE SIGMUND LEE BLUNIER

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Transcript of 2013 veterans day

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VETERANS

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

THE SABETHA HERALD

DayNovember 11 , 2013

November 6, 2013

FEATURING MILITARY PROFILES ON WWII POWS:

ANDY LEUTHOLDLAWRENCE SIGMUND

LEE BLUNIER

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2C HONORING OUR VETERANS THE SABETHA HERALD · NOVEMBER 6, 2013

By Patty LocherHerald Staff Writer

The focus of this year’s special Veterans Day section centers on the experiences of three World War II veterans who were prison-ers of war in Germany and were from or had ties to the local area.

Featured this year are TEC-4 Lee Blunier, an Army medic, captured in Italy; TSgt Andrew Leuthold, an Army Air Forces

B-17 Flying Fortress engineer and top turret gunner, captured in Germany; and 1Lt Lawrence Sigmund, an Army intelligence officer, captured in France.

It is estimated that more than 250,000 American and British Commonwealth soldiers, air-men and sailors were interned by the German armed forces in Germany and German-occupied countries; approximately 8,000 died while in captivity.

The United States, Great Brit-ain and Germany were signato-ries of the 1929 Geneva Conven-tion, which stipulated minimum requirements for treatment, shel-ter and feeding of military pris-oners.

For the most part, American troops captured by the Germans

were able to at least send out a capture card, through Red Cross channels in Switzerland, inform-ing their loved ones of their sta-tus.

Living conditions at the Ger-man Stalags (POW camps) varied widely. The common denomina-tors were never enough food available to eat, and lice infesta-tions.

By early 1945, the German war effort was being crushed on three sides by Allied forces.

As Allied forces were approach-ing established POW camps, particularly in the east (Poland, Czechoslovakia and Austria), the German government made a de-cision to delay the liberation of some camps and started march-ing the prisoners, en masse, to the

west in the middle of a particu-larly cold winter. Some thought that the Germans would use the prisoners as hostages, to be part of a leveraged “peace deal” as their country collapsed.

By March 1945, it was esti-mated that more than 75,000 Allied POWs were on the move in Germany, living off the land and mixed in with multitudes of displaced civilians fleeing the war. POWs were sometimes put in unmarked rail cars for move-ment and were subjected to aerial attack by Allied aircraft.

Andy Leuthold was part of “The March” and traveled more than 500 miles in 80 days, his lib-eration coming by being marched into the American front lines on April 26, 1945.

Lawrence Sigmund was moved to a more secure German Sta-lag after a failed rescue attempt, ending up at Moosberg, near Munich, where he was liberated on April 29, 1945, by American forces.

Lee Blunier was also liberated at Moosberg on April 29, 1945, after his camp experienced a large influx of additional prison-ers being marched in from other POW camps.

After liberation, all three men were moved through the Lucky Strike POW collection camp near LeHavre, France, on their way back to the States. Delousing, hot showers, clean sheets, new uni-forms and plenty to eat were the order of the day!

A SALUTE TO OUR HEROES: OUR VETERANSOn Veterans Day, November 11th, we pause to reflect on the courage, dedication and loyalty of our nation’s military veterans. Throughout history, their hard work and sacrifice have kept us safe and protected our freedom. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, and we salute them for their service. To all of the brave men and women who have sacrificed to put their country first, we thank you.

WORLD WAR II PRISONERS OF WAR ARE FEATURED IN THIS SECTION

Men with local ties were prisoners of German forces

TRIPLE C, INC.

LARRY & SONS SERVICE MAC PROCESS, LLC

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“Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sigmund of Wetmore received a telegram Thursday that stated that their son, First Lieutenant Lawrence M. Sigmund, is missing in action since January 20…. He enlisted in the army August 1, 1941. He is a brother of Mrs. Phillip [Eliza-beth] Edelman of Sabetha.”

This article in the Feb. 14, 1945, issue of The Sabetha Her-ald brought readers’ attention to the great sadness that Lawrence’s family suffered, not knowing whether their loved one was dead or alive.

But the news soon turned to cautious joy when the family was notified that he was still alive but had been captured by the Ger-mans.

In a March 13, 1945, postcard to his parents from the Ham-melburg POW camp, Lawrence wrote: “Dear Mother and Dad: I am still in good health but of course very anxious to see all of you. Remember to fill the food lockers with garden stuff, esp. strawberries. I have many new recipes that I shall give you. I think I would make a good cook. Much love, Lawrence.”

The family was later notified that Lawrence had been liberated by Allied forces in late April.

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Lawrence M. Sigmund arrived in Yeovil, England, in May 1944. He was an intelligence officer as-signed to the 79th Infantry Divi-sion, arriving in France at Nor-mandy on June 12, 1944, six days after D-Day.

By Christmas 1944, his unit had advanced through France to the west bank of the Rhine River near Karlsruhe, Germany. On Jan. 20, 1945, after extended defensive actions, he and other members of his unit were taken prisoners of the Germans near Drusenheim, France.

Over a month’s time, he and other Allied prisoners were marched and transported by train to OFlag XIIIB POW camp near Hammelburg, Germany, east of Frankfurt.

(An “OFlag” was a German POW camp for officers.)

On March 26, 1945, an abortive attempt of rescue by U.S. Army forces was defeated by the Ger-mans. Lawrence had managed to

escape for a short period of time, but was recaptured.

He and other POWs from the Hammelburg camp were then sent to the more secure Stalag VIIA camp at Moosberg, about 150 miles to the southeast, where he remained until liberated by American forces on April 29, 1945.

Family/Biography The youngest child and only

son of Henry Sigmund and Eliza-beth Martin, Lawrence Martin Sigmund was born on a farm outside of Wetmore on Nov. 4, 1918. He had two older sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth. His par-ents’ farm was adjacent to his grandfather’s.

Lawrence’s grandfather, Fer-dinand Sigmund, was born in Sindelfingen, Germany, and im-migrated to the United States after having served briefly in the German army.

Although Ferdinand spoke only broken English, Lawrence was very close to him. Lawrence’s exposure to German and Ger-man culture made a lasting im-pression on him, although his father Henry discouraged the use of German in his own house.

In 1935, Lawrence gradu-ated from Wetmore Rural High, where he was a member of the basketball team. At the Univer-sity of Kansas in Lawrence, he received a BA in 1939 and a LLB in 1941. Two months after gradu-ation from law school, he joined the U.S. Army.

Induction and TrainingAs an intelligence officer, he

evaluated and interpreted in-formation about the enemy and counter-intelligence activities, briefed his superiors regarding the enemy’s situation and capa-bilities, and engaged in handling public relations and press activi-ties.

In May 1943, Lawrence wrote home about his promotion to first lieutenant and other mun-dane news about life in the army: “….The news continues to be good. Perhaps, if we continue bombing Europe, the invasion will be with very little loss of life to the infantry. I can wait a cou-ple of years if it pays off in saving human life….”

Lawrence’s War MemoriesLawrence’s daughter Anne re-

members her dad telling stories about when he was stationed in Europe before and after he was

captured.“One of the anecdotes Law-

rence would tell me as a child

was how in November 1944, he took a patrol into the town of Hördt,” Anne said. “While there he looked in the phone book and found a ‘Paul Sigmund.’ He wondered if this Sigmund was a relation and called him. Paul Sig-mund, of course, hung up.”

Years after the war was over, memories of his war experiences were on Lawrence’s mind, and he made notes to himself.

The following excerpts were taken from those notes:

“The event I most remember was Christmas eve. I am remem-bering Dec. 24, 1944. The place: France – at a place just opposite Karlsruhe across the Rhine River where the border between France and Germany makes a 90 degree turn west. There is a little town named Berg – perhaps 50 homes, a large white church facing Karl-sruhe and the Rhine.

“Berg was receiving 800 rounds of light artillery daily. Berg was full of tunnels which predated World War I. The people spent most of their lives underground. I was a member of Task Force Huff, a battalion-size holding force protecting the regiment’s withdrawal south. I was the of-ficer in charge of a small infantry

platoon of about 10 men rein-forced by an intelligence group.

“Most of the main h o l d i n g force had cleared out to the new h o l d i n g line. I and about 10 men were still on the border line running east from the Rhine. Initially the big plan was that Task Force Huff would lead the regiment across the border into Germany. Divi-sion Headquarters had put up a large sign painted blue with white letters saying ‘entering Germany courtesy of the 79th Division.’ The sign was still standing when I left.

“On Christmas Eve just after dark, a German chorus sang ‘Si-lent Night.’ One could hear it very clearly. I think it was a [phono-graph] record.

“In [late] December 1944, the Germans began an offensive ac-tion against the allied northern section of the front. Our Task Force was withdrawing at the rate

of 1,000 yards a day and would end each day in an entrenched position.

“Each morning my group would act as a holding force dur-ing the main group›s withdrawal. After the main force was holed up, my group would infiltrate back to the new line. This pro-cedure was continued until we reached Drusenheim.

“I was captured on the banks of the Rhine just after the command decided to pull back into France away from the Rhine to link up with a larger group. Most of my group were captured, while most of the large holding force got away. I never knew the full out-come of the maneuver.”

HONORING OUR VETERANSTHE SABETHA HERALD · NOVEMBER 6, 2013

By Patty LocherStaff Writer

See SIGMUND, Pg. 7C

WETMORE HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNUS SERVED AS ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER IN WORLD WAR IILieutenant Lawrence Sigmund was captured in France, relocated to Germany

ABOVE: Many years after the war, Lawrence Sigmund stands in front of the place in Ludwigsburg where he had been a prisoner and his grandfather Ferdinand Sigmund trained as a new German army recruit before he emigrated to America.

Photo courtesy of Anne Sigmund

LEFT: First Lieutenant Lawrence Sigmund poses for his first official photo as a first lieutenant.

Photo courtesy of Anne Sigmund

BELOW: Lawrence Sigmund, center front (holding a basketball), was a member of the Wetmore Rural High School Cardinals basketball team during his years as a high school student.

Photo courtesy of Anne Sigmund

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“Mr. and Mrs. John Leuthold of the Oneida community have received word that their son, Andy, is missing in action since September 11. He is a gunner on a bomber… He was over Germany and his plane did not return.” This was reported in the Oct. 11, 1944, issue of The Sabetha Herald.

A letter from Headquarters, Army Air Forces, dated Oct. 24, 1944, gave a bit more information, stating: “…Further information dated September 15th has just been received which indicates that Sergeant Leuthold was a crew member of a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which participated in a combat mission to Ruhland, Germany, on September 11th…. the report indicates that during this mission at about 12:05 p.m., southwest of Dresden, Germany, our planes encountered hostile aircraft and in the ensuing engagement some of our aircraft were lost…. Due to the intensity of enemy action, their identity could not be determined…. Two parachutes were observed in the area but from which Fortress they emerged is unknown…. Please be assured that a continuing search by land, sea and air is being made to discover the whereabouts of our missing personnel….”

But the Leuthold family soon received more cheerful news, as reported in the Nov. 8, 1944, issue of The Herald, stating that the Leutholds had received a telegram the previous week from the International Red Cross advising them that their son was a prisoner of the Germans.

A letter from Headquarters Army Service Forces, dated Nov. 8, 1944, also informed Andy’s parents that Andy was now interned as a prisoner of war by the German Government: “The report received did not give his camp location. This conforms with the usual practice of the German Government not to report the address of a prisoner of war until he has been placed in a permanent camp…. One parcel label and two tobacco labels, with instructions for their use, will be forwarded, without application on your part, when his permanent location is reported.”

The Dec. 20, 1944, issue of The Herald reported that Andy’s parents had received a card from Andy: “The postcard is evidently a form provided by a German

prison camp. Andy wrote as follows: ‘Dear mother and dad: I am now a POW in Germany. Am just fine. Good health and no wounds. Thanks to the Red Cross for food and clothes. Let the rest know about me. Will write later. Don’t worry. So long. Love, Andy.’”

In the Feb. 14, 1945, issue, The Herald printed the following letter, dated Oct. 5, 1944, from Andy to his parents: “…. I am okay and in good health and fine shape. I try to spend as much time as I can outside. There isn’t much to do. We are now starting to play football…. Don’t worry about me, as we are getting along. I imagine it will be time to pick corn before long. I would like to be there to help. Please thank the Red Cross for all of us.”

A brief article in the May 16, 1945, issue of The Sabetha Herald reported that Mr. and Mrs. John Leuthold had received notice from Andy through the Red Cross that he has been liberated from a German prison camp.

Family/Biographical

Andy was born in Oneida on March 6, 1922, the son of John and Emma Moser Leuthold. He had three older sisters, Ella, Anna and Ida; two older brothers, Bi l l and Alvin; and a younger brother, Paul.

He grew up and attended schools in the Oneida area.

In 1939, at the age of 17, Andy went to Lyon County in northwest Iowa to pick corn and ended up staying there.

OverviewTechnical Sergeant Andrew

G. Leuthold was a B-17 Flying Fortress flight engineer and top turret gunner assigned to the 350th Bombardment Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, stationed northeast of London at Thorpe Abbots Air Base, Norfolk, England.

On Sept. 11, 1944, Andy was one of nine crewmembers on Captain John Giles’ crew, leading the low squadron of B-17s on a 38-aircraft 100th Bomb Group attack of the synthetic oil refinery

at Ruhland, Germany, northeast of Dresden.

Before reaching their target, Andy and crew were shot down by German fighter aircraft near the Czech/German border southwest of Dresden. All nine were eventually taken prisoner by the Germans. Andy evaded for three days in a state forest before being captured on Sept. 14, 1944.

After his capture, Andy was initially transported about 130 miles northeast to Stalag Luft III (“Luft” is for Luftwaffe or German Air Force-controlled) POW camp near Sagan, in southern Poland.

He was later transferred about 180 miles north to Stalag Luft IV POW camp at Gross Tychow near Belgard in northern Poland, near the Baltic Sea.

On Feb. 6, 1945, Andy, along with thousands of other allied POWs at Gross Tychow, began

a foot march that first went west to get away from the advancing Russians coming from eastern Poland, then zigzagged back to the east to get away from the advancing British and American forces coming from the west.

Their route’s path from Gross Tychow went west almost to Hamburg, then southeast to the Leipzig area, essentially forming a “C” around Berlin.

At one point, the POWs were loaded onto railroad boxcars to expedite movement.

Andy’s group of POWs eventually marched into the front lines of the American First

Army west of Leipzig, Germany, and was liberated at Merseberg, Germany, on April 26, 1945, at or near the Saale River.

His journey, which he later marked from memory on a German map, lasted 80 days and covered more than 500 miles.

Ironically, Andy was liberated within 75 miles of his capture location, having covered almost a full circle around Berlin.

According to the 100th Bomb Group web site, which features several crew pictures that include Andy, his crew on this fateful mission included: pilot, Capt. John S. Giles; co-pilot, Lt. John M. Shelly; navigator, Lt. Kenneth S. Welty; bombardier, Lt. Harry H. Shelton; radioman/gunner, TSgt Elzo Bevan; Top Turret gunner/engineer, TSgt Andrew

G. Leuthold; bottom turret gunner, SSgt Norbert O. De Pauw; waist gunner, SSgt Albert S. Pela; and tail gunner, SSgt Robert R. Rowley.

Induction and TrainingAndy was inducted into the

Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in mid-November 1942, and was selected to serve in the Army Air Forces as an aircrew member. He took his basic training in Fresno, Calif., and was then sent to Las Vegas Army Air Field, Nev., for five weeks of gunnery school, where he learned to fire and maintain the Browning .50 caliber machine guns used on

bomber aircraft for protection. Selected to be a dual qualified

top turret gunner and flight engineer on the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, he then went to Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas, for aircraft maintenance and flight engineer training. He learned how to assist the co-pilot in keeping the aircraft in trim flying condition and to assist the maintenance crews with engine changes, fueling and loading, as well as sheet metal and electrical repair.

He was then assigned to Ardmore Army Air Field, Okla., for five months of initial qualification training in the B-17. It was there that his crew was formed and he soon learned that the pilot was a man he would trust to fly with anywhere, and the crewmembers could trust each other to do their jobs. During the course at Ardmore, the crew became combat qualified.

The unit then moved to Grand Island Army Airfield, Neb., for a short period of time before they departed to the European Theater in February 1944.

They arrived at Thorpe Abbots Airfield, Norfolk, England, and became members of the 350th Bombardment Squadron, one of four squadrons of the 100th Bombardment Group known as the “Bloody 100th,” a nickname earned through previous aerial battles over Germany and the European continent.

Combat ActionOver the next six months,

Andy’s crew participated in bombing raids on industrial complexes, aircraft manufacturing and component plants, petroleum refineries, rail yards and troop concentrations, as well as supplying the French Underground with airdropped weapons and materials.

After becoming experienced combat veterans, his crew was designated to lead large bomber formations into combat. With that qualification, his crew now needed to complete 33 combat missions to finish their tour and return home.

In an interview with a local news editor, Jill Callison, with the Lyon County Reporter in Rock Rapids, Iowa, in November 1983, Andy told many of the details of his flying missions, his capture and POW experience, and his liberation. Much of the following information is excerpted from

By Patty LocherStaff Writer

RURAL ONEIDA NATIVE WAS ENGINEER AND GUNNER ON BOMBER IN WORLD WAR IITechnical Sergeant Andrew Leuthold was captured near German-Czech border, traveled more than 500 miles as POW

Andy Leuthold and crew: Pilot Captain John S. Giles’ crew included KNEELING (L-R) Jack Conger, Robert Rowley, and Cordy Ramer Jr.; STANDING (L-R) Albert Pela, Pete Lambert, Elzo Bevan, Andrew Leuthold and John Giles. Of those pictured, only Rowley, Pela, Bevan, Leuthold and Giles were members of the crew on the mission that was shot down.

Photo courtesy of 100th Bomb Group Archives (100thbg.com)

Technical Sergeant Andy Leuthold in his

dress uniform. Photo courtesy of

Lacey Vanden Heuvel

See Leuthold, Pg. 5C

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Callison’s article.At the time of the newspaper

interview, it was 40 years since World War II began for Andy, but he still remembered events in detail. He regretted that he never kept a diary during the war.

“Written words aren’t really necessary,” Andy said.

He still remembered the anti-aircraft artillery shells that would burst in the sky when he and his bomber crew were on a mission.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “There would be black clouds in the air from the explosions, and I didn’t know how we would get through there, but we always would. Sometimes there were 25 or 30 holes in the plane, but we would still get back.”

“It was quite an experience,” he told Callison after a brief silence. “I wouldn’t take anything for it, but I wouldn’t want to go through it again.”

On that fateful day of Sept. 11, 1944, on the crew’s 31st combat mission when their plane was attacked by German fighter aircraft, the bomber was hit in the engines and caught fire, and Andy and his crew had time to bail out, with no serious injuries incurred. All were eventually captured.

Of the 11 aircraft of his squadron on this mission, nine were shot down, one returned to home base, and one landed at a friendly base with an in-flight problem.

Capture/POW ExperienceAs Andy floated toward the

earth in his parachute after bailing out, he could see civilians coming toward the area where he would land. Fearing he would be greeted with axes and pitchforks, as he had been warned, he quickly wadded up his parachute and hid it and himself under the bank of a stream.

For three days, he evaded in the forested countryside, trying to find his way to a safe haven. He was finally captured by German troops.

After his capture, Andy was shown the wreckage of his plane before being taken for interrogation. He was questioned frequently for several days, but never responded with anything more than the well-known litany

of name, rank and serial number.“They never really beat me up,

but they threatened to,” he said. “I guess I was dumb and I acted like it.”

When Andy arrived at his initial POW camp at Sagan, Poland, he learned that many of his fellow prisoners had been beaten during interrogation, which was often conducted by the SS (Schutzstaffel, German for “Protective Squadron”) members.

A technical sergeant at the time of his capture, Andy was imprisoned with other air force enlisted men. Air force officers were kept in a different camp.

Some time later, he was moved to Stalag Luft IV at Gross Tychow, Poland, near the Baltic Sea.

Andy remembered one of the main staples of food in the prison camp: dehydrated sauerkraut. Some of the long-time prisoners received parcels from home, but no one received what the Geneva Convention demanded that they be allowed, he said.

There were thousands of prisoners in the camp, fenced in and surrounded by guards in lookout towers. A warning line about 10 feet from the fence marked the area prohibited to prisoners. Once in a while, a prisoner became crazed, crossed the line and was shot.

The barracks where he was imprisoned was built two and a half feet off the ground. Guards and police dogs were stationed around the barracks, and at night the windows were tightly shuttered.

Prisoners were allowed to exercise, and ironically, that is

how Andy received his major injury of the war. He broke his ankle while playing football with other POWs. One of his fellow crewmen prisoners had medical training and bandaged it up for him. Not surprisingly, the injury always gave him trouble after that.

Many of the prisoners followed a regular program of exercise and tried to keep in shape. Andy said he entered the prison camp at 135 pounds and left weighing 125.

On Feb. 6, 1945, those who had exercised found that it paid off, when the POWs were ordered out of the camp by their guards, taking only what they could carry, and were forced to

march away from the advancing Russian Army coming from the east.

“They were trying to hang on to us for p r o t e c t i o n ,” Andy said. “The Russians were behind us and we could hear artillery being fired.”

“On the march we were treated like cattle,” Andy remembered. “At night they would push us into a barn or make us form a circle and they would watch over us like we were in a corral.”

Prisoners on the march learned the first few days that it was best to sleep with their boots on, uncomfortable as it might be. Otherwise, when it came time to start walking again, the footgear could not be pulled back on over swollen feet.

The POWs’ fare, bad in camp, worsened on the march, although some managed to be lucky scroungers. Andy remembered that having the American POWs nearby was usually a “bad deal” for the German farmers.

Those farmers who still had chickens might find the next morning that much of the flock had disappeared. If wheat bundles remained in the barn

where the prisoners were billeted, the bundles were threshed by being hit on the floor. The kernels of wheat were stored in stockings until they could be cooked.

Potatoes boiled in large metal kettles were the usual meal for the prisoners on the march, while sometimes cooked barley was served. If Andy or his friends did manage to come up with something extra, it was always shared.

The marching prisoners stretched out for miles and miles. Occasionally they would receive a day to rest. If the weather was nice, the POWs would remove their clothing and try to wash them in boiling water.

“For a while, to get us moving faster, they put us on a train,” Andy said. “We were put in boxcars – shoved in – and the doors were locked. We were jammed in so tight. They let us out a day and a half later. We were a real mess by then.”

The march took them through a number of small towns. In one town, the civilians handed the POWs sandwiches. The sandwich filling was nothing more than cold lard, but after the war, Andy still marveled at how good that

tasted.Most of the German

soldiers guarding t h e A m e r i c a n POWs were older men, and at times Andy felt sorry for them. The Germans told their prisoners that the Americans should have been fighting the Russians, not the Germans. Remembering Hitler, Andy couldn’t agree with that, but he did think that later the Americans conceded

too much to the Russians.“The guards would practically

cry. ‘You have something to go home to and look forward to.’ They had nothing,” Andy said sympathetically.

On April 26, 1945, the POWs were marching down a road when they came to a river. Everyone knew they were close to the American lines, and the guards took their captives there and turned them over to the American First Army, the guards now becoming the prisoners.

LiberationAfter the prisoners were

liberated, they were deloused. Andy still remembered the feeling of having the insects on him. The liberated POWs were initially sent to various camps in Germany for clean up, rest and debriefing. Leuthold volunteered to do KP (kitchen patrol) duty so he could eat whenever he wanted

to. There were German prisoners

in the camp, too, and it bothered some of the recent American POWs to see how well those prisoners were fed, Andy reflected.

Andy then went to Lucky Strike, a large camp in France for liberated American POWs, where they were given new clothing and their medical problems were treated.

He turned down an offer to return to his base in England, opting for a quicker return to the States. Back in the States

Andy arrived in the States on June 26, 1945. Four days later, on June 30, 1945, he married Elsie Knobloch of Alvord, Iowa, and then for some time went to the Army Air Forces recuperation camp for returning POWs in Florida.

Andy signed up for the Reserve and was discharged at Fort Leavenworth on Oct. 1, 1946.

He returned to farming near Larchwood, Iowa, buying his own farm in 1951.

His military medals include the Bronze Star, which he received for shooting down German fighter aircraft; the French Croix de Guerre, for his support of supplying the French Underground; the Distinguished Flying Cross; and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Andy told the Iowa newspaper reporter that he earned the French Croix de Guerre when the crew was dropping supplies to the French Underground and Andy, without a parachute or safety harness, entered the bomb bay to release the jammed supply containers over the target area. He told his family that the French saw him in the bomb bay, found out who he was and sent the medal to his mother in Kansas.

“I was young and silly then,” he said. “It’s amazing how that Underground operated.”

Andy and Elsie’s children are Dave, John, Stan and Carol. There are seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Andy passed away June 25, 2001, and is buried at Lester, Iowa. His wife Elsie still lives in Lester.

Sources: Andy Leuthold’s son Stan Leuthold; Stan’s daughter, Lacey Vanden Heuvel; Jill Callison, news editor at the Lyon County Reporter in Rock Rapids, Iowa, whose article about Andy Leuthold was published in the Nov. 7, 1983, issue; 100th Bomb Group Foundation (100thbg.com); additional internet sources; and Sabetha Herald articles from Oct. 11, 1944, through May 16, 1945.

Capture card The front side (above) of POW Andy Leuthold’s “capture card” shows his name, service number, POW camp name and country in which he is being held. The back side (right) includes a note from him to his parents.

Photo courtesy of Lacey Vanden Heuvel

Leutholdcontinued from page 4C

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“Mrs. Emil Strahm, Bern, has received word that her brother, T-4 Lee Blunier, 34, has been reported missing in action in Italy since October 14. He lived in Eureka, Ill., before entering the service…”

This brief article in the Nov. 15, 1944, issue of The Sabetha Herald told of the sad news Grace Strahm and her family had received.

But, as reported in The Herald on Nov. 29, 1944, the family soon learned that Lee was still alive but had been captured by the German Army in Italy.

TEC-4 (Technician) Lee W. Blunier of Eureka, Ill., was a medical technician assigned to the 337th Medical Regiment, 85th Infantry Division, Italian campaign.

On Oct. 14, 1944, while administering aid to wounded soldiers north of the Arno River near Florence, Italy, Lee was taken prisoner by the German Army.

After being held for two weeks in Italy, he and other Allied prisoners were moved north by train from Italy via the Brenner Pass on the Italian/Austrian border, through Austria, then to Munich, Germany, ending at Stalag VIIA POW camp at Moosberg, Germany, where he remained a POW for more than six months.

Lee was liberated by American forces on Sunday morning, April 29, 1945. (According to his post-war memoirs, he was liberated by Patton’s Third Army.)

Family/BiographyLee was born on Feb. 4, 1911,

in Eureka, Ill., the son of Sam and Dena (Wuethrich) Blunier. He had 10 brothers and four sisters, including Grace (Mrs. Emil) Strahm of Bern.

Two of his brothers, Samuel and Henry (“Hank”), were already in training and serving in the Army’s medical corps when Lee was inducted into the U.S. Army.

Induction and Training Lee was inducted into the U.S.

Army on May 7, 1942, at Peoria, Ill., and received initial military training at Scott Field, Ill. He was then assigned to the 85th Infantry Division at Camp Shelby, Miss., near Hattiesburg.

Lee was sent for two months’ training at Lawson General Hospital in Atlanta, Ga., to become a medical technician. He then became part of the 337th Medical Regiment, the unit he was with until he was captured in Italy.

Rejoining his unit in Mississippi following his medical training, he spent the rest of 1942 and early 1943 doing field training in southern Mississippi and in the Louisiana swamps.

In June 1943, Lee’s unit moved out to Yuma, Ariz., and the Imperial Valley area in California for four months of desert training.

In October 1943, his unit moved by train from California to Fort Dix, N.J., to prepare for overseas deployment. Along the way, Lee was able to visit his sister Grace and her family at Bern, Kan.

His unit moved to Camp Patrick Henry near Newport News, Va., and shipped out for the Mediterranean Theater on Dec. 31, 1943, on the British troop transport liner Andes.

Wartime ActivityLee’s unit arrived at Casablanca,

Morocco, and was transported by train to Oran, Algeria, where they took part in amphibious training maneuvers. In April 1944, his unit crossed the Mediterranean Sea by boat and came ashore at Naples, Italy. As his unit moved forward toward Rome, Lee

provided medical aid to the many casualties suffered during that operation.

By late summer 1944, Lee’s unit had moved to north of Rome and crossed the Arno River just south of Florence. As a medic, Lee found that his medical services were constantly needed, since his unit was always in contact with the retreating enemy forces.

In an interview with one of his niece’s high school students many years after the war, Lee said he didn’t carry a rifle, as he was a non-combatant. At one time, though, he was in the front line with the infantry company.

“I had asked Mother to pray for me, and I believe that’s what got me home in one piece,” he said.

Capture/POW ExperienceIn an interview with a family

member years later, Lee described his capture: “The day before capture, our unit was on patrol with about 18 men, and we got shot up and routed. Next morning (Oct. 14, 1944) we were on patrol again, but were pinned down by the enemy by evening. Ten were captured and several were killed or wounded. I was aid man out in the field and we had walkie talkies to the ambulance. There were three soldiers in an ambush, trapped, and the enemy firing on us. One soldier had a wound in the chest, another had a broken leg, and the third died. I ducked into a foxhole, but the enemy found me and I surrendered in the foxhole.”

Shortly after he was captured, the German soldiers would still allow him to do his duty as a medical officer, treating captured American soldiers. He had helped a victim with a broken leg and watched over another victim with a chest wound.

One of the saddest moments that Lee recalled during this time was not being allowed by the enemy to pull a gravely wounded American soldier away from a haystack that was on fire.

After two weeks being held in Italy, Lee and other fellow POWs were put in railroad boxcars and

taken north through Italy, over the Alps and Brenner Pass, into Austria, and to the prison camp at Moosberg, Germany, northeast of Munich. His nieces and nephews can remember his stories about that trip, in boxcars so crowded with prisoners that there wasn’t room for all to sit down at once, and they took turns sleeping, with some standing so others could stretch out.

While a POW at Stalag VIIA, Lee received a journal from the American YMCA and started keeping a diary on April 2, 1945. In the diary, he describes more than 6 months of life in the POW camp, on hospital duty as a volunteer. He said he was moved to write his story, in part, because upon his capture, he had to leave behind his

personal belongings, including a diary from his mother, “which I regret very much having lost.”

Treating patients’ wounds and illnesses was never easy, due to the lack of medical supplies and painkillers. He describes an amputation done without an anesthetic.

Lee said prison meals were usually insufficient, and there

was never enough to eat. He also mentioned that Christmas and Red Cross parcels relieved the monotony.

On April 5, he wrote in his diary: “…today is April 5 and I mention it because I am happy and pleased to have received an air mail from my brother Roy, dated January 19…. It was my first letter here in over five months prisoner of war…. Roy also informed me of my new nephew, Wilfred Strahm, in Kansas.”

LiberationThe following excerpts from

Lee’s diary describe his liberation and events following liberation:

April 29, 1945: The German Officers and Guards have taken off and the Americans have come

in trucks and armored vehicles to liberate us! Flags of al l nations have gone up on the poles and barracks in the camps. Two bright new Stars and Stripes are blowing in the wind.

Really thrilling to see, too. I watched a jeep and a large tank go by the hospital barracks where they were given a big welcome! … Some of the medic gang here have been in Moosberg [town] and have brought in home-canned German fruit, jam, eggs, etc. Tonight we are all having a big happy fun and good time, if

6C HONORING OUR VETERANS THE SABETHA HERALD · NOVEMBER 6, 2013

See BLUNIER, Page 7C

By Patty LocherStaff Writer

BROTHER OF RURAL BERN WOMAN SERVED AS ARMY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN IN WORLD WAR IITechnical Sergeant Lee Blunier was captured in Italy, liberated by American forces six months later

RIGHT: Grace Blunier Strahm of rural Bern was a sister to Lee Blunier.

Photo courtesy of Ardena Strahm Kuenzi

ABOVE: Three Blunier brothers serving in the military during World War II were (L-R) Sam, Lee and Hank Blunier.

Photo courtesy of Ardena Strahm Kuenzi

ABOVE: Blunier siblings posing for a family photo in about 1992 are FRONT ROW (L-R) Vernon, Grace, Ruth, Genny, Pearl and Harold; BACK ROW (L-R) Lewis, Sam, Walter, Ben, Lee, Hank and Homer. Roy and Tim were already deceased when this picture was taken.

Photo courtesy of Ardena Strahm Kuenzi

Page 7: 2013 veterans day

7CHONORING OUR VETERANSTHE SABETHA HERALD · NOVEMBER 6, 2013

Bluniercontinued from page 6C

Sigmundcontinued from page 3C

According to Lawrence’s notes, he was captured at Drusenheim on Jan. 20, 1945.

He was then moved to a village 10 to 15 kilometers north along the river, where he was held with approximately 100 others. On Jan. 21, he was ferried across the Rhine approximately east of the village where he was being held. Once across the Rhine, prison-ers were marched east into the mountains, where he was held overnight in a camp.

From there, the group was marched through Baden-Baden to Grainau, where prisoners were put on a train and traveled three nights and two days to Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg, where he spent two or three weeks. While at Ludwigsburg, Lawrence realized from his grandfather Ferdinand’s

description that he was being held in the same place where Fer-dinand had been a new German army recruit.

From Ludwigsburg, Lawrence and the other prisoners of war traveled by train to Hammelburg, arriving in the first part of Febru-ary.

As an adult, Lawrence’s daugh-ter Anne was an employee with the U.S. State Department, and Lawrence visited her.

“Many years later [after the war], while I was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Law-rence came to visit me and we drove to Ludwigsburg to revisit the place where he was held,” Anne said. “It is still there.”

Lawrence had numerous anec-dotes about life as a POW. He was interned with a number of Serbs whom he found very interest-ing. Originally, the camp, OFlag XIIIB, had been for Serb prison-ers. Later American officers were interned there as well.

He noted how much better the

Americans were treated than the Slavs. The German guards would ask him “why are you fighting us? We have more in common than those Slavs.” He said that when U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, a German soldier came and told him, “Your führer [leader] is dead.”

According to his daughter Anne, Lawrence recalled that in the last months and weeks of the war, “the camp was staffed by young boys and old men because able-bodied men were fighting and there was very little to eat.”

After liberation, former Allied POWs were gathered in camps in Europe for treatment and reha-bilitation.

The July 11, 1945, issue of The Herald includes an article about another Wetmore man, Private Warren Mayer, who also was a POW and was liberated by the Russians around the same time as Lawrence.

In the article, Mayer discussed his time as a POW and following

liberation by the Russians, and re-ported that he had seen Lawrence Sigmund at Lucky Strike Camp, an American camp near LeHavre, France, for treatment of liberated POWs.

Lawrence returned to the United States on June 17, having left Europe 10 days earlier.

Back in the StatesFollowing his return to the

States, he was stationed in the south. During that time, his fa-ther Henry died, and Lawrence met Mary Sill from Watsonville, Calif. They were introduced by a mutual friend and married shortly after meeting. He was decommissioned in November 1945.

Once out of the army, Law-rence and Mary moved to Holton, where he set up a law practice. In June 1946, he went to work for the Veterans’ Administration in Wichita as a claims adjudicator.

“I was born his first week on the job,” Anne said. “My brother, Michael, was born in May 1947.

In 1954, Lawrence was com-missioned as a captain in the Army Reserve. He served in the Reserve while working for the VA for several years, leaving in the early 1960s with the rank of major. He retired from the VA in 1975 and settled down to raise cattle and grow pecans on a farm he and Mary had purchased a few years before outside of Stark, Kan.

In retirement, Lawrence re-mained active in his community. A member of the Conservation Society, he experimented with native grasses and pasturage for his herd of Angus cattle. He re-mained an avid golfer all his life.

He died Oct. 25, 2007, days be-fore his 89th birthday.

Mary Sigmund and daugh-ter Anne now live in Deer Isle, Maine. Michael (“Mike”), a Viet-nam veteran, died in late 2011.

I

we can leave the hospital soldier patients long enough.

May 2, 1945: This morning I was surprised to see snow falling, at least half an inch and in the garden there are pansies blooming and tulips, too. There are some 36,000 American and 11,000 British prisoners in this camp. White bread, cigarettes, and Army rations are coming in and now hunger is no immediate worry. And for me there is now some rest, for yesterday and today all hospital patients were evacuated by truck and ambulance…. Just now heard by B.B.C. that the Italian Campaign has capitulated. To my former comrades in Italy, I say well done.

May 7, 1945: (11:30 p.m.) We are now all busy packing and getting our clothing deloused, for we assemble to leave the Stalag tomorrow at 5 a.m. Today was quite warm…. It was reported that the war was officially ended at 2:45 this p.m…. today marks three years for me in the service….

May 14, 1945: In the past week the world over welcomed and celebrated the end of the

European War. And as for me I am on my way to the states. I left the German POW camp, Stalag VIIA, May 8, by Army convoy to the large German airfield at Ingolstadt and am waiting patiently for my turn to board an aircraft transport. The aircraft are C-47 Douglas transports that are taking 28 soldiers per trip.

(The following entries in his diary are not dated until May 24): Flew from Ingolstadt, Germany, to Rheims, France. Was two days at Rheims for a rest, clean shower, being deloused, and new clothing. Was then flown to LeHavre, France, then a 40-mile truck ride to Lucky Strike Camp, “the biggest tent city I ever saw,” an American assembly and processing area for POWs and troops to return home to the States.

Spent close to two weeks at Lucky Strike Camp, resting up, eating good, sending letters home.

May 24, 1945: Got on board the Liberty ship Gideon Wells in LeHavre, France, was in a party of 11 medics, we were to work in the dispensary, as expected…. I and four other medics were assigned to swell quarters near the dispensary. Bunks made up with clean white sheets, lockers, and shower bath. We were fixed up to a T.

May 25, 1945: Arrived Southampton, England, and waited for two days for ship convoy to get assembled.

May 27, 1945: Part of a 74-ship convoy sailing for America. It’s not a small thing to see 74 ships in convoy. They were not all troop ships. Some were aircraft carriers, some tankers and some destroyers.

June 3, 1945: We are approximately half way across the Atlantic. Our trip has been till now quite rough and today very rough. Many of the ships capable of more speed have gone on. We are averaging now 10 knots per hour.

June 4, 1945: The sea and wind has calmed some…. Much colder out. Too cold for June. Yesterday I saw some birds, looked like large swallows. Which indicates there are islands in the radius of 150 or 200 miles…. To watch the sunset on the ocean is a joy and one I don’t like to miss. We have set the ship’s time back now three times. In the whole trip we will drop back five hours. (He also describes the dispensary and first aid duty, and describes what sounds like a wide variety and an abundance of “the chow” on board.)

Back in the StatesLee’s ship arrived at Boston,

and he took the train to Chicago’s

Fort Sheridan, where he was on duty working in the hospital.

On July 3, 1945, in a very long letter to his sister, Grace Strahm of rural Bern, after he was back home, Lee happily wrote “Home!” above the date.

He described an occasion when he and a homeward-bound soldier were taking the street car in downtown Chicago and a baby started to cry. His buddy nudged him and said, “Blunier, isn’t that a wonderful sound?”

Telling Grace about how so many people invited him to their homes for a visit and a meal, he wrote: “I tell you, it’s a most enjoyable experience to greet all home folks and friends and to spend a little time in their presence, and of course to tell them a little how it was ‘over there.’ They are so eager and patient to listen. Yet when I tell the story, I live it over again in my mind and it tends to make me tired and nervous I think.”

In the same letter, he wrote of his trip across the Atlantic: “Was quite chilly always on deck and was quite a rough voyage.”

Describing being back on the farm, Lee wrote, “It’s quite like a vacation on the farm. It’s even quite a treat but I’ll admit I’m kinda soft and not much good for any hard work.”

He wrote that he received 16

V mails while a prisoner, “and of course they were so welcome.”

Following his leave at home, Lee went to Miami, Fla., for Army recuperation camp, then back to Fort Sheridan, where he received an honorable discharge.

In December 1952, Lee received a letter from the Department of the Army stating they had awarded him the Bronze Star Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster) “for exemplary conduct in ground combat against the armed enemy on or about 13 April 1944.”

After his military service, Lee had a career as a Harvestore technician.

Lee married Sarah Waibel, daughter of Fred and Caroline (Lehman) Waibel, on Oct. 15, 1972, when he was 61 years old. They made their home in Eureka, Ill., and had no children. He died on Feb. 5, 1994, at the age of 83. His wife also is deceased.

Sources: Sabetha Herald archives, and his diary and other documents provided by Lee Blunier’s nephews and nieces, including Joyce (Strahm) Kuenzi-Dorsch and Ardena (Strahm) Kuenzi, both of Bern.

I

HONORING OUR NATION’S HEROES ON VETERANS DAY

Page 8: 2013 veterans day

Aberle, JohnAchten, John D.

Adams, DanAeschliman, CharlesAeschliman, Clarence

Agee, LloydAlbery, Darrell E. Alderfer, James E.

Alkire, GeraldAllen, Darin

Allen, HowardAllen, Robert

Althouse, FrankAnderson, Dan D.

Ash, Paul L.Babcock, Lyle

Bachelor, MichaelBaker, Leo

Banks, CliffordBanwart, Stephen

Barber, Jay Barnes, Jack A. Barrett, HaroldBauer, DarrellBauer, Harlan

Bauerle, Danny E. Bauerle, Justin A.

Bauman, Alvin L. Jr.Bauman, Galen

Baumgartner, J. LeslieBechtelheimer, Doyle

Beck, HenryBecker, Loren J. Bestwick, Kent

Bestwick, Merrill F.Bestwick, Richard Andrew

Bien, GeorgeBlocker, Leroy E.Blough, BernardBlough, RogerBoehmer, JimBoldra, Brett

Borman, DuaneBoyce, John D.

Bradbury, RodneyBrees, Roland R.Brees, Seth A. Brey, Alfred O.

Brown, StephenBrown, WilburBrownlee, Gary

Bruggeman, RobertBryant, HarryBucher, Ralph

Buchholz, Thayer I. Campbell, Dale

Carson, Robert C.Christian, Robert R.Clark, Douglas S.

Claycamp, Edgar D.Clifton, Kenneth D.

Close, Phillip D. Cochran, JohnCovert, PhillipCrofford, John

Daily, KylarDavenport, David

Davis, FrancisDavis, Gary

DeBusk, Barney R. Deaver, Steven

Dierking, Kirby L. Dodds, Sherman

Dornes, DanDreher, Norman

Droge, DennisDroge, DouglasDunavan, LevernDunmire, Gary

Edelman, ClarenceEdelman, Leonard Edwards, Kenneth

Edwards, PaulEhrsam, Donald

Eisenbarth, James H.Emert, Darryl

Emert, Harold L. Epple, ClydeEpple, EdwinEpple, Gale R. Estle, Eben D. Estle, James

Estle, MichaelEvans, Thomas C. Fankhauser, Jay

*Feek, Allan Feek, Forrest R.

Feek, FredFeek, John H. Figgs, Irwin

Fleming, Benjamin W. Fletchall, Donald E.

Fletchall, LonnieFrady, Wiley

Franklin, Perry C. Frey, Fred W.

Frey, Harlan D. Jr.Fund, Larry K.Garber, Charles

Garber, Edward R. Garber, Randall E.

Garber, Randall ScottGeorge, William D.

Gill, Patrick J. Ginter, Duane

Goodman, HarryGrimm, Gordon J.

Grosfield, L.Grossenbacher, George

Gruber, Charles Gugelman, Steve

Hackney, JoeHall, Robert D. Hansen, Harold

Hardesty, Edwin E. Hards, William

Hards, William D. Harmon, Tony Harold, MelvinHarter, EugeneHartman, Doris

Hartter, AlanHartter, Earl J. Hartter, EldonHartter, JohnHartter, RogerHerbster, KenHerold, Jere

Herrmann, Alan K. Herrmann, William

Hervey, GeorgeHervey, John

Hightower, StanleyHinkle, Edward N.Hinkle, Merril J.

Hirsch, Robert D. Hirsch, Terry A.

Horne, ScottHoward, Harold

Huddleston, Edwin L.

Hughes, Dick R. Hughes, Donald R.

Hughes, PaulHundley, GaryHuning, Leon

Huninghake, Robert J. Hutfles, Orville

Inglis, George R. Jackson, Charles

Jacobs, BillyJauken, HiramJauken, Jack

Jimeson, LloydJimeson, Terry G. Johnson, ConradJohnson, JamesJohnson, RichardJones, Forrest L.

Jurgensmeier, Raymond B. Kaster, ErwinKaul, Arlen R. Keim, Charles

Keim, Dale*Keim, Gary

Keim, Landon T. Kellenberger, Jay

Kellenberger, LynnKetter, JerryKirk, Don C.

Kirk, DonovanKleeman, DavidKlein, Robert J.

Klingler, James G.Knudson, Phillip R. Kohlmeier, Marvin

Krainbill, VicKramer, Keith

Kranz, Howard E.Kuenzi, Jack

Kyle, Wilbur E. Lance, James Dale

Larabee, Alonzo Lawson, Dale R.

Lear, ByronLee, Dallas

Lehman, RudyLehmann, RichardLehmann, RobertLehwald, MerlinLeman, WilliamLevick, Robin L.

Lierz, RogerLivengood, Langdon

Livengood, Leonard L. Locher, Patty Locher, Roger

Lohman, RobertLong, Gilbert

Longberg, Jack R. Longberg, Richard G.

Love, George C. Loyd, Don

Marmet, MarionMartinson, MartyMayer, David E.

Mayo, J.McClafferty, Jeff

McClain, Ernest A. Jr. McCoy, David

McFall, Walter M. McKenney, Jimmy

McMillan, Michael P. McNally, Keegan

Meckling, Major A. Meisner, Charles

Mellenbruch, Eldon Mellenbruch, J.D. Mendez, MichaelMerchen, Albert

Meyer, AlvinMeyer, Dale

Meyer, Earl E.Meyer, Gerald H. Meyer, Harlan W. Meyer, James C.

Meyer, SteveMillard, Harry L.Miller, Douglas

Milne, Charles D.Mishler, MartinMishler, Robert

Mishler, William F. Money, Les

Montgomery, DonaldMooney, Floyd Moser, John G. Mosteller, Leon

Myers, TedNickelson, Carol

Nott, Clarence A. Jr.Olberding, Terry L.

Olsen, GordonOrr, George K.

Osterhaus, Dennis J. Osterhaus, Melvin

Ott, Joseph N. Palmer, Steven B.

Pape, John Parker, Andrew B.

Parker, RobertParks, Robert

Parrish, Larry A. Payne, Ron

Payne, Stephen C. Peterson, Eric Peterson, Erin Pfrang, Max D.

Plattner, Carroll C. Plattner, Eldon

Plattner, Henry A. Pongratz, Francis L.

Prawl, GeorgePrestwood, Ray D.

Priest, Gary L. Pyle, Kenneth L.

Ragan, Wallace H. Rahe, Robert

Rahe, William D. Ramey, Cecil

Rand, William F. Reinertsen, Gary E.

Reist, RobertRenyer, Herman

Reynolds, Joseph Reynolds, Paul Reynolds, Paul

Reynolds, Wade F. *Richey, Tyler

Rilinger, Lawrence P. Rodecap, Pat

Rogers, CharlesRoggenkamp, Donald E. *Roggenkamp, Edward

Rokey, Eldon W. Rokey, Joe D.

Rokey, Larry D. “Butch”*Rokey, Tyler

Rood, William J. Rose, Randal

Rottinghaus, Albert V.

Roudybush, NormanRoudybush, RandyRuhnke, WilliamRye, Robert L.

Ryland, Donald L. Salter, Michael A.

Sander, Glen F. Sawyer, Gerald Scarlett, Marlin

Schaible, Charles Scheid, Ronald

Schneider, Paul W. Schumann, Robert

Scoby, ArthurScoby, Donald

Scrivens, Crystal (Richey)Scrivens, Neil

Searles, Ansel B.*Shelly, Dylan

Shipman, Michael W. Shumaker, Floyd R. Shumaker, Rex A.

Sloop, KeithSmith, Oliver

Snook, David L. Snyder, Leland

Spaulding, Bud G. Spellmeier, Emil H.

Starr, MaryStauffer, Russell E. Steele, TheodoreStockwell, Ronald

Stoller, DarrelStone, John F.

Strahm, ColtonStrahm, Donald L.

Strahm, ElmerStrahm, Elwin

Strahm, James L. Strahm, Larry

Strahm, Mark M. Strathman, Chad

Streit, HerbStuder, Henry A. Jr.

Stufflebeam, Brice E. Sudbeck, James

Sullivan, Gerald W. Sunderman, JamesSuther, Hubert C.

Terrel, RichardTerry, Patrick J.Thagard, Alan

Thieme, RaymondThompson, Dick

Thornburrow, R.S.Todd, David W.

Torrey, James H. Tramp, Duane

Tyson, Homer Jr.Vonderschmidt, William W.

Walker, John L. Wedel, Crystal (Keim)

Wedel, ScottWenger, DonWessel, LeoWhite, Lee

Whittaker, JamesWilson, David R. Wiltz, Kevin J. Wittmer, Earl

Wurzbacher, LarryWurzbacher, Ray

Wymer, Lee Yoesel, Kenneth P.

Zabel, Louis H.

HONORING THOSE WHO SERVE OR HAVE SERVED

OUR COUNTRY IN MILITARY SERVICEThe following list of living veterans includes local servicemen and women whose names

have been provided to The Sabetha Herald, along with members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post No. 7285 and American Legion John L. Palmer Post No. 126, both in Sabetha;

and members of the Bern, Fairview and Wetmore American Legion posts:

*Denotes currently on active duty. If you know of an active duty member from this area who is not listed, or if someone who is listed as being on active duty but no longer is, please let The Sabetha Herald staff know. Please submit to The Sabetha Herald the names of any local living veterans who are not listed here. Also

please advise the Herald staff, by phone at 785-284-3300 or by email to [email protected], of any veterans listed here who are now deceased.