My grandfather Boyd Sullivan fought there and Villa....my paternal great uncle too...he was gassed bad and never fully recovered.....wonderful you remember
Posted on 05/30/2021 10:18:37 AM PDT by Sasparilla
Private John Klopfenstein was our Cousin killed by German fire in France in WWI. Born April 15, 1896 in Indiana. He was employed at the Brass Foundry in Sturgis, Michigan where he entered the US Army on 9/19/1917. He was sent to Camp Custer, Michigan & was assigned to Company D, 328th Machine Gun Battalion & transferred to Camp Merritt New Jersey. He was subsequently sent overseas to Company C, 18th Infantry, 1st Division, "The Big Red One." John was died while serving his country after being wounded on 09/13/1918, passing away 09/18/1918.
He was laid to rest at the The St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial, located at the west edge of Thiacourt (Muethe-et Moselle) along with 4,152 brothers in arms lost at the Battle of St. Mihiel, an offensive that resulted in the reduction of the St. Mihiel salient, a point where the German Army threatened Paris.
He was later moved back home to the family section in Huser Cemetery, near Berne, Indiana. It's been 103 years. We will never forget you.
RIP, John, and all others who gave their lives serving in our military, defending our freedoms.
Lest we forget.
In other words, Enjoy the long weekend!
My grandfather Boyd Sullivan fought there and Villa....my paternal great uncle too...he was gassed bad and never fully recovered.....wonderful you remember
My father-in-law’s brother died when his B-25 crashed in the English Channel after getting shot to pieces over Germany in WWII. It was his 23rd birthday. My dad was in the invasion force and served in Yokohama after VJ Day. The atomic bombs saved his life. Yokohama was heavily defended by the Imperial Army and we would have paid dearly for its capture.
Thanks. I have made sure that my children and grandchildren will remember John too.
RIP, Private John.
Especially sad to think he died two months before the war was over..
My Uncle Jerry also died in that senseless war.
He was an Irish immigrant who was promised citizenship if he signed up.
27 years old. Too bad he never returned.
RIP. Jeremiah Lynch.
With that in mind, I am doubly thankful for the many sacrifices made by families like yours.
This is whatit’s about
Clueless idiots like Kamala Harris probably have not one sngle relative or ancestor who died for this vountry....or for her country, Jamaica
There were real heroes in those days.
As long as we speak their name, they are alive.
The “old ones” talked about him often. He’s my Grandpas baby brother but always “Uncle Joe”.
My great uncle was killed Feb 5, 1918. U boat sank the SS Tuscania off the coast of Scotland. He died one day short of his 25th birthday. He is the namesake of the VFW in Tahlequah, OK.
My Uncle Howard was on Guadalcanal and came back with what is now called PTSD. He was 17 when he enlisted.
My family made it back from their war deployments
My grandfather was a Navy submariner in WWl. With my grandmother’s nephews one was wounded in Anzio and spent a month quietly recuperating in a German POW hospital till he could convince the guards he was a American of German descent from Connecticut. He was reported KIA and his mother got the death telegram but said she knew he was still alive. He made it back to the States.
The other was a MP, I don’t know what he did during the war but the highlight just after he was a prison guard for the Nuremberg Trials. He met most of the Senior German officers on trial there, some he did not have any issues with, others just needed a bullet sooner than a trial (my recollection of him telling his story to a small child).
Beautifully written. Brings out the true meaning of Memorial Day.
RIP Uncle John ❤️🇺🇸
You should have mod change title to Memorial Wall 2021...thank you for posting...will add another name later
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