PFC Raymond Rosbeck, 19, of Kewaskum, seriously wounded in action in Korea Feb. 5, has been returned to the United States and is at Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, Mich. A former employe of the Kewaskum Creamery, Raymond is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosbeck. He enlisted in the Army last June and went overseas last October."
I have a large number of newspaper clippings passed on to me from my Mother-in-law's side of the family, but sadly they don't tell me which Wisconsin newspaper they were taken from and many don't have complete dates on them. This first clipping had no date on it at all so I didn't realize until finding his obituary (below) in my collection, just how long he was hospitalized. I was able to reason that this first article must have been published around April 1951.
Cpl. Raymond Rosbeck, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosbeck of the town of Wayne, who since April 4, 1951, had been a patient at Percy Jones hospital, Battle Creek, Mich., died suddenly on Monday afternoon. Death was caused from injuries suffered in action near Chip(long), Korea, on Feb. 5, 1951, while serving with the 8th Cavalry Regiment. He was first treated in a hospital in Japan, and was then flown to the United States for further treatment. Cpl. Rosbeck was schedule to be released from the hospital on Sept. 11, and was awaiting arrangements for this transfer to Wood, Wis., when he was stricken.
He was born Nov. 20, 1931, at Milwaukee and came to the town of Wayne with his parents in 1938. Cpl. Rosbeck enlisted on June 5, 1950, and arrived in Korea in October. He was awarded the Purple heart in April of 1951.
Surviving are his parents, a sister, Margaret (Mrs. Wm. Brill) of Milwaukee; three brothers, Robert and Norbert at home, and Ralph of West Bend; a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law.
The body will be in state at the Miller funeral home in Kewaskum after 2 p.m. today (Thursday). Funeral services will be held Friday morning at 10 o'clock at St. Kilian Catholic church, st. Kilian, the Rev. John B Reichel officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. Military rites at the grave will be in charge of Robert J. Romaine post of the American Legion, Kewaskum."
I makes me wonder what his injuries were. To be hospitalized for so long and so far from home and then to suddenly die of his injuries as he was preparing to be transferred closer to home had to have been particularly traumatic for his family.
I found in the "Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957" database an entry for Raymond that lists him as being "seriously wounded in action by missile".
To do list: Request the death certificate and military records for Raymond.
