Saturday, October 18, 2014

Sunday's Obituary - SGT Lester Kuehl, part 1


There's quite a lot of information on my husband's great uncle, Lester V. Kuehl, who was Killed In Action (KIA) in France during WWII so I'm splitting up his obituaries.  The first two newspaper articles (which I'm posting today) announce his death and memorial service.  That's memorial service, not burial.  Lester was initially buried overseas in the United States Military cemetery at LeChene-Guerin, France.  This was in 1944.  His remains eventually came home in 1948.  I'll post that article on a future Sunday.


"St. Kilian Sergeant Killed

Another inductee who left for service on the same date, Sept. 29, 1942, Sgt. Lester V. Kuehl, 24, of St. Kilian, was killed in France Aug. 9.  His parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Kuehl, St. Kilian, were informed by the war department on Friday, their son's birthday.

Sgt. Kuehl had been overseas since September, 1943, and is believed to have been in France the last month, after being stationed in England for nine months. Before going overseas he was stationed at Camp Livingston, La., Camp Gordon Johnson, Fla., and Camp Pickett, Va.

Besides his parents, Sgt. Kuehl, who was born Aug. 25, 1920, in St. Kilian, leaves three brothers, Roman (sic) and Elmer, St. Kilian, and Marvin, town of Wayne, and a sister, Mrs. Leona Strean, Sheboygan Falls.  Sgt. Kuehl was a member of the Reformed church of the town of Wayne, where memorial services will be held Sunday afternoon, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m., the Rev. Carl Flueckinger officiating."

"The community was shocked greatly on Saturday owning when the news was circulated of the casualty of Lester Kuehl, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Kuehl, which took place in France Aug. 9; this is the first casualty from town Wayne as well as from the Ev. Salem Reformed church here.  Sgt. Kuehl had arrived in England Oct. 1, 1943 and went with his company to France in July. Memorial services will be held here on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 3, at 2 o'clock at the Ev. Salem Reformed church by Rev. Carl Flueckinger."

(The newspaper clippings and dates of publication are unknown.  The articles were passed on to me by my mother-in-law)