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Recognizing the military service of men and women from Arenzville, Illinois.


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Howard Anderson
Gerald Beard
Albert Bridgeman
Charles Burrus
Edward Burrus
Jack Burrus
Kicky Charlesworth
William Charlesworth
Ralph Clark
Robert Clark
Kenneth Davis
Paul Dotzert
William Dotzert
Friedrich Engelbach
James Fischer
Lee Fox
Clyde Ginder
Ralph Ginder
Nathan Grant
Charles Ham
Herman Hendricker
John Herbert

Shirley Hierman
Harold Huppers
Gerald Jones
Lorenz Kleinschmidt
Walter Kleinschmidt
Louis Kloker
Glen Lovekamp
Floyd E. Musch
Albert Nicol
Leland Nicol
Wilbur Nicol
William Niemann
Earl Niestradt
Eldore Nobis
Melvin Nobis
Alvin Paul
Richard Peck

John Roegge
William Saylor
Floyd Schone
Wayne Schone
Francis Staake

Robert Stock
Warren Stock
Clifford Thomas
Wendell Wessler
Marlin Winkelman
Charles Witte
Robert Witte
Butch Zulauf
Malcolm Zulauf
Marvin Zulauf

Photos of others are welcome! Click here for more information.

  Kenneth Davis

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Born March 18, 1926 - Killed in Action January 9, 1945

One of Kenny's school classmates, June (Lovekamp) Houston, remembers him as a friendly, rather quiet person who was always very neat in appearance (his mother would see to that).  She adds that he was well liked and "sported a cute grin".  Willard (Willie) Peck tells of what a talented basketball player Kenny was!
Many of Kenny's nieces and nephews who later attended Arenzville elementary and high schools always enjoyed seeing his name engraved on a large trophy as "Most Valuable Player".  He was the only son of Roy and Ethel Davis and had six older sisters.   He sometimes felt as though he had seven mothers.  Kenny "gained" some local fame around Arenzville when he dove off the bridge railing into Indian Creek just south of town!
       In 1943 at age 17 Kenny wanted to join the U.S. Navy, but his parents were reluctant to sign for him.  Disappointed, he dropped out of school and got a job as a deckhand on an iron ore boat in the Great Lakes.  The following year he came home and enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday, March 18, 1944.
      After training, he was assigned to the battleship, U.S.S. Colorado that fought in many Naval air, land and sea battles in the South Pacific.  In July 1944, off the island of Tinian, the ship was extensively damaged by 18 broadside shell hits from a Japanese shore battery and returned to Bremerton, Washington for major repairs.  While there, Kenny was given leave and visited his family and friends in Arenzville for the last time.   The U.S.S. Colorado rejoined the fleet in the South Pacific for more major battles as it fought its way North toward Japan.  On January 9, 1945, the Colorado was part of a fleet of 164 vessels massed in Lingayen Gulf, located on the west coast of Luzon in the Philippines preparing for the retaking of that island.  The fleet had undergone four days of kamikaze attacks, and while Kenny was manning his crew's anti-aircraft gun, the Colorado was hit by "friendly shell fire" from another ship in the fleet.  Minutes later Kenny died.  There were 58 casualties from that unfortunate and tragic incident. 
       The following day, the Colorado sailed out of the Gulf and into the South China Sea where a military funeral ceremony was conducted for Kenny and 18 of his shipmates.
       Kenny's parents did not receive word of his death until one week later when Robert "Bob" Brasel delivered an early morning telegram from the War Department.


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Copyright 2005, Molly Daniel. This page last updated 11/16/2017.
If you have images or text to contribute to this website, please contact Molly at bestburgoo (at) outlook.com.