Carl Joseph Wittry 1919-1945
Maple River, May 1945
Memorial Rights for T/4 Wittry at Maple River
Throngs
of relatives and friends attended memorial services at St. Francis
church, Maple River at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning for T/4 Carl
J. Wittry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nick Wittry of Maple River, who died
in Okinawa May 1 of wounds suffered in action. The requiem high
mass was offered by the pastor, the Rev. Father Peter M. Mattes.
The military part of the rites was in charge of the
Breda American Legion post and the American flag was presented to
T/4 Wittry's widow by Peter Oswald of Arcadia, commander of the
post.
Harold Leiting and Ray Vonnahme formed the color guard,
while Joe Reis and Julius Bohnenkamp were flag bearers.
* * *
Servicemen acting a pallbearers were: Sgt. Mike Reising,
Sgt. Edgar Polking, Sgt. Ed Julich, Sgt. Melvin Jahde, Sgt. Ernest
Kokenge and Cpl. Joe Hermsen. Honorary pallbearers, members of Charles
Carroll Council No. 780, Knights of Columbus were: Leonard Schissel,
A.J. Polking, James Houlihan, Arby Neppel, Leo McWeeny and Fred
Julich Jr.
T/4 Wittry was a veteran of invasions in various Pacific
areas. He had been in the army more than four years, having been
among the first group of young men of Carroll County to enter under
selective service.
After reporting at Omaha March 12, 1941, he was sent
to Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., and thence to Camp Roberts, Calif. Three
months later he was transferred to Camp San Louis Obispo, Calif.
From August, 1941, until July 1943, he was stationed
at various places along the west coast including Longview, Wash.;
San Diego, Calif., Los Angeles; San Clemente Island; Ft. Lewis,
Wash.; Sacramento, San Francisco, Bakersfield and Fort Ord, Calif.,
in the order named.
After being stationed at Fort Ord about half a year,
he left for overseas duty.
He saw service at Kriska and Adak in the Aleutian
Islands before being sent to Hawaii.
In January 1944, he participated in the invasion of
the Marshall Islands. The next month he moved to the island of Oahu
in the Hawaiian Islands. From Sept. 12 to Oct. 20 he was on Leyte
Island in the Philippines. Christmas day, 1944, he took part in
the invasion of an island off Leyte.
He participated in the invasion of Okinawa Island
April 1. There he died a month later, May 1, of wounds suffered
in battle
T/4 Wittry was born March 24, 1919, at Mt. Carmel.
The present home of his parents is one-half mile north and one and
three-quarters miles west of Maple River.
* * *
He was graduated from St. Francis School, Maple River,
in 1931. While assisting his father with farm work, he was an active
member of the Carroll Community 4-H club.
From November 1940, until he joined the armed forces
the following March, he was a representative and instructor for
the McKenny school of music at Peoria, Ill. He was located in various
Iowa and Minnesota towns during that time, and was giving lessons
on the Hawaiian guitar at Grand Junction when he was called into
the service.
He was married Dec. 26, 1942, to Marie Nieland of
Sac County, the ceremony taking place at St. Bernard's church in
Breda.
Besides his wife, his father and stepmother, T/4 Wittry
leaves three sisters, Marie, assistant in the Carroll county farm
bureau office, Rita Ann and Anita Mae, at home, and one brother,
Lawrence J. at home. His mother died May 7, 1922, when he was less
than three years old.
* * *
T/4 Wittry was a member of St Francis' church, Maple
River.He belonged to Charles Carroll Council No. 780, Knights of
Columbus.
Relatives from away attending the memorial services
included: Sister M. Anthusa and Sister M. Florina, both of Rose
Convent, LaCrosse, Wis.; John C. Wittry, Marshall, Minn.; Mrs. John
L. Pape, Cottonwood, Minn.; Mr. and Mrs. Matt Bernardy, Seaforth,
Minn.; Mr. and Mrs. Ed Rettenmaier and Walter Rettenmaier, Mallard;
Mr. and Mrs F. J. Snyder and family and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Heisterkamp
and family, Mt. Carmel; Mr. and Mrs Marcus Rettenmaier, Mr. and
Mrs. Jacob Wittry and family, Mr. and Mrs. B.A. Wittry and family
and Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wittry and family, Breda; Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Ludewitz and family, Templeton, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Staples and family,
Arcadia; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Wittry, Mr. and Mrs. B.H. Schroeder, Mr.
and Mrs. Joe Schroeder, Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Olerich and family, Carroll.
There were also many other relatives and friends from
the surrounding community.
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