Category: World War II
From Pearl Harbor into World War II
Al Bodenlos can tell you plenty about building airport runways. Of course, most of those he helped build were on surfaces like coral, under the…
A Witness to the Beginning of World War II
Al Bodenlos was in Honolulu on the morning of December 7, 1941. Like many people there, he didn’t immediately realize the story that was beginning…
An Eyewitness Account of Pearl Harbor
Al was about to witness the most realistic military training exercise he had ever seen. As he got closer to the action, he quickly realized…
German Prisoners of War Going to Church
Sunday was a day of worship in Hampshire, Illinois…both for the American residents and their friends, the German POWs. The American Countryside is brought to…
Learning English from a German POW
When John Fenzell was struggling with English at his Illinois elementary school, he got a tutor…a tutor that just happened to be a German POW….
Delivering the Paper to a German POW Camp
John Fenzell, like many young boys, delivered papers growing up. However, some of his customers happened to be German POWs picking crops in Illinois. Today’s…
Midwestern POW Camps in World War II
During World War II, young working men left the Midwest to fight for their country. In some cases, it was the enemy soldiers that came…
Kermit Bell
Over 2 decades after he first entered the army, Kermit Bell was now on his way to Vietnam. Not only would he serve in that…
