Bill was one of the first American soldiers to help liberate Dachau prison camp.

I participated in three major invasions; Normandy, Southern France, and Okinawa. I ran a LCM (landing craft) that carried troops to the shore during these invasions. It was a daunting job. The ship was hit by a Kamikaze plane off the coast of Okinawa during the invasion and my best friend was killed standing right beside me at the time. During my service, I had Basic Training at Farragut, ID; crossed the Atlantic on USS LST 515; USNAATSB at St. Mawes, England; USNAAB at Southampton, Hants; and the troop ship USS Achernar/AKA53. I also received the WWII victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars, Atlantic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 1 Bronze Star, and the Philippine Liberation Campaign Ribbon and held the following rates: Apprentice Seaman, Seaman Second Class, Seaman First Class, and Coxin. I was Honoraly Discharged at the US Naval Personnel Separation Center, Norman, Oklahoma by D. Carlson, Captain, US Navy Commanding 2128. My discharge payment was $68.64, travel allowance was $19.50, and initial mustering out pay was $100.00. That was pretty fair money for that time. I returned home to Kansas and the farm. I married, raised 3 children on the family farm in Courtland, Kansas where I still reside. My son Howard served in the US Navy (a Vietnam Veteran) as well as my grandson Wayne Flewelling (a Desert Storm Veteran).

I served in the Asiatic-Pacific area, Admiralty Islands, Manus Island at Commander Naval Air Base. Boot camp was at Farragut, ID, then the Admirality Islands for the duration of the war (2 years). He witnessed the ammunition ship, Mount Hood, blow up in the harbor very near, while on Manus Island. Our Entertainment was listening to Radio Talk show host Tokyo Rose. She'd play popular songs, but also peddle propaganda such as quotes from Dear John letters or asking what your girlfriend was doing back home - 'running around with the 4-Fers?' Manus Island is on the equator. They always had hot cokes and water to drink. Once a shipment of ice cream came in. The natives were so close behind the camp They saw the navy men standing in line for the ice cream and they came and got in line for some, too.

Chaplin Orris E Kelly was born in Montrose, KS and entered the Army in January 1944 in the Army Specialized Training Program (Reserve) and attended the University of Kansas. He took Basic Training at Camp Fannin, TX serving as a squad leader. In January 1945 he was sent to Officer Candidate School at Ft Benning GA. He graduated May 28, 1945 as a Second Lieutenant. He served in the Army of Occupation in Germany as part of the Constabulary. Kelly was seperated from the service in January of 1947, returned to College for an AB degree. He reentered the Army as a chaplin and served in Korean and Vietnam.

Earl E. Kempke's induction to the U.S. Army was on June 2, 1944 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His basic training was at Fort Leonard Wood located in the Missouri Ozarks. He departed by ship on November 13, 1944 for the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations (EAMETO) November 26, 1944. Earl told of initially being sent to Italy before assignment to a fighting group. Earl E. Kempke joined Company B, 68th Armored Infantry Battalion on 24 January 1945 per paragraph 2, Special Order 17, Headquarter, 14th Armored Division, dated 23 January 1945. He came from the Second Replacement Depot, which at the time was located at Thaon, France. Pvt. Kempke was one of 53 enlisted Soldiers sent to the Company as replacements for the casualties it had suffered during the fighting in and around Rittershoffen and Hatten 9-20 January 1945. Company B had withdrawn from Rittershoffen around 2130 on 20 January 1945, and moved to Waldolwisheim where it arrived shortly after midnight. In Waldolwisheim, it consolidated and on 23 January moved to Batzendorf, where it received the group of replacements on 24 January. The new Soldiers did not have a lot of time to get used to their new unit. 25 January, the Company less one platoon, moved out to conduct an attack 200 yards northeast of Ohlungen. This action cost the Company one soldier missing in action and 3 wounded. Around 1500 on 26 January Company B left Ohlungen to return to Batzendorf, where it stayed until 1 February. On that day, the Company moved out to Bischwiller to prepare for future operations and conduct patrols. Company B, along with tanks from the 25th Tank Battalion conducted an attack on Oberhoffen on 6 February in which most of the town was secured. Although not mentioned by name in the Morning Reports, it can be safely assumed that Earl participated in the battle for Oberhoffen, The Company returned to Bischweiler and sometimes on February 7, moved back to Batzendorf until 18 February. According to the Morning Reports, the Company engaged in organizational duties during its time at Batzendorf. On 19 February, the Company moved to Ringeldorf, where it stayed until 27 February, receiving more replacements, welcomed back previously wounded comrades, and sent groups of Soldiers to temporary duty at the VI Corps Rest Center at Nancy for 5 days. Additionally, it also conducted a number of Patrol, during one of which it sustained two seriously wounded and one missing in action on 24 February in the vicinity of Uberach. 28 February saw the Company on the move again, this time to Saessolsheim where they arrived at 0500. 3 March must have been a proud day for Earl. That day, he was appointed Private First Class, along with 103 of his fellow Soldiers in the Company. 3 days later, the Company packed up and at 1845 left Saessolsheim for Ettendorf where they arrived at 2030. For the next 7 days, it would perform guard duties; one group of 30 Enlisted Soldiers and 1 Officer, would be attached for rations only to Company B, 125th Armored Engineer Battalion and guard for Combat Command B at Ringendorf, while the remainder of the Company were on guard and outpost duties around Ringeldorf. On 9 March, Earl received his Combat Infantryman Badge, meaning aside from the prestige associated with the CIB, he would also receive additional pay. The copy of Company Orders is very hard to read, and it would appear they do not specify for what action PFC Kempke received his CIB, but it was probably for the actions in Oberhoffen. On 10 March the Company assembled in Ettendorf and at 1800 took off on a dismounted march to Ringeldorf. 5 days later, it would move again. This time to Grassendorf, a mere 15 min road march from Ringeldorf. The Morning Reports only list usual organizational duties for the days from 16-17 March. On 18 March, the Company moved again. A 50+ km roadmarch took them to Salmbach, just short of the German Border and no enemy contact was reported. The next day, 19 March 1945, the Company moved again. This time into Germany. A 2.5 hours road march took them to Schweighofen, again with no enemy contact. On 20 March, the 14th Armored Division began its push to finally breach the Siegfried line. The 68th AIB started the attack at 0600 and by 0625 had reached the eastern side of Kapsweyer. Company B moved from Schweighofen to Kapsweyer and was the first to test the defenses of Steinfeld. The first attack by 3rd Platoon and tanks from Company B, 25th Tank Battalion was beaten back. Their attack on the road from Kapsweyer to Steinfeld and the field to the right, received intense machine gun fire, along with mortars and artillery fire. The Platoon was forced to pull back to the houses on the outskirts of Kapsweyer. In the afternoon, the Company’s 1st and 2nd Platoon, attempted an attack after a 17 minute artillery barrage with smoke to hide the attack from the enemy. Unfortunately, the wind shifted and the attacking platoons were caught out in the open, suffering heavy casualties. PFC Earl Kempke told that his platoon was pulled from the front to guard German soldiers in a farmhouse. While guarding the German soldiers from the doorway of the farmhouse, he was listening to the shelling directed toward the battle beyond, when the sound of one shell didn't sound quite right. Something instinctively told him to get out of the doorway. That is where the shell landed, resulting in the shrapnel wounds and hospitalization. The Morning Report for 20 March lists him as lightly wounded in action in the vicinity of Kapsweyer. Earl was evacuated to the 112th Evacuation Hospital. It is here that his fighting days with Company B, 68th Armored Infantry Battalion come to an end. Earl rejoined the Company on 24 May in Aschau am Inn from the 17th Reinforcement Depot. On 27 June 1945, Earl received 5 additional points for participation in the Central European Campaign. One week later, Earl received a new set of orders, assigning him to the 45th Infantry Division. Earl received a week's leave in England before returning to the United States with the 45th Infantry Division by ship. Earl's departure from England with the 45th Infantry Division began on or about Sept. 7, 1945. His ship arrived in New York on Sept. 14, 1945. Earl told of the joy of seeing the Statue of Liberty from the ship as they entered New York harbor. Earl was then assigned as a guard ferrying German prisoners from central US back to the East Coast for return to their homeland. Earl was discharged from the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on June 9, 1946 with a rank of Corporal.

George Harris Kennedy, Jr. was born on February 18, 1925 in New York City, to Helen (Kieselbach), a ballet dancer, and George Harris Kennedy, an orchestra leader and musician. Following high school graduation, Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army in 1943 with the hope to become a fighter pilot in the Army Air Corps. Instead, he wound up in the infantry, served under General George S. Patton and distinguished himself with valor. He won two Bronze Stars and four rows of combat and service ribbons. A World War II veteran,

Kennedy went on to become a performer. At one stage in his career, he cornered the market at playing tough, no-nonsense characters who were either quite crooked or possessed hearts of gold. Kennedy notched up an impressive 200+ appearances in both television and films, and was well respected within the Hollywood community. He started out on television Westerns in the late 1950s and early 1960s (Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Rawhide (1959), Maverick (1957), Colt .45 (1957), among others) before scoring minor roles in films including Lonely Are the Brave (1962), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). The late 1960s was a very busy period for Kennedy, and he was strongly in favor with casting agents, appearing in Hurry Sundown (1967), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and scoring an Oscar win as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cool Hand Luke (1967). The disaster film boom of the 1970s was also kind to Kennedy and his talents were in demand for Airport (1970) and the three subsequent sequels, as a grizzled police officer in Earthquake (1974), plus the buddy/road film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) as vicious bank robber Red Leary. Courtesy of https://www.imdb.com - George Kennedy Biography

Joseph Kennedy was the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. After completed High School, he attended Harvard and graduated in 1938, after a year of training at London School of Economics,  Kennedy enter Harvard Law College. He and his father were determined he would become President one day and he was being groomed for it through out his life. Kennedy was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1940. Joe planned to run for Massachusetts's 11th congressional district in 1946.

Kennedy left before his final year of law school to begin officer training and flight training in the U.S. Navy. He earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in May 1942 and was sent to Britain in September 1943. He piloted land-based PB4Y Liberator patrol bombers on anti-submarine details during two tours of duty in the winter of 1943–1944. Kennedy had completed 25 combat missions and was eligible to return home. He instead volunteered for an Operation Aphrodite mission. Operation Aphrodite made use of unmanned, explosive-laden Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers, that were deliberately crashed into their targets under radio control. These aircraft could not take off safely on their own, so a crew of two would take off and fly to 2,000 feet (610 m) before activating the remote control system, arming the detonators and parachuting from the aircraft. After U.S. Army Air Forces operation missions were drawn up on July 23, 1944, Kennedy and Lieutenant Wilford John Willy were designated as the first Navy flight crew. Willy had "pulled rank" over Ensign James Simpson (who was Kennedy's regular co-pilot) to be on the mission. They flew a BQ-8 "robot" aircraft (a converted B-24 Liberator) for the U.S. Navy's first Aphrodite mission. Two Lockheed Ventura mother planes and a Boeing B-17 navigation plane took off from RAF Fersfield at 1800 on 12 August 1944. Then the BQ-8 aircraft, loaded with 21,170 lb (9,600 kg) of Torpex, took off. It was to be used against the Fortress of Mimoyecques and its V-3 cannons in northern France. Following behind them in a USAAF F-8 Mosquito to film the mission were pilot Lt. Robert A. Tunnel and combat camera man Lt. David J. McCarthy, who filmed the event . As planned, Kennedy and Willy remained aboard as the BQ-8 completed its first remote-controlled turn at 2,000 feet near the North Sea coast. Kennedy and Willy removed the safety pin arming the explosive package and Kennedy radioed the agreed code Spade Flush, his last words. Two minutes later (and well before the planned crew bailout, near RAF Manston), the Torpex explosive detonated prematurely and destroyed the Liberator, killing Kennedy and Willy instantly. Wreckage landed near the village of Blythburgh in Suffolk.

Courtesy of Military-History.Fantom.com.