Henry W. Barnholtz , 1922-1944

BARNHOLTZ, KEKOS, MEYER, BRINK, BARNHOLTS

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 12/8/2003 at 10:16:29

Postville Soldier is Wreck Casualty.
Col. Henry T. Tisdale, commandant at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Friday released the names of 24 soldiers, many of them veterans of the Italian campaign, who were killed Thursday morning in the head-on collision of the Dixie Flyer and a mail train on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroad north of Terre Haute [Indiana]. Included in the list of dead were:
Staff Sgt. Henry W. Barnholts, Violet Barnholts, wife, Postville, IA.

source: Waterloo Daily Courier; Waterloo, Iowa; September 15, 1944
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obit added Jan 23, 2011 by S.Ferrall:

Henry Barnholtz, Veteran Army Flyer, Dies in Train Wreck - Was Returning to Duty From Furlough at Home After 37 Missions in Italy

This community was shocked Friday morning to learn of the death of Sergeant Henry Barnholtz in the train wreck at Terra Haute, Indiana, Thursday in which 27 Army Air Force members lost their lives and scores of others were injured. He had just completed a thirty day furlough here with his wife and son and was on his way to Miami, Florida, to be assigned to new duty.

Sergeant Barnholtz had seen strenuous duty in Italy with a 15th Army Air Foreces heavy bombardment unit after which he was given a furlough home upon the completion of 37 missions as a nose gunner over enemy held territory in Europe.

He had been awarded many citations for his meritorious achievements in aerial flights, including the Air Medal and three Oak Leaf Clusters. On the day the message of his death reached Postville, this office had received a communication from Henry's Commanding Officer in which he stated that he had awarded the Good Conduct Medal "by virtue of his exemplary behavior, efficiency and fidelity" to Sergeant Barnholtz.

The remains arrived in Postville Monday morning accompanied by a military escort, Sergeant Pete Domico, of Fort Benjamin Harrison, who remained here until after the funeral.

Funeral services were held at St. Paul's Lutheran church Tuesday afternoon with the Rev. Frederick R. Ludwig officiating and interment rites with full military honors were held at Postville cemetery. Arthur F. Brandt Post, American Legion, and Army and Navy men of the present war attended as a military escort and also acted as the pallbearers.

Henry was born June 9, 1922, at Homer, Minn., the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Barnholtz. At the age of two years he was placed in a home for children and when four years old he wa provided a foster home by Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Kekos of Owatonna, Minn. Mrs. Kekos before her marriage was Louise Meyer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Meyer of Postville. Upon the death of Mr. Kekos, Henry and Mrs. Kekos came to Postville to live, and when Mrs. Kekos died, he made his home with Mr. and Mrs. Carl Meyer.

He was united in marriage with Miss Viola Brink of this city on August 15, 1942, and to them wa born one son, Jerry Henry, both of whom survive, as do his parents, his foster grandmother, three brothers and three sisters.

Staff Sergeant Barnholtz entered the service of his country with the Army Air Forces at Camp Dodge on January 15, 1943, and received his training at Lowry Field Armament School, Colorado, and his advanced training in gunnery at the Harlingen Gunnery School at Harlingen, Texas.

~Postville Herald, September 20, 1944