Jurgen Tjaden

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Military Service
War: WWII
Branch: U.S. Army
Rank: Corporal
Medals: Purple Heart

Personal Details
Born: 25 September 1917
Died: 31 May 1996
Parents: Souke and Trientje (Assing) Tjaden
Spouse: Marian Schaa

Buried: Wellsburg Reformed Church Cemetery
Wellsburg, Iowa

Jurgen Tjaden Writes About Life In Army

The following letter from Jurgen Tjaden, a Wellsburg boy in the selective service army, and written to Chris Neessen, tells something of his experiences so far as he has gotten in his new work of becoming a soldier, and reveals that he has found army life not so bad after all. Mr. Neessen has graciously consented to allow us to publish the letter, the first we have printed.

Following a personal opening paragraph Jurgen has this to say: "I liked it real well at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri, but at Ft. Des Moines it was really terrible the way they had the eats and the manner in which they handled us. (That was in our own dear Iowa).

"We were at Ft. Des Moines from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, and at 9:00 p.m. we left Des Moines by Pullman train and got to Jefferson Barracks at 10:30 a.m., on Friday. Here we got our clothes and real good here and the greater part of the 133rd infantry, which I am in, are from Iowa. We can even get the Des Moines Register and Tribune here. The officers here are just plain folks but they've got the law in their hands.

All in all, I am well satisfied and couldn't expect any better anywhere, so if any fellows who have to go, hate it because they are going to have hard labor--they have another guess coming. No one is here who doesn't like this life.

I met Spec Huisman, Tom and Neil Hoekstra and Dale Nichols last night. Julius Wilts and Alle DeNeui have tents a little distance from mine.

"Here's hoping I hear from some of you."

And in order that anyone who may wish to write Jurgen may do so, here is his address: Jurgen Tjaden, Co. I, 133rd Infantry, 34th Division, A.P.O. 34, Camp Claibourne, Louisiana.

--Wellsburg Herald (Wellsburg, Iowa), 30 April 1941