Milo Bolsinger Died in Battle
Local Boy Was Killed in Action June 26 in New Guinea

Technical Sergeant Milo Bolsinger, 30, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bolsinger of this city, was killed in action in New Guinea June 26, according to a telegram received by his wife Wednesday noon last week from the war department. The message stated that a letter giving details would follow.

Milo was inducted into the army February 17, 1941, at Camp Dodge and was assigned to the infantry for his basic training at Fort Warren, Wyoming. He was then assigned to a regular army infantry regiment and was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was promoted to the grade of corporal, then sergeant, and later to staff sergeant. He was especially versatile at training men and was retained at Fort Leonard Wood for around a year while engaged in that work. However, he preferred to be and was later transferred with the troops he had trained. He went to Ft. Leonard Wood in May 1941 and in October that year was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, and then to Louisiana on maneuvers. He returned to Ft. Leonard Wood where he remained until September 6, 1942, when he spent ten weeks on maneuvers near Nashville, Tennessee. Back at Ft. Leonard Wood, he came home on a 15 day furlough November 12. The last of that month he was sent out on desert maneuvers to the Los Angeles training area. He was stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, and left from San Francisco for overseas duty September 20, 1943. Milo was promoted to technical sergeant last December 24th.

He was sent to Pearl Harbor where he remained until January of this year when he was sent into the New Guinea area. A recent letter received from him was dated June 19 and stated that he had been moved and that his supplies and belongings had not yet caught up with him. The last letter received from him was dated June 24, but gave no further information regarding his new location.

Milo was born in Ellington township, and moved to Forest City when two years old. He graduated from the Forest City high school and was employed by Dr. R.E. Hanson before entering the service. He is survived by his wife, the former Mabel Holstad of Lake Mills, and 16 months old son Darwin; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bolsinger of Forest City, and one sister, Mrs. Charles Hanson, of Grafton. Mrs. Milo Bolsinger has made her home in Forest City with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bolsinger since returning in September 1942 from Fort Leonard Wood where she had spent four months with her husband. Milo was home on his last furlough a year ago before leaving for his overseas service.

Wednesday of this week Milo's family received a letter from the war department which gave only the additional information that Milo lost his life in fighting near Naffin, New Guinea.

~newspaper clipping, hand-dated 1944, from the Leibrand, Whites Private Collection Library
~contributed by Ken Moen

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