PURPLE HEART VETERANS MEET FOLLOWING GLOBE-POST STORY
Fought Their Way Up the Italian Coast Until Wounded
A recent story in The Globe-Post brought together Tuesday night three Purple Heart veterans of the African and Italian war campaigns. The young men are Sgt. John Kindig of Kingsley, T/Sgt. John Trobaugh and S/Sgt. Cyril Groetken, both of LeMars.
T/Sgt. Trobaugh and S/Sgt. Cyril Groetken have been home on furloughs to recover from severe war wounds received in the line of action. Both boys have been decorated for bravery and have been enjoying each other’s company recently, talking over former combat scenes.
Sgt. Kindig was honorably discharged from the Army in December, after being wounded twice, and was visiting some relatives in his home town of Kingsley. Tuesday while en route to Kimball, S.D., to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Burt Kindig, he picked up a Globe-Post in a Sioux City home. He saw a writeup about S/Sgt. Groetken and another item about T/Sgt. Trobaugh. The first thing he thought of was a telephone, and he called his two war companions. He informed them that he would be up on the 11:20 train Tuesday night and wanted them to meet him.
When the train pulled in a happy reunion took place. The three boys embraced each other and exchanged compliments.
Sgt. Kindig was wounded twice, both times in the leg, which left him unfit for heavy combat duty. T/Sgt. Trobaugh was also wounded twice and S/Sgt. Groetken was shot three times.
Source: LeMars Globe-Post, January 4, 1945
John Albert Kindig was born Mar. 23, 1920 to Albert “Bert” and Anna Marie Trout Kindig. He died Mar. 16, 1996 in Racine, WI.
Source: ancestry.com
