Honoring
Our Veterans

Residents of Sparta Township have a long history of answering the call of duty to serve during wartime and peace. From the Civil War, not long after the founding of the township, to our current day military soldiers, we honor those who lost their lives while in military service for our country in the name of freedom, our veterans, and those men and women who are currently enlisted.

STHC
Veterans Museum

Sparta soldiers who were POWs

Announcing with great pleasure, the public opening of our Sparta Township Historical Commission Veterans Museum which is conveniently located at 75 N. Union Street, in the north side of the Sparta Civic Center and directly across the street from the Sparta Township Carnegie Library. Please join us for the Grand Opening event which will take place on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, from 4 pm until 8 pm before, during, and after the Lions Chicken Dinner, also to be held at the Civic Center.

Our new Sparta Township Historical Commission Veterans Museum at 75 N. Union Street

It all began as a dream.

Following countless years of planning, research, collecting and preserving memorabilia provided by our generous donors, along with several months of hands-on work designing and constructing displays, the dream has become a reality at last. The Sparta Township Historical Commission is proud to unveil the new Veterans Museum to honor and memorialize the lives and sacrifices of all those from our community who served in the United States military.

On this past Monday, the STHC hosted members of the Sparta Township Board, who previewed the museum. All those in attendance expressed rave reviews. "Their comments exceeded our expectations," stated the STHC Board President, Michael Metzger. He then enthusiastically added, "We are over the moon!"

Some of the many Sparta soldiers' military uniforms on display at the Veterans Museum

As part of the Sparta Town and Country Days, the new Veterans Museum will also be open to the public on Friday (July 21) from 6 pm to 8 pm while our North and South State Street Walking Tours are taking place. On Saturday (July 22), the museum will be open from 10 am until 2 pm during the scheduled parade activities.

Sparta has a deep military history in our township. We invite you to explore our history and look forward to your visit.

Check back as our regularly scheduled dates and times for the museum to be opened will be announced very soon.

The Shoemaker's Son:
CPL Rudolph Lekstrum

Fritjiof Joh Anders Lekström, from Hjälmseryd Jönköping Län, Sverige set sail on June 12, 1859, for a chance at a new and better life. The land of freedom and opportunity so far away irresistibly beckoned Fred. He bade farewell to his loved ones, his homeland, and all he knew on the 23rd of July 1885, when from the port of Malmö he crossed the Atlantic to arrive at New York, New York. His final destination was Sparta, Michigan, an area where other Swedes had settled. On his immigration record, Fred's profession was noted as that of a skomakare... a shoemaker. The young man of 26 had high hopes for what the future would hold.

Becomes Rich Without Money

There was revelry in the west end of Sparta village on the night of May 4, 1890. It was the end of the greatest day in the life of Fred Lekstrum, excepting only for his natal day. The merrymaking marked the marriage of Fred to the pride of his young heart, the bonnie, black-eyed Alice Broman.

Fred was popular and an efficient employee of the Welch Folding Bed Co. His deep bass was in great demand by the village choirs and he was in no way stingy in contributing to the musical activities of the community. He had a host of friends who wished him well in whatever he might undertake, and so he was the recipient of many well wishes on the occasion of his marriage.

With the help of his vivacious young wife, a home was founded and with the establishment of this, new burdens and cares came along. Bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked babies began to appear in the neat home, until a score of five rolled up, then the score board was torn down and no more tallies were needed.

With increasing mouths to feed, Fred found that shop employment promised little in the way of independence or ability to keep the little mouths filled. Reverting to his old trade of cobbling, he opened a little shop under a stairway between two stores on the main street of the village of Sparta, where he has remained for many years. Unremitting attention to his work and the conscientious performance of his little jobs monopolized to him the cobbling work of the community.



Rudolph, Oscar, Florence, Conrad, and Rosalia standing, left to right. Elizabeth and Fred Lekstrum, seated--courtesy of Karli Anderson


And so all these years he has pegged along, peg after peg, stitch after stitch, his work flavored with the aromatic odor of new leather. How many pegs has Fred driven, how many stitches has he stitched, he does not know, but likely between twenty and thirty million. And all by hand. Fred has contented himself with a meager equipment of cobbler's tools valued at a few dollars.

With these Fred has carved out an unqualified success. Is Fred rich? Yes and no. In actual achievement for the community, the state and the government, yes. In cash, no.

With his hands, his hammer, his awl, he has cared for his five bright eyed children. They have continued to be bright eyed, rosy cheeked and clean young people. Fred has fed them, clothed them and educated them. They are now grown to young manhood and womanhood. They have completed their high school courses, some have been to college. And their studies have not been confined to the actual requirements of a college. Oscar is an accomplished violinist and is at present superintendent of schools at Avon, Ill. Florence completed an art and music course and is now instructor in those branches in the Plainwell schools. Roselia is employed in her hometown.

But perhaps the crowning pride of Fred's heart is the fact that he has given two of his rosy cheeked sons to his adopted country. Conrad and Rudolph are in France. No doubt today the earth under their feet is shaking from the roar of artillery and it may be that the sharper rattle of rifle or machine gun may be in their ears.

And as Fred pegs away and stitches away in his little shop under the stairs, he may well be justified in thinking that he has made more than usual success in life. He has multiplied himself by five, and every one of the five are useful and praiseworthy additions to the community, the state and nation.

Fred don't know how many shoe pegs and stitches it takes to bring up a child and train it to a life of usefulness. Maybe four million, maybe five million, maybe six million. Any how it has taken years to drive them, pegs and stitches altogether. At any rate whether he knows it or not he has been one of the successful men among us. He might have money laid up in the bank or houses and lands, but they would be dead things when he is through with his bench. His contribution to the world consists of useful flesh and blood, usefully employed in praiseworthy labor, for community, state and nation.

Some day Fred may have a bigger shop, he may have modern machinery and may be able to serve his customers more rapidly, but he never will be richer than just now.--published in The Sentinel-Leader 19 Apr 1918

Fred's wife, Katrina Elizabeth "Alice" Brooman was a dressmaker and also native to Sweden. She immigrated in 1869 as a child and was the daughter of Andrew and Breta (Swenson) Brooman, who settled near Sparta. Fred's brother, Perry, and their mother, Charlotte (Johnson) Lekstrum, immigrated to Grand Rapids in 1892, where a sister, Annie, already resided with her young family. The mother lived with her daughter and son-in-law, Andrew Olson, who was also a shoemaker with his own shop, in Grand Rapids.

Young Rudy Lekstrum--courtesy of Diane Lonnee Oppenneer & the Roselia (Lekstrum) Lonnee family

Born at Sparta on March 25, 1892, Rudolph was the second oldest son of the Lekstrums. Although only five of the Lekstrum children survived to adulthood, there were others who died as infants or young children. The family was no stranger to loss.

Rudolph was intelligent, mechanically gifted, and his parents had instilled in him a strong work ethic, a love of country and a sense of responsibility. He, and his siblings, were their parents' pride and joy. Rudolph and his younger brother, Conrad, were honor roll students and graduated from Sparta High School in 1912 and 1915, respectively. Rudolph went on to study at the M.A.C.--Michigan Agriculture College--which would later become Michigan State, where he earned his mechanical degree in 1917. After his graduation, Rudolph accepted a position with Marsnick Manufacturing as a machinist in Detroit.

From his humble beginnings in Sparta, it was quite an accomplishment for the young man to achieve so much, so soon. Life's vast opportunities, which his parents could only have dreamed of, now lay before the shoemaker's son.

The US entered World War I on April 6th, 1917, and the first draft registration began on June 5th. Rudolph heard the call of duty, signed a draft card on that same day, and joined the Army's new "Red Arrow" Division on the 11th, just six days later.

The Lekstrum brothers shared a strong sense of patriotism along with a desire to serve their country--together--and, with other local boys: Neal Ferron, Oscar Johnson, and Harold Nelson, joined Company A of the Michigan Signal Corps. They were sent to Grayling for training then to Waco, Texas. It was January 23, 1918, when the SS Baltic left New York City for England and made port on February 6th. From there, on to St Nazaire, France. The mission of the 107th was to keep lines of communication open.

Fred shared a letter received from his sons and excerpts were published on the front page of the Sparta Sentinel Leader on August 9, 1918:

"In France, July 5, 1918
In the front line trench.
Hello, Dad:--Here it is about 3 a.m. and I'm on the job, but between busy moments we will have a little visit. How did you spend the 4th of July. We were quiet, safe, and sane as the Spartans say.

We are busy, sure enough, and our rest and sleep are now at no regular or certain time. I wrote a letter to you the other night, but decided to do it over again. The air had a terrible shaking around our vicinity, and really, Dad, I'm mighty glad that Coonie and I are now here and able to write. The big shrapnels do make a big noise and cause a hot time in the old town when they begin to speak. I won't tell you how close they have come to us, but you may guess for yourself. One hour barrage and bombardment was hurled at us the first of my experience."

Why this letter was addressed just to their Dad showed an effort to let him know just how dire their situation was, to prepare him, and to try to protect their Mother from worry.

"Hey, Coonie, get up and alert." That's the way our sleep goes. Just got the word, "all alert." There's a meaning to it."

The danger and exhaustion the boys faced on a daily basis was clearly evident, as well as their longing for home.

"We would rather have letters and writing from home than pay day."

Keenly aware of how even in the few months spent on the battle field the impact of their present circumstances had already changed them and would bear lasting ramifications, he continued:

"We boys are all well and robust. How long will it take for us to get used to shop, office and the like when we get back.

There are plenty of rats around. The other night two of them tracked across my face while I was sleeping. They were in a hurry so took a short cut. Some fine night I might present them with a grenade or two. A week ago one fellow saw a great big rat coming down the trench with a can opener in his mouth. Guess Mr Rat was looking for a can of bully beef.

In a while we have mess, a thing we do not care to miss.
Lots of love to all from your two boys.
Rudie and Coonie"

On September 13, 1918, another letter was received and shared in The Sentinel-Leader:

"At the Front
August 18, 1918
Our Dear Folks:--
It is now a quarter past three in the morning--rather early for letter writing, but if I don't do it now, it may not get done at all.

First, both well and kicking. I'm here and Coonie, I think at present, a few kilometers to the west, so is Swede and Neally. Guess we all wish that we were in the rear of old New York, somewhere in Michigan. Ha! Ha! We have fought a good battle lately, Dad, and hope to do so again. I see by the home paper that there are yet some good husky fellows left who have not enlisted nor been selected. Lord, if they only knew or could see what we have seen they could not stay back and let the others go ahead. We have seen many a ruined town, nothing left at all but shattered walls, etc. What hurts me the most is to see our own men torn to pieces by the shot and shells or come across some graves marked only by a rude wooden cross with his round metal identification card on it. It just makes us fighting mad.

Here's hoping the war will be over by Xmas--don't know--all kinds of rumors--maybe a couple of years yet. Hear those big shells break! Some noise, too. Not very far away either. They don't worry me as long as they are a distance away. Have been darn lucky so far.

What I don't like is the big bombs Bill drops at night. Sort of spoils all your sleep. He has kept me awake more than once, believe me. Ha! Ha! Those bombs only make a hole from 15 to 20 feet deep and from 10 to 25 feet across. They have showered sand and stones all over and around me. A fellow will tremble all over and get sort of excited, don't you know--bleuie! that must have been a big shell broke just now!

Been away for a few minutes. Just copied a message. The air is just full of them. During the night I work from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Here we are four men, one sergeant in charge, three operators. Lucky we have a chaplain (a very nice man) who stays with us here, (a captain, he is.)



Corporal Rudolph T Lekstrum


Here's hoping we get some mail from home today. Paper is very scarce around here so my scribbling must be only a few. Here's hoping that you are feeling swell. What kind of weather are you enjoying now-a-days? We have fine weather here. Gee, summer is going fast, isn't it! Think I have said all I know so had better come to a close.

Your fighting Sammies
Rudie and Coonie
Co. A-107th Field Sig. Bt.
A.P.O. No. 734, Amer E.F."

The November 8, 1918 local headline stated: RUDOLPH LEKSTRUM IS WOUNDED--IN HOSPITAL and went on to say Conrad Lekstrum wrote his father to tell him his brother Rudolph had been hurt and was being cared for in a hospital in France. He implied the hip wound was not serious.

A telegram arrived at the parents' home.

Rudolph was wounded on October 13 and died in a hospital on the 29th, twenty days before his brother's message was delivered and printed. Devastated and broken hearted, his mother took ill for several months.

Corporal Rudolph T Lekstrum's final resting place at Saint Mihiel American Cemetery, Thiaucourt, France--courtesy of Diane Lonnee Oppenneer & the Roselia (Lekstrum) Lonnee family

The M.A.C. Record published on January 23, 1920, at East Lansing, Michigan, included a tribute to the fallen soldier. "RUDOLPH T LEKSTRUM '17--News has been received from his mother, Mrs Elizabeth Lekstrum of Sparta, Michigan, that Rudolph Theodore Lekstrum, with '17, died from wounds received in action on October 19, 1918. Corporal Lekstrum was a member of Co A, 78th Field Bn, of the 32d Division.

"The details of his death are pictured very clearly in the following account by one of his comrades:

"On Oct 12th, 1918, about 12:30 pm, the 127th Inf Reg Hq and Radio moved from the town of Gesnes to a point about 3 kilometers south between Gesnes and Romagne. After we had communication established, we went looking for some old blankets or something to cover up the set and lamps from view of the enemy's planes. The station was on top of a hill. After Sgt Strand and I got back, we ate a lunch which we got from a kitchen a short distance from us. We were about to have a drink of coffee, when a shell (155) hit about five feet from where we were standing. Sgt Strand was on my right and Cpl Lekstrum was on my left, both about three feet away from me. When i got up Sgt Strand was lying about 14 feet from me, being seriously wounded in his side. I looked around but could not see Cpl Lekstrum. He had gotten up and was about 100 feet or more down the hill. I didn't know he was hurt until Co C men came up and told me that he was seriously wounded in his side and hip, and that they were giving him first aid. This happened at 4 pm... We took both boys to the first aid station and they were sent to the hospital about 4:45 pm.

Corporal Lekstrum spent two years at M.A.C. having entered the engineering division in 1913. Soon after leaving college, he enlisted in the Ypsilanti Company of the Michigan National Guard and served with that organization when it later became part of the 32d Division. He had previously served in Battery A of the Michigan Field Artillery."

Twenty-five and a half. Younger than when his father made the journey west across the Atlantic.

Resurrecting
Sparta's WWI
Monument

Sparta’s contribution in WWI was felt most heavily in the loss of Ransford Basom, Charles A Biggs, Nickolas Denhof, Arthur LaBarre, Rudolph T Lekstrum, Hattil Sharp, and Peter Vanderlaan. In the ‘War to End All Wars.’ Sparta Post #107 of the American Legion was formed only six months after the first chapter was founded in Paris, France. An early item of business in Post #107 was to design & erect a war monument to honor those seven.

In July of 1920, Sparta’s Village Council decided to erect a traffic pedestal on the corner of Division and Union Streets. Affixed onto that pedestal would be the names of the seven who gave their all as well as an eighth plaque naming the place where the fateful battle was waged.

Sparta's World War I Monument, fondly known as "Shorty's Monument"

Two months later the dedication of Sparta’s WWI Monument took place. Wallace Burtch, owner of the Welch Folding Bed Company, designed an eight-sided pillar approximately ten feet tall with a flag pole rising up out of its center. Over time, the structure became known as Shorty’s Monument, named for the constable who directed traffic around the intersection of Division and Union Streets.

Shorty’s Monument stood sentinel for thirteen years until the village council’s decision to move what had become a traffic hazard to a more suitable location. Why the monument wasn’t moved, but presumably destroyed, is a mystery to this day.

Thankfully, the eight brass plaques were saved, most recently tucked away by former American Legion Commander Don Reed, when a previous Legion building was razed. For 88 years the plaques were set aside with no specific plan for their placement. Over that time, their very existence was limited to a very few people. Upon Don’s passing, his family continued to safeguard these memorials to the seven that Sparta lost in WWI. In 2021, when their existence became more widely known, the already percolating dream of recreating this monument took on much greater fervor. The prospect of having original elements-certainly the most important elements-of the monument, makes this project compelling.

For years, Sparta’s honoring of veterans and those who gave their all for our freedom include:

• A Civil War monument in Greenwood Cemetery honoring veterans & war dead from that conflict.
• The more traditional-looking WWI monument-Shorty’s replacement, built in 1938-now resides at the new Sparta Sports Park, dedicated in 2021.
• Lamoreaux Park was named in 1953, remembering the three brothers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. A monument in their honor was designed and put in place in the park in 1993.
• A memorial bench remembering WWII Veteran and business owner Paul Badgerow was put in place by his family shortly after his death in 2016.
• The park itself was renamed Lamoreaux Brothers Veterans Memorial Park in 2021.
• Veterans & casualties of the Korean and Vietnam Wars have a brass plaque in Lamoreaux Park.
• For the last several years, the names of Sparta’s War Dead have been publicly recited in our annual Memorial Day ceremonies. This will continue-we will not forget!
• Thousands of Sparta’s 5th graders have learned of Shorty’s story in annual walking tours.
• For years, Sparta’s 8th graders have paid tribute to our seven fallen troops at the Vietnam Memorial Wall & at Max Waldherr’s grave, a Korean War casualty buried at Arlington Cemetery.
• Plans are to have banners created for our sixty-five war dead lining State & Division Streets in 2023.
• This current plan is to rebuild and & place the WWI Monument in the Veterans Park in 2023.

We have assembled a group of civic leaders and interested individuals, including a project manager, an architect, a builder, and a number of financial donors for this community project of appreciation & remembrance. Will you consider your own financial involvement in making this happen?

Submitted by Larry Carter

World War I
Memorial Statue Fund
Replicate the Monument

A point of pride in Sparta, since its founding, has been the value put on honoring those who have contributed to the defense of our country. An effort is currently being put forth by a group of residents--the WWI Memorial Committee--to rekindle the memory of the seven area soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to maintain our freedom in that war.

The proposed WWI Monument to be built at the Lamoreaux Brothers Veterans Memorial Park

Shorty's Monument (so nicknamed for the constable who directed traffic around it) was erected in the middle of the intersection of Union & Division Streets in the 1920s and was taken down a few years later as it became a traffic hazard. At the time, a more modest granite marker was built to replace it, which most recently has been relocated at the Sparta Sports Park.

Nothing remains of the original ten-foot tall white monolith except for the most important parts: the seven names of those fallen heroes etched in brass. Their existence has only recently become publicly known. The Committee, under the auspices of the American Legion Post #107, plans to rebuild the monument, putting the name plates back in their rightful place of honor and into our collective memory.

Plans are to have the monument in place at the Lamoreaux Brothers Veterans Memorial Park by Memorial Day 2023.

We are getting very close... with your help we can reach our goal!

The WWI Memorial Committee is seeking donations to complete the restoration and installation of the WWI Monument. All donations of any amount are gratefully accepted.

The names of contributors at the following levels will be included on the WWI Monument Plaque that will share the story of Shorty's Monument:

• ★ Leading Contributors ($12,500+)
• ★ Contributors ($5,000+)
• ★ Supporters ($1,000+)

First major contributor to the project, the Sparta American Legion Post #107 with a generous $15,000 contribution. From left to right: Tim Fay Vice Commander, Tom Friar Finance Officer, Bill Meyer Adjutant, Chris Carlisle Post Commander, & Jim Lyals WWI Memorial Committee member

Donations are managed through the Village of Sparta. To ensure your generous contribution is appropriately included, please make your check payable to the Village of Sparta and place "Shorty's Monument" on the memo line.

Send your check to:

Village of Sparta
156 East Division Street
Sparta MI 49345

Thank you.

Volunteers to contact to arrange a formal presentation or to inquire further about this project include:
Jim Lyals, phone 231-629-8080 or email
and Larry Carter, phone 616-206-5607 or email

Memorial Day: An American Holiday

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military. originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. The Civil War which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country's first national ceremonies. By the late 1860's Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.--from the History channel website.

Throughout the years, Sparta has faithfully celebrated Memorial Day. For years it began with a prayer service at Greenwood Cemetery, followed by a parade led by local veterans serving as Honor Guard. Many local civic groups participated such as: Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Brownies, groups from local churches, little league teams, along with our junior and senior school bands. Families lined the streets as children waved small American flags. Following the parade, a Laying of the Wreath Ceremony, in memory of those who died in service to our country, was held at the Sparta State Bank in front of the memorial plaque donated by the Sparta High School Student Council.

In recent years the Memorial Day Service remembering our fallen has been held at Lamoreaux Park, which was named for the Lamoreaux brothers who gave their lives in service to our country during WWII. The event includes the reading of the names of those lost during all wars, the Civil War through today. Hosted by the Lekstrum-Burnett American Legion Post 107 and Sparta Township Historical Commission, the Memorial Day Service features: local clergy, a keynote speaker, the laying of the wreath by our Boy Scouts, and patriotic music played by the Sparta High School band.

Each year, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

These touching 2019, 2022, & 2024 Memorial Day remembrance services were filmed by Dan Salas, whose youtube channel may be viewed at Positively Michigan.

Louis E. & Lillian O. (La Barre) Burnett, brought their son, Louis, to their home on Maple Street in Sparta after his birth in 1920. They rented from Mrs. Corneila Prentice, who had recently moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, Ethelyn and Albert Parm on Gardner. Louie and Villa married the previous August 9th at Casnovia; the bride was the daughter of George and Anna (Nelson) La Barre of Lisbon and the groom, the son of George Ellis and Arvilla Mabel (Fuller) Burnett.

Louis Sr. was born at Frankfort in Benzie county, Michigan, however, by the turn of the century his family resided at Sparta where his father, George, was a wood machinist at the Welch Folding Bed factory. Louie was temporarily in Bridgeport, Connecticut, learning his occupation as an "adjuster" for the Remington Arms Company when he completed his World War I draft card in 1917. He enlisted on May 29th, 1918, prepared at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station near Chicago, and served until January 10th of '19.

Left to right, first row: Frances Eppens, Jack Young, Georgia Bettes, Doris Putman, Joanne Bettes, Helen Bosworth, Charles Badgerow, Hugh Freeman, Louis Burnett. Second row: Jerry Van Velsen, Philip Helsel, Dayle Helsel, Kenneth Johnson, Barth Carlson, David Helsel, Gordon Striplin, James Warren, Merlin Robinson, and Floyd Smith.

A clerk at the furniture factory when his son was born, by 1930, Louis (Sr.) held the same position at the Piston Ring Factory when the Federal Census was enumerated.

Growing up in Sparta, Louis (Jr.) demonstrated an early interest and talent in music as he became proficient with the violin and performed with an unusual instrumental group. A feature article that appeared on 30 April 1936 in The Sentinel-Leader, proclaimed Child Prodigies In Sparta High School Marimba Ensemble. It went on the say: "The Sparta High School Marimba Ensemble seems to be the only one of its type in Western Michigan, or perhaps in the State... Outstanding progress has been made by the organization, which is proven by the fact that within one year public appearances have been made at high school assemblies, P.T.A. meetings, and various other civic affairs. Every member in the ensemble is an outstanding student on his or her instrument; and many of them are capable of solo work. Joanne Bettes, a five-year old student, is a competent accordion soloist. Likewise the talent of seven-year old Philip Helsel, xylophone soloist, is unusual..."

In October 1939, Louis Jr., who was known as "Lou", worked at the Kroger Store in Comstock Park, per an item in the local newspaper. The Burnett family resided at "135 Union Street NE" on April 11th, 1940, when the census recorded Louis (Sr.) as a laborer at a refrigerator factory who sought work over the past month. Lillie worked part time at the paper products factory, nineteen year old Louis Jr. was employed full time as a grocery store clerk, and his sister, (Katharine) Louise, at fifteen, attended school. Young Louis also had one year of college and indicated his occupation was an office clerk as he completed his WWII draft card on October 15, 1940, then enlisted into the National Guard at Grand Rapids.

Basic training was, at first, at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, then Camp Livingston near Alexandria, Louisiana. Training was geared to prepare soldiers for the European battlefields. Lou performed very well. Assigned to the "Red Arrow" 32nd Division, which consisted of Michigan and Wisconsin National Guard troops, Lou held the rank of Sergeant in Company M of the 126th Infantry.

On his Christmas furlough home, he married Caroline Eudora Patterson of Hastings, Michigan; the daughter of George and Bernice (McCune) Patterson on the 28th of December. Late December also brought an announcement the 32nd Infantry Division was scheduled to join US forces in Northern Ireland and ship out in July. However, on March 25, 1942, new orders required the soldiers to embark from San Francisco in just three weeks, on April 15th, bound for the South Pacific. The urgency was due to the advances of Japan near Australia, yet the abrupt change was harshly criticized since the soldiers had no training in jungle warfare and were unprepared to face the experienced Japanese military. They arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia, on May 14th with intentions to receive additional training, but then relocated to Camp Cable near Brisbane in July which left little time to adequately prepare. What jungle training they received was described as "sketchy" and inadequate.

Nonetheless, General MacArthur ordered the 32nd to New Guinea on September 13, 1942, where US infantry divisions would be fighting alongside the Australians.

"Word from Staff Sgt. Louis Burnett who is with the 126th Infantry, National Guard, somewhere in Australia, tells of the eagerness with which the boys look for mail from home and of their keen disappointment when told "No mail for you on this trip." Sgt. Burnett says every soldier in foreign service is more alert than ever to the dangers facing them in the coming months--the need for courage, clear thinking, and faith that their home folks are standing back of them."--The Sentinel-Leader published October 1, 1942.

Concern for the morale, not only of his own men, but troops in battlefields wherever they may be, spoke well of Louis, his leadership qualities and a genuine sense of care for the well-being of others.

"The 32nd originally was a Wisconsin-Michigan National Guard outfit. It went into New Guinea "high" on itself, full of confidence, but quite unprepared and untrained for the miseries and terrors of jungle warfare so alien to the experience of boys from the clipped green lawns and serene streets of the small-town Middle West... To understand the 32nd, one must remember what it had gone through. One detachment had made that grueling and exhausting march over the Owen Stanleys on the Kapa Kapa Trail. Other units of the American force had been flown from Moresby in October to points east of Buna and then had trudged on foot to their present positions in the swamps."--Our Jungle Road to Tokyo by Lt. General Robert L. Eichelberger (1950)

Staff SGT Louis Burnett Jr

Louis and his men of Company M were among those from the 126th who made the treacherous jungle trek over the Owen Stanley range on the Kapa Kapa Trail. It was a grueling 130-mile trip which took 42 days to complete. Major General H.W. Blakeley wrote in his book, The 32d Division in World War II that "General Harding had selected the 126th because he viewed it as the best led and best trained of his three regiments. On the 15th, at first light, 230 doughboys of the 126th Infantry, with small arms and packs" embarked on the mission. From a manuscript account written by Captain William R. Fleischer: "Day after day the battalion plodded through some of the worst and wildest jungle in the world. They went through waist-deep channels of mud. Half the time they couldn't see the sky--only matted leaves and vines. It would take five or six hours to go a mile, edging along cliff walls, hanging onto vines, up and down, up and down. Men got weaker and began to lag back. It would rain from three o'clock in the afternoon on, soaking everything. The rivers they crossed were so swift that if you slipped, it was just too bad. There wasn't any way of evacuating to the rear. Everyone was driven on by the fear of being left behind." Captain Fleischer continued to describe their ordeal, "Their bones ached and dysentery had hit almost every man. They were filthy and caked with mud, and washed themselves only when they happened to be crossing a river. They climbed to eight thousand feet, to the top of the gap through which they stumbled over the Owen Stanleys. It took them seven hours to crawl the last two thousand feet. They couldn't march for more than fifteen minutes without lying down and resting. They crossed at a place called Ghost Mountain to which Lutjens devoted a few lines in his diary."

Platoon leader, Lt. Paul Lutjens of Big Rapids wrote: "It was the eeriest place I ever saw. The trees were covered with moss a half foot thick. We would walk along a hogback, straddling the trail with a sheer drop of thousands of feet two feet on either side of us. We kept hearing water running somewhere, but we couldn't find any. We could thrust a stick six feet down in the spongy stuff we were walking on without hitting anything real solid. It was ungodly cold. There wasn't a sign of life. Not a bird. Not a fly. Not a sound. It was the strangest feeling I ever had. If we stopped, we froze. If we moved, we sweated... The men were gaunt and down to a shadow--eyes sunk deep in their heads."

The Australian Government Department of Veterans Affairs noted the battalion which "trekked over a little-known track east of the Kokoda Track" were the soldiers of the 126th that "linked up with the Australians, while other units were flown over the mountains." Louis was with the Aussies at Sanananda.

The bulk of the American soldiers were flown over the mountains to approach coastal targets from the flatlands. Beyond the mountain foothills a flat plain just 5-10' above sea level stretched about seven or eight miles to the beach. The challenging terrain consisted of dense jungle and impenetrable swamp. The Australians described this route as "a trek through jungle and swamp so awful that men were soon 'dog-tired, bone-weary, completely stonkered, fed up to the back teeth and bloody hungry'." Their misery was compounded by an average temperature of 95 degrees, with 85% humidity, and as much as 10" of rain daily.

Two of the three Japanese beach fortifications on the northeast coast of Papua--Buna and Gona--were separately the targets of American and Australian forces. Between those battlefields Sgt. Burnett and his men, who had just emerged from the Kapa Kapa Trail on the 20th, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Australian soldiers. On November 22nd they pressed on towards Sanananda, the third stronghold. Australian Battalions "with the American (2nd) Battalion, 126th Regiment attached, headed for the Sanananda Track... They had two days to traverse 40 miles of hot costal plain, but they were weary and sick, the terrain was rougher than expected, and they found that steel helmets offered no protection from searing sunlight (not encountered in the jungle-clad mountains)."

Approximately three miles inland from Sanananda Point, in an effort to cut off a supply route, the Aussies and the 126th surrounded the enemy in a maneuver dubbed the "Road Block". Fighting was fierce and costly.

Jungle terrain encountered by US troops

General Eichelberger described the hellish circumstances: "Although the 32nd did not have its baptism of fire until mid-November, these troops even then were riddled with malaria, dengue fever, tropical dysentery, and were covered with jungle ulcers. I'll give you personal testimony. Shortly after I arrived in Buna I ordered the medics to take the temperatures of an entire company of hollow-eyed men near the front. Every member--I repeat, every member--of that company was running a fever. Yet to evacuate all those with fever at Buna would have meant immediate victory for the enemy. I had to encourage most of those troops back into combat."

In the USA, November 26, 1942, was Thanksgiving Day. Half a world away, American sons fought the jungle and fought to live. Staff Sgt. Louis Burnett Jr. lost his life, killed in action.

It would be January before the beachhead was captured by the Allies and the Buna-Sanananda operation came to an end. "Among the 126th Infantry Regiment, whose 2nd Battalion had marched over the Kapa Kapa Trail only six weeks earlier, the percentage of loss was even higher," wrote Major General Blakeley. "When the troops arrived in the Buna area had gone into action on 21 November, they included 1,400 troops in their ranks. When they were relieved by the Australian 2/7 Cavalry on 9 January, only 165 men remained, the majority of them scarcely able to walk."

Lou's grieving widow, Caroline, received his Purple Heart.

Remembering
Our Veterans

On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918, in France, the guns of Europe fell silent to end the war "that would end all wars". "The Great War" officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. Fighting ceased seven months earlier when an Armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the allied nations and Germany went into effect on November 11, 1918. On November 12, 1918, our grandfather wrote from "Somewhere in France":

Dearest Mother and All,
Yesterday was one of the most wonderful days that the world has known since the birth of Christ. I know it was a day when the whole world rejoiced.

Sentinel Leader, November 15, 1918:

Victory Day Sunday, November 17. At the Baptist church Sunday night at 7 o'clock instead of having the sermon announced for Sunday night, we will celebrate the victory of the Allies by holding a big patriotic meeting. We will sing national songs, salute the flag, have special music and a patriotic address by the pastor. You are all invited to come and celebrate. You can shout and cheer if you want to do so for we all feel happy.

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11am.

To those who recall the hilarious joy occasioned by the close of the World War, Armistice Day will always remain an outstanding occasion. In the more sober celebration of its anniversary, we pause to honor those brave boys who did not return. This bank will close all day.--Sparta State Bank, November 9, 1933, published in the Sparta Sentinel Leader

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed Armistice Day to Veterans Day. "In order to ensure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citienry will wish to join hands in the common purpose."--Dwight D. Eisenhower

Today we show our appreciation to Veterans by thanking them and asking about their service. We fly the American flag and students in school are encouraged to write letters of thanks to local veterans. Some pause for a moment at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month to thank God for having provided us with the great gift of freedom.

"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them."--Franklin D. Roosevelt

Submitted by Jayne Heath and JoAnne VanderWerff