Page 16
Ohio Valley Military Society
2014
Show of Shows
VETERAN GUESTS
Autograph
NOTE:
A fee may be charged for some veteran autographs.
Herbert J. Suerth Jr
,
was born in October 28, 1924 in Chicago, Il. In June 1942, he graduating from De
Paul Academy, at 17, and then attended Marquette University studying mechanical engineering. At 18,
December , 1 42, he enlisted in the US Army Engineers Corps. He was sent to Fort Belvoir, VA, for basic
training as a combat engineer.
He was shipped overseas on the Queen Mary, July 1944, and arrived in Scotland.
It turned out the Army had a greater need for people toting rifles than people toting slide rules. Herb was
assigned to the 101st Airborne. Chase ended up in the 2nd and Herb in the 101st.
Right around Thanksgiving 1 44, Herb was sent to France to join Easy Company of the 506th Parachute
Regiment of the 101st Airborne. The division resting at Camp Mourmelon near Reims after the tough fight-
ing in Holland. Next he unit moved to Bastogne.
On the morning of December 1 , the trucks stopped just short of Bastogne. The men could hear small arms
fire not far away. The well documented fighting of the 101st at Bastogne, Herb was severely wounded.
Resulting from his combat wounds, Herb never put a foot on the ground for the next nine months. He had
to go through skeletal traction to allow the bones to mend together and not be pulled out of place by the
body’s muscles.
Herb went home on the Queen Elizabeth, and arrived in New York City on April 13, 1945, the day that
President Roosevelt died.
He was taken to Schick Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. He later convalesced at a hospital in Daytona Beach,
Florida. After his nine months being bedridden, he was able to begin rehabilitation and spent an additional
nine months learning to walk again.
Herb was discharged and returned home to Chicago in May 1 46. He soon resumed his education at Mar-
quette where he earned a degree in engineering. He met a nursing student named Monna there, and they
were married in 1 50. The two had nine children and 15 grandchildren.
Herb worked for number of companies through the years including Westinghouse and General Electric. He
was in sales and marketing where he could use his engineering background to good effect. Eventually he
ended up in Minnesota where he was director of Marketing and vice president for Lief Brothers, retiring in
1 0.
The family lived on Lake Minnetonka for years, and now the Suerths live near the lake in Wayzata.
Herb has been active in the Easy Company reunions, and is now president of the Men of Easy Company
made up of the survivors of the company.
George Klein
enlisted in the Illinois National Guard, 122d Field Artillery, a horse drawn unit, in February
1 3 .
The unit was federalized in March 1 41 for one year’s training. In December 1 41, that one year
turned into the duration.
Klein was selected for OCS, Class 25, Ft. Sill, OK, and graduated in August, 1 42 as a 2d Lieutenant. He
was assigned to the 80th Division in Camp Forrest, TN. He attended the 2d Army Ranger School and joined
the 2d Ranger Bn at its inception in March 1 43. He went to Europe and was assigned to the 46th Field
Artillery, 5th Infantry Division. He rejoined the 2d Ranger Bn in February 1 44.
Klein landed on D-Day with the mission to scale the cliffs at Point du Hoc, destroy six large gun emplace-
ments and establish a roadblock on the costal road to prevent German reinforcements from using the road.
The large gun emplacements had been moved. In the second part of the mission, roadblock, Klein and was
wounded on 7 June 1944, and evacuated back to England. After leaving the hospital, he was reassigned
to the 46th FA Bn. Returned to France in July and remained with them as Forward/Air Observer, until again
wounded in November 1944.
Lt. Klein was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with V device, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal
with Oak Leaf Cluster, the French Croix du Guerre, European Theater with Arrow Head and 4 Battle Stars,
and was recommended for the Silver Star.
Autograph