Bernard “Ben” Willenborg

World War I

Ben Willenborg was born near Dedham on April 17, 1894, to Henry and Wilhelmina (Minnie) (Scharnagel) Willenborg. His father was an immigrant from Oldenburg, Germany. The family moved to a farm east of Templeton in 1902. His older brother George also served in the US Army during World War I.

Ben was inducted into the US Army on May 27, 1918, and was assigned serial number 3226504. His induction was a few months prior to his older brother. He was sent to Camp Dodge near Des Moines for training. He was assigned to Company G, 349th Infantry Regiment of the 88th Infantry Division. This Division had been formed at Camp Dodge and, by August, 1918, was ready for transit to Europe.

Ben and his unit were transported to New York and they boarded the “Olympic” on August 9, 1918 in New York Harbor. They sailed to Southhampton, England landing on August 16. The Regiment continued on to Le Havre, France over the next three days and settled near Semur in the heart of Cote d’Or for additional training. The 349th Infantry was sent to Alsace in far northeastern France by early October even though they still lacked certain equipment. On October 12, the 350th and 351st Regiments went into the trenches while the 349th and 352nd were held in reserve immediately to the rear. That night the Germans attacked and the 88th Division experienced its first casualties.

There was little hostile action for the rest of October and the 349th Regiment went into the trenches on October 29 to relieve the 350th Regiment. Minor skirmishes were repulsed before the 88th Division was moved to the Toul sector. No further hostile actions were encountered by the 349th Regiment. After the Armistice was signed, the Division went to the Gondrecourt area where they provided security services and underwent additional training. When it became apparent that transport back to the US would not be immediate, the Division also organized numerous sporting events and schools for the men.

On May 19, 1919, the 349th Infantry sailed for the US from St. Nazaire, France aboard the “Ryndam.” Ben had been promoted to Private First Class. They arrived in Hoboken, NJ on May 30 and were sent to Camp Merritt, NJ for processing. They were then sent on to Camp Dodge and were part of a large parade in Des Moines upon their arrival. Ben was discharged from Camp Dodge on June 11, 1919.

He returned to farming and, on May 30, 1922, he married Mayme Kettman of Templeton. Both the father of the bride and the father of the groom were from Oldenburg, Germany. A year later, Ben’s older brother George married Mayme’s sister Catherine. Ben and Mayme farmed near Templeton and Dedham until moving to their permanent residence in 1929. They farmed there until retiring to Templeton in 1960. Ben died in Carroll on April 8, 1972 at age 77.