Louis H. Kalkhoff – World War I
Frank X. Sporrer – World War I
Henry J. Uhlenkamp – World War I
George J. Willenborg – World War I

These four soldiers were inducted into the US Army from Templeton on August 13, 1918, along with 29 other Carroll County boys. Two of these individuals, one from Lanesboro and one from Halbur, were victims of the Spanish flu epidemic and did not survive to return home. The remaining men were unique in that they spent their entire time in the service together.

Louis Kalkhoff was born on November 28, 1888, near Templeton to Louis and Elizabeth (Lohaus) Kalkhoff. He was the oldest of the three Kalkhoff brothers to serve in WWI. His parents were both German immigrants. He was assigned serial number 3013882.

Frank Sporrer was born on April 26, 1893, in Rochester, NY to Wenz and Jacobina (Luebbert) Sporrer. His parents were also German immigrants. The family moved to a farm southeast of Templeton in 1896. He was assigned serial number 3013888.

Henry Uhlenkamp was born on July 26, 1892, near Templeton to Herman and Elizabeth (Meis) Uhlenkamp who were both German immigrants. Herman was from Oldenburg, Germany. Elizabeth died in 1917 just as the US was entering the war. Henry was assigned serial number 3013892.

George Willenborg was born on September 25, 1891, near Dedham to Henry and Wilhelmina (Minnie) (Scharnagel) Willenborg. Henry was a German immigrant also from Oldenburg, Germany. George’s early years were spent in Dedham and Templeton and he was listed as a Templeton resident when he was inducted. He was assigned serial number 3013886.

On August 13, 1918, these four men boarded a train in Carroll. Their destination was Camp Forrest, GA. Camp Forrest was one of three military training posts that had been built on the Chickamauga Civil War battlefield in far northwest Georgia near the Tennessee border. It was adjacent to Fort Oglethorpe which was holding German prisoners of war. Camp Forrest was the smallest of the three camps and was designed for training engineers.

The contingent from Carroll County was assigned to the 468th Engineers Pontoon Train. This unit had a variety of tasks to perform including building pontoon bridges across water and repairing damaged bridges. The unit included a large number of wagons and horses to accomplish its mission. While most soldiers in WWI held the rank of Private, these men held the rank of Wagoner. Wagoners were typically responsible for maintaining a team of horses, wagons and other equipment. It would seem these four farm boys would not have needed a great deal of training for this job.

When their training at Camp Forrest was complete, they were transported to Camp Merritt, NJ for transit to Europe. On September 29, 1918, they boarded the USS Leviathan in Hoboken, NJ. This ship had formerly been the German liner Vaterland and was among the fastest liners in the world. During the voyage, a serious Spanish flu outbreak occurred resulting in so many deaths that turning back to the US was considered. However, another ship was met that was returning to the US and the bodies were transferred. Louis Kalkhoff’s brother Bernard died of pneumonia in France on October 4. His brother Henry was wounded the next day, both events unknown to him at the time. The USS Leviathan continued on landing at Brest, France in mid-October.

The 468th Engineers Pontoon Train was sent to Bannes, France (about 60 miles east of Paris) for additional training. They were scheduled for active service at the front on November 15 as a part of the planned attack on the city of Metz. The defeat of the German army on November 11 meant these soldiers missed combat action by four days.

The unit was involved in occupation duties and, as an engineer unit, found no lack of projects. The unit was ordered back to the US departing St. Nazaire, France on February 23, 1919, aboard the US liner Mongolia. They arrived in New York, NY on March 7, 1919. They were taken by train to Camp Dodge, IA and discharged on March 18, 1919.

Louis Kalkhoff returned to Templeton and was engaged in farming. He never married. He farmed until 1948 when he moved into Templeton. He died at home on December 20, 1950 at age 62. He is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.

Frank Sporrer returned to Templeton and was engaged in farming. He married Clara Kemper on September 18, 1923. He died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Omaha on November 8, 1947 at age 54. He is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.

Henry Uhlenkamp returned to Templeton. He had married Anna Lohaus on March 26, 1918 before being inducted into the US Army. They moved to Morgan, MN in 1921 and were engaged in farming until 1960 when they moved into Morgan. Henry died on May 5, 1963 at age 70. He is buried in St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery in Morgan, MN.

George Willenborg returned to Templeton and was engaged in farming. He married Catherine Kettman on April 9, 1923. Her father had been from Oldenburg, Germany just as was his own father. They farmed between Templeton and Dedham until moving to a farm north of Dedham in 1926. He died in Dedham on October 6, 1969 at age 78. He is buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Dedham.