John H. Buelt
World War II
John Buelt was born on April 7, 1905, near Templeton to Henry and Elizabeth (Soppe) Buelt. Henry Buelt was a German immigrant. John was one of 13 children and he attended school in Templeton. By 1935, he was employed as a farm laborer near Breda, IA.
John registered for the military draft on October 16, 1940, and was still employed in Breda. He was inducted into the US Army on March 1, 1942, in Des Moines. At 36 years of age, he would have been older than most recruits. He was assigned serial number 37115278. He was transported to Camp Bowie in central Texas for initial training. By September, 1942, he had been assigned to Battery B, 117th Field Artillery Regiment of the 31st Infantry Division. The battery was equipped with 155mm howitzers.
The 31st Division was nicknamed “Dixie” and was initially formed by the Alabama National Guard. The 31st Division was trained at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, MS. During this time, John was promoted to Private First Class. This phase of training was complete by August, 1943. After some time spent in Louisiana, the Division moved on to Camp Pickett near Blackstone, VA in late November, 1943. There they experienced a full course of amphibious and mountain training in anticipation of their transfer to the Southwest Pacific. This area was under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. Their training was complete by March 5, 1944.
It is unknown how they transited from Virginia. The 31st Division arrived in Oro Bay on the southeast coast of New Guinea on April 24, 1944, and were given additional amphibious training. Their first combat experience came as they relieved the 6th Infantry Division in the Sarmi-Wakde Island area on July 18. They experienced sporadic skirmishes with the Japanese while building roads, bridges and docks. By mid-August, they left the Aitape and Maffin Bay area to prepare for a landing on Morotai.
Morotai is an island in what was then the Netherlands East Indies south of the Philippine Islands. The 31st Division made a full landing assault on September 15, 1944, and was met with light resistance. The Division captured the airfield but did not attempt to occupy the entire island. As a result, the US Army troops experienced frequent harassing attacks for the remainder of the war. By April, 1945, the Division was preparing to land on Mindanao as a part of the liberation of the Philippines. However, John was sent back to the US by April 10, 1945, and was not part of that action.
John was next a patient at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center near Denver, CO. The nature of his injury or illness is unknown. He received a medical discharge on September 1, 1945. He returned to Breda and farming. He never married. Later in his life, he moved into Breda. He died in Carroll on August 6, 1966 at age 61. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.