Marcellus H. (Sam) Schrad

World War II

Sam Schrad was born on January 19, 1923, near Arcadia to Clem and Emma (Leiting) Schrad. He attended school in Halbur and graduated from Carroll High School with the class of 1941. When he registered for the military draft on June 30, 1942, he was employed by his father on the family farm.

Sam was inducted into the US Army on March 7, 1945, at Fort Snelling near Minneapolis, MN. He was assigned serial number 37 789 707. He was sent to Camp Hood near Killeen, TX for basic training. The length of time spent at Camp Hood suggests it was also the location of advanced training that led to his qualification as a clerk-typist. While at Camp Hood, Sam was part of Company D, 149th Battalion of the 90th Infantry Regiment.

The German surrender on May 8, 1945, and the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, occurred while Sam was in Texas. On August 25, 1945, he was transferred to Fort Ord, CA where he was assigned to Company A, 6th Regiment of AGFRD #2 (Army Ground Forces Replacement Depot) in preparation to be sent overseas.

On August 31, 1945, Sam was assigned to Casual Company 51, 3rd Platoon and sent to the Philippine Islands. At that time, the voyage would have taken about one month. When he arrived in the Philippines, he was assigned to the US Sixth Army, 29th Replacement Depot.

The US Sixth Army had been involved in the fighting to retake the Philippines and then began training for the invasion of Japan. The atomic bomb attacks in early August made that invasion unnecessary. When Sam arrived, the Sixth Army was involved in the many facets of the occupation of Japan. Sam was stationed in the Philippine capital of Manila and nothing has been found to suggest he in was in Japan.

By December, 1945, Sam was returning to the United States arriving on December 17. He was ultimately discharged from the US Army on December 3, 1946, at Fort Meade near Baltimore, MD as a PFC (private first class). He returned to Carroll County to farm with his father.

On October 7, 1947, Sam was married to Edna Heithoff at Sacred Heart Church in Templeton. The 1950 census indicates the couple was farming near Halbur and later Wall Lake. In 1960, the family moved to Templeton and Sam was employed by Ocken Construction. He operated the tavern in Templeton from 1967 to 1970. He then worked for the City of Templeton.

Sam died at the VA Hospital in Des Moines on October 18, 1979 at age 56. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.