William A. Distelhorst, Jr.

 Private First Class

United States Army

William, the son of William and Mildred E. Gysin Distelhorst, was born on the family’s farm northeast of Burlington, Iowa on 23 February 1925.

He attended rural schools in the Burlington area and graduated from Burlington High School on 6 June 1942.  William was active in his community, serving as president of the Junior Judges 4-H club.

William entered the service on 23 August 1943, at Camp Dodge, Iowa.  He took his basic training at Camp Fanin, Texas and advanced training in the Hawaiian Islands.  He left for the Pacific Theater of Operations in March 1944, where he was 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division.  An infantryman, William saw action on Guam and in the Ormac and Leyte campaigns.  In a War Department telegram, William’s parents were notified that he was Killed-In-Action at Ishimi, Okinawa on 17 April 1945.

William was survived by his parents; sister Bonnie Jean; two brothers Donald and James, all at home; and his grandmother, Mrs. Ida Gysin.

After the war, William’s family requested that his remains be returned to Burlington.  On 23 March 1949, Private First Class William A. Distelhorst, Jr., United States Army, was buried with military honors in Burlington’s Memorial Park Cemetery.

Among his awards and decorations is the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

Source of information:

1.  National World War II Memorial veteran’s registry; http://www.wwiimemorial.com

2.  1942 Pathfinder Yearbook, Burlington High School, page 15.

3.  Des Moines County Iowa Veterans Buried with Markers, compiled by the Des Moines County Genealogical Society, 1984.

4.  The Burlington Hawkeye Gazette, 4 June 1945, page 2.

5.  Letter from James Distelhorst on 23 February 2005.  James is William’s brother.

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