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| Pvt. Dale Kunkel served with the 99th Infantry Division when it crossed the Rhine at the Ludendorff Bridge. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37302532/dale-adolph-kunkel https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/assault-on-ludendorff-bridge-the-first-allied-crossing-of-the-rhine/ |
Dale Adolph Kunkel never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on January 26, 1919 in Oyens, Iowa. His parents Frank and Clara were born in Wisconsin and Iowa, respectively. His paternal grandparents were from Germany. His father worked as a farmer. Dale had three older brothers, five older sisters, and one younger sister. By 1940 Dale had completed three years of high school and was the last of the Kunkel children still living at home. He married Delores Masuen on June 10, 1940. They would have two sons. His mother died the following January.
He was drafted into the army on March 31, 1944. He became a private in Company A, 1st Battalion, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. He joined his unit as a replacement in January 1945.
The 99th ID crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen beginning on March 11, 1945, the first complete American division to cross the Rhine River. Pvt. Kunkel was wounded while crossing the bridge two days later. He was sent to a series of hospitals on the continent before being sent to a hospital in England where he succumbed to his wounds on June 4, 1945.
His grave is at Calvary Cemetery in Le Mars, Iowa. His widow remarried and died in 2018 at age 98.
Last year on this date I profiled Elmo Koehler, 82nd Airborne Division who fought in Normandy. You can read about Elmo here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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