18 of Family In This War
Five Brothers Now Serving Outside U.S.
You can bet your last bottom dollar that if Uncle Sam has a war to be fought, this family of Meyers will be fighting it. Mr. and Mrs. N.J. Meyer, 1048 Mt. Pleasant street [Dubuque], now have five sons on overseas duty, but these boys are only carrying on a tradition established by their father and his six brothers who served in World War I. Eighteen sons of the seven brothers, including the five from the N.J. Meyer family, are now serving in the armed forces of their country.
Sgt. Cletus Meyer, entering the army June 16, 1942, was the first to begin service; joining the army at Fort Dodge and receiving his basic training at Camp Roberts, Calif. After serving in several west coast camps, Cletus traveled east and then was shipped overseas, going to Iran, where he is still serving.
Pvt. Raymond was inducted into the army Dec. 10, 1942, at Camp Dodge, and his basic was received at Camp Callan, Calif. After service in several other Pacific coast camps, he was sent to the Aleutian Islands, where, after nine months of duty, he was wounded, returning to this country last May 8 for convalescence. At present he is at Ft. Bliss, Tex., awaiting reassignment.
Sgt. Elmer entered the army in September, 1943, also at Camp Dodge, but was sent to Camp Gruber, Miss., for basic, afterwards going to Camp Phillips, Md. After being stationed in England, he took part in the D-Day attack on France, where he was wounded July 11, and at present he is in a hospital in England. In a letter from Sgt. Elmer, received by his parents last week, said he was "coming along OK," while a letter from a chaplain-priest stationed at the same hospital assured the anxious parents that Elmer's condition is "definitely not serious any longer."
Tech. Sgt. Clarence, the fourth brother, entered the army at Camp Dodge in December, 1943, and was given his basic training at Camp Lee, Va., and later was taught to become an army baker at Camp Beale, Calif. From Camp Beale he was shipped to the South Pacific.
Pvt. Leonard was the last of the Meyer brothers to go into the service, inducted at Camp Dodge June 20, 1944. After training at Camp Bliss, Tex., he was sent overseas, and his present address is not known to his parents.
Source: Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, August 27, 1944
