Sgt. Hetherton Tells About Wounds
The Purple Heart has been awarded to Sgt. Kenneth Hetherton, Waterloo, who is now in the 83rd General hospital in England recovering from wounds in the legs, back and left shoulder suffered while fighting in Germany, it was announced Friday in an official dispatch.
Commander of a medium tank, the Waterloo soldier landed with his battalion on D-day and spear-headed a drive cutting off the Brest peninsula and then returned to take part in the bitter fighting preceding the breath-through at St. Lo. From there he moved across France and through Belgium and Holland into Germany.
"After forcing our way through Holland, I spent 20 days with my unit wrecking pill boxes in Germany and then I was wounded," Sergeant Hetherton is quoted as saying.
"We had moved back into a deserted city for a rest and were being shelled by heavy artillery," he continued. "We stayed in our tanks or under good protection. An enemy tank was reported in a side street of the city and a party of us went reconnoitering to determine the safest way to eliminate it.
"An artillery shell landed close by wounding me. The rest of the party carried me to medical aid men who took good care of me, having me back at the hospital in a couple of hours," he concluded.
Sergeant Hetherton's parents, Mr. and Mrs. George E. Hetherton, and his wife and son all reside at 231 Cottage street.
Source: Waterloo Daily Courier, January 1, 1945, pg. 3
George Kenneth Hetherton
Born: 13 Nov 1918
Died: 05 Mar 1991
Source: World War II Bonus Case File; ancestry.com
