Unexpected Reunion After 3 Years
When two seamen first class walked without warning into the Henkel home at 1327 Twenty-Third Street, on October 22, it meant the reunion of three brothers who had not seen one another since Donald C., the oldest, entered the army April 22, 1941.
The boys are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Henkel. Lyle and Leon who are twins enlisted in the navy together September 9, 1942, and served together until they received their separation papers at Minneapolis in October.
Donald received his basic training at Camp Claiborne, La., and was assigned to the 53d medical corps with which he was sent to Belfast, Ireland and later to England. In March 1944, his outfit was sent to the European theater of operations in Normandy, northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe, first with the First army and later with the Third. On V-E Day he was in Pilzen, Czechoslovakia. He received the presidential unit citation, good conduct award, American defense, European theater, Middle Eastern theater ribbons with a silver battle star, five bronze stars and six overseas service bars. He received his honorable discharge July 6, 1945.
Leon Eugene and Lyle Gene had their basic training at Great Lakes and their first assignment was aboard the destroyer S.S. Charles F. Hughes. They served in the Atlantic theater 14 months and were then sent to the pacific where they served for the same length of time.
During operations off Mindoro in the Philippines Lyle was wounded. He was hospitalized aboard the ship so that even then the brothers were not separated. The boys have the same decorations except that Lyle wears the Purple Heart. They received the European-African-Middle Eastern ribbon, the Asiatic-Pacific ribbon, American defense and Philippean liberation bars with seven battle stars.
Since returning to Sioux City the three brothers are employed by the Johnson Biscuit Company.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, November 30, 1945 (photo included)
