Name Iowa Men Held Prisoners
Navy, Was Department List Men of City and the Area
Washington -- The navy department announced Thursday the names of 1,044 United States Navy personnel, including six Iowans, held as prisoners of war by the Japanese, mostly in the Philippine Islands.
Iowans listed were:
LeRoy F. Barber, gunner’s mate, son of Mrs. Nora Barber, 920 Wright Avenue, Sioux City;
Milford Nielsen, yeoman, son of Mrs. Hattie Westphalen, Hartley;
John W. Reimer, Jr. aviation chief metalsmith, son of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Reimer, Sr., Havelock;
Steve M. Sorensen, chief boatswain’s mate, brother of Hans K. Sorensen, 123 S. Davidson Street, Sioux City;
Rudolph P. Steck, chief commissary steward, son of Mr. Carrie Garber, 416 S. Lafayette Street, Sioux City;
William B. Westerberg, boilermaker, son of John A. ; Westerberg, Hinton.
Washington – The war department has announced the following Iowas as being held prisoners of war by Italy:
Private Milford W. Beldt, son of Mrs. Albona Beldt, route 1, Sheldon;
Corporal Arthur P. Clemitson, son of Halvor A. Clemitson, route 2, Graettinger;
Private Marion DeVries, son of Mrs. Jennie DeVries, route 2, Orange City;
Private Delbert J. Beirne, son of Mrs. Bright A. Beirne, Denison;
Corporal Richard A. Lavrenz, son of Fred W. Lavrenz, Burt;
Private Mervin L. Thompson, son of Lewis Thompson, Okoboji.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, May 14, 1943
IOWANS FREED.
News has been received of the following Iowans who have been liberated from German prison camps:
AMES—Mr. and Mrs. Ray Cook have been informed that their son, Second Lt. Ray Cook jr., has been freed from a German prison camp. He was a co-pilot on a B-17 bomber and was shot down over Berlin last Dec. 5.
MILFORD—Edwin Winker, son of Mrs. Kate Winker, has wired from New York that he will be home soon. He had been a prisoner of the Germans since the battle for Metz last fall.
OKOBOJI—Merwin (sic Mervin?) Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Thompson, arrived home Wednesday. He had been a German prisoner since his capture in the African campaign.
Source: Des Moines Tribune, June 15, 1945
THREE OKOBOJI VETERANS RETURN HOME
Okoboji residents celebrated an impromptu Old Home Week recently when numerous service men arrived home, some of them from German prisoner of war camps. Others are expected to arrive home soon. Three youths arrived from the west coast on Friday and T-Sgt. Ernest K. Harker arrived that day from two years in a prison camp. On Tuesday S-Sgt. Scott Menefee arrived home after a year’s absence, five months of it in a German prison camp. Jack Gipner’s arrival from England where he was with the air force, is expected daily. First home was Mervin Thompson, who had been a prisoner since the African fighting. Also among the first home was Lt. William Metz, a Sioux City youth, whose parents live near The Inn each season.
Source: The Milford Mail, Milford, Iowa, Thursday, June 28, 1945, Pages 1 & 8
Merwin Lewis Thompson was born Nov. 22, 1917 to Lewis and Ruby LaRue Jones Thompson. He died Sept. 18, 2008 and is buried in Auburndale, FL.
Source: ancestry.com
