JOINS WAVES—LeMars, Ia.—Special: Edna Margaret Groetken, the first Plymouth county young woman to enlist in the WAVES, has received her orders to report for active duty. She will go to Hunter college, New York, to begin her training. Her brother, who enlisted in the Navy a month ago at Sioux City, is now at the Great Lakes Naval training station. They are the only children of Mr. and Mrs. N. F. Groetken, of LeMars.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, (unknown date of publication) photo included
YOU BUY THE BONDS TO ENABLE THESE COUNTY BOYS AND GIRLS TO CARRY ON
Source: LeMars Globe-Post,
June 12, 1944
She's an Iowa Legionnaire
Only woman veteran of World War II in attendance at the American Legion convention in Sioux City last week was Edna M. Groetken, 25, Le Mars, who was sworn into the WAVES Jan. 11, 1943, the same day her brother entered navy service. While attending storekeeper's school in Boston, Mass., she suffered a back injury which kept her confined in navy hospitals for seven months before she was given a medical discharge last Dec. 24. She is employed at the Sioux City army air base.
Source: The Des Moines Register, August 27, 1944 (photo included)
Miss Edna Groetken, only woman member of the LeMars Wasmer post of the American Legion, a Wave with 12 months service, is one of the newer legion members at the Eighth district legion convention session here today.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, October 15, 1945 (photo included)
***Further Research:
Edna Margaret Groetken was born June 21, 1919 to Henry F. and Mayme Franklin Groetken. She died May 7, 2007 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, LeMars, IA.
Source: ancestry.com
