Edwin Arthur Kendall was born on January 31, 1921, at Ethan, Davison County, South Dakota, the son of Arthur and Myrtle Kendall. He had two brothers: Garland and Roland, and a sister, Lenore. After graduating from Ethan High School, Edwin went to work at the Mitchell Produce Co. He was married to Loretta Wittenhagen, but they had no children.
Edwin Kendall was ?inducted into the armed forces from Mitchell March 19, 1944.? According to the Daily Republic, Pfc. Kendall completed basic training at Camp Roberts in California.
On April 10, 1945, Loretta Kendall received the following letter, which reads, in part: ?It is with regret that I am writing to confirm the recent telegram informing you of the death of your husband, Private First Class Edwin A. Kendall, 37,595,122, Infantry, who was killed in action on 27 March 1945 in Germany.?
In June of 1945, Mrs. Kendall received the Purple Heart medal that had been posthumously awarded to her husband, Pfc. Edwin Kendall. In addition, the chaplain of his company provided details of Kendall?s death:
Pfc. Kendall had crossed the Rhine river with his unit and had been left as a guide for the
remainder of the organization as it came over from the west bank. An enemy artillery shell
burst near him and he was killed by a fragment which struck him in the back.
After the war, Edwin?s body was returned to the United States, where a memorial service was held at the Methodist Church in Mitchell. It was a ?packed house,? as friends and family paid last respects. Edwin Kendall was buried at the military cemetery at Mitchell with full military honors.
This entry was respectfully submitted by Sheila Hansen, Fallen Sons State Coordinator, Spearfish, SD. Information for this entry was provided by the Daily Republic, 4/12/45 and 6/12/45 issues, an application for a SD veteran?s bonus payment, and his sister, Lenore Moquist, Watertown, SD
(http://vetaffairs.sd.gov/sdwwiimemorial/SubPages/profiles/Display.asp?P=1000)