Louis Boell

Louis Boell


Louis Boell, oldest son of Paul & Helen (Baumhover) Boell, was inducted into the U.S. Army March 8, 1951, and received his honorable discharge March 4, 1953, serving in the Korean War. He became a life member of the V.F.W. Post 3517 at Manning, and served as Commander of post for two terms, 1972-1974. He was a commander of the Manilla American Legion Post 132 in 1982.
PFC Louis Henry Boell
Louis was inducted into the US Army on March 8, 1951. He was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas for basic training. In December of 1951 his unit was sent to Ft. Lawton, Washington, to prepare to be transferred overseas to Korea. This was during the Korean War conflict. After a week at Ft. Lawton, on December 26, 1951, they boarded a Navy troop ship bound for Korea. The seas were rough and they encountered terrible storms and everyone on board was sick, including the sailors.
After a week on the stormy seas they pulled into the harbor at Whittier, Alaska. There Louis was told that his orders had changed. While the rest of the troops would be going on to Korea, he was told to disembark and he boarded a narrow gauge train bound for Ladd Air Force Base at Fairbanks, Alaska.

When he arrived in Fairbanks he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Their mission was to guard the base for 48 hours in case of attack until backup forces could arrive. He was assigned to the Heavy Mortar Company. Days were spent going out to the field on training missions where they were trained to traverse the mountainous terrain over the ice and snow on cross country skis and practice target shooting with 4.2 heavy mortars. These were loaded by hand and one day one of the cannons jammed. When it finally went off it exploded and sparks flew out. Louis was hit in the face with the shrapnel.

Temperatures during this time of years were frequently as cold as 60 degrees below zero. Annual snowfall averaged 60 inches. Once it started snowing, it did not melt again until the spring thaw. But, there was hardly any wind, the snow would fall straight down and pile up where it fell.
After three months in the Heavy Mortar Company he was transferred to the motor pool. The motor pool at Ladd was responsible for hauling ammunition from the train to the planes at the Air Force base. From there, the ammo was shipped to Korea. The ammunition that was not loaded onto planes was stockpiled on the base. They also hauled the troops out to the field for maneuvers and when they were complete they would go out and pick them up and bring them back to the base.

In June, once the snow and ice had melted, all of the new drivers had to take a driving test. If they failed to complete the test, they were not allowed to continue as truck drivers. The test consisted of driving the truck down the side of a small mountain, turning around, and then coming back up. Louis was one of the few who were able to complete the test successfully, so the rest of his Army career was spent as a truck driver.

In September of 1952 the army completed the construction of an ammunition bunker in the foot of a mountain, and then they began hauling ammunition and bombs to this bunker for storage. When the trucks left Ladd AFB they were given a password, which was needed when they reached the bunker before they could gain access. One day, after Louis left the base, the password got changed. When he reached the bunker in the mountain, they asked him for his password and he told them what he had been instructed to say, not knowing that it had changed after he had left. He was held under armed guard in the office until his company commander arrived to have him released. Sometimes they would take the troops out as far north as the roads were built at that time. This was above the timber line, close to the Arctic Circle at Circle City, Alaska.

The Air Force pilots flew reconnaissance missions 24 hours a day west to Nome and out over the Bering Strait looking for movements of Russian troops. When the army men were off duty they were allowed to accompany the pilots on their surveillance maneuvers. One day Louis decided that he would like to fly along on one of these missions. The pilots liked to see what they could do to scare the army men by doing rolls and flying upside down and in loops. After one of these missions, Louis decided that staying landlocked during his time off seemed like a lot better idea.

One day, during the winter of 1952-53, Louis found an Alaskan Malamute puppy wandering in the streets. He adopted the puppy and had him for about three months and in March he was asked if he wanted to reenlist. At that time, Alaska was still a territory. It was not granted statehood until 1959. He was told that if he reenlisted, that he would receive 160 acres of Alaskan land as a signing bonus. But, he elected to come home instead. He wanted to take his puppy with him, but since Alaska was not yet a state, he was not allowed to import the puppy into the country and he had to leave it in Alaska. He was sent to Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was honorably discharged on March 4, 1953.


In Loving Memory Louis Henry Boell

Officiating REVEREND ROSS FRITZ
Congregational Hymns "HOW GREAT THOU ART" "AMAZING GRACE" "ON EAGLE'S WINGS"
CARLYS STRIBE, ORGANIST
Casket Bearers: JAMES BOELL, CURTIS BOELL, KENNETH BOELL JR., ANDREW BOELL, ALAN BOELL, MICHAEL BOELL, DUANE BOELL
Interment with Military Honors MANNING CEMETERY, MANNING, IOWA
AMERICAN LEGION POSTS 22 AND 132
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS POST 3517
Visitation Thursday August 30, 2012, 4 p.m. at Ohde Funeral Home, Manning
Funeral Service Friday August 31, 2012, 10:30 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Manilla, Iowa
Visitation will resume after 9:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Manilla, Iowa
Interment Friday August 31, 2012 at Manning Cemetery

Louis Henry, son of Paul and Helen (Baumhover) Boell, was born March 11, 1929, at Carroll, Iowa. Louis was baptized in 1930 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. He attended country school north of Manning through the eighth grade and then worked on his family's farm. Louis entered the United States Army in March of 1951 and served in Alaska driving trucks that transported nuclear weapons. Following his honorable discharge in March of 1953 he returned to the area of his youth and began farming.

On December 15, 1954, Louis was united in marriage with Lucille Agnes Lamp at Zion Lutheran Church in Manning. One daughter, Brenda, was welcomed to this family. The couple farmed southeast of Manning and then north of Manilla. In 1983 Louis retired from farming and held a number of jobs in the area, including R.L. Kraft, M.A.C., Henningson Construction, Aspinwall Co-Op and RJV Trucking. He finally retired to his farm at the age of 80.

Louis was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Manilla. He was active on the ceremonial teams and served as commander for the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Manning and Manilla. Louis always had a soft spot in his heart for animals, especially dogs and horses. Along with his wife and daughter, he was actively engaged in the Manilla Rough Riders Saddle Club, serving as its President.

On Monday, August 27, 2012, Louis died suddenly and unexpectedly at his home near Manilla, Iowa. He was 83 years, 5 months and 16 days of age.

Louis is preceded in death by his parents; wife Lucille in 1990; brother Robert Boell and sister-in-law Margaret Boell.

He is survived by his daughter Brenda Boell and her partner John Hinrichsen of Ames; siblings: Richard Boell of Schleswig; Ella Mae Muenchow (Jon) of Arcadia; and Kenneth Boell (Cherryl) of Manilla; sister-in-law Ruth Boell of Manilla; nieces and nephews; other relatives; two dogs: Chip and his special buddy Toby; and friends.