(Photo of grave site funeral; Caption: A member of the military honor guard folds the flag which was presented to Sgt. Bull’s mother, Mrs. Richard Bull.)

Sgt. Kenneth Bull Buried With Military Rites

Military services were accorded Sgt. Kenneth Bull Tuesday afternoon when burial rites for Washington County’s fifth casualty of the Vietnam war were carried out. Sgt. Bull lost his life two weeks ago today.

Services were held at the First Lutheran Church in Blair with the Rev. George Pallesen in charge.

Sgt. Bull was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bull of Blair, Route 1. A detailed account of his life appeared in the April 24th issue of The Enterprise.

Pilot Tribune 28 April 1969

City To Pause Tuesday For Military Rites Of Sgt. Bull

Kenneth Bull Is County’s Fifth Casualty Of Vietnam War

Residents of Blair will pause Tuesday to honor Sgt/Kenneth Bull, who gave his life a week ago in Vietnam in the interest of his country.

Funeral services for Sgt. Bull have been scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon at 2 P.M. at the First Lutheran Church in Blair. The Rev. George Pallesen will conduct the service and burial will be made in the Blair cemetery under the direction of the Campbell Mortuary.

An honor guard from Ft. Riley, Kansas will have a part in the service and there will be honorary pallbearers in addition to the regular pallbearers of local friends of the deceased service man.

The request for the stores to close has been issued jointly by Mayor Harvey Simpson and the Blair Chamber of Commerce. Stores will re-open at 3:00 o’clock following the services.

Shoppers to Blair are asked to bear the closing hour in mind when arranging their day.

A complete obituary of Sgt. Bull’s life appeared in last Thursday’s issue of The Enterprise.

Enterprise 24 April 1969

(Veteran) (Photo in Army Uniform)

Sgt. Kenneth Bull Is Latest War Casualty Of This Area

Total of Five Have Given Their Lives In Country’s Service

Sgt. Kenneth Richard Bull, 21-year-old youth of the Blair area, is this county’s latest casualty of the Vietnam war. News of his death reached the Blair area Sunday. He was injured in combat late Wednesday, April 16th. Sgt. Bull is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bull of Route 1, Blair.

Sgt. Bull’s death brings the county’s war casualties to five. Four men have been lost in actual combat. One has died while in the service.

Wesley Sperling, of Arlington was this county’s first combat casualty. Milo Clements, of Blair, was killed in action only last month and Sgt. Bull’s death, which took place while in active fighting, brings the number to three.

Mike Soderstrom, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Soderstrom who formerly lived in Blair, was also killed in active fighting in Vietnam. Mike was a graduate of Blair High School. The Soderstroms now live in Honolulu.

Randy Draper, another Blair High School graduate, died while in military training in this country. While he did not die in active fighting the war was responsible for his being in military training at the time of his death. Randy is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Draper, former Blair residents who now live in Red Oak, Iowa.

Members of Sgt. Bull’s family have prepared the following details of his life:

Sgt. Kenneth Richard Bull, son of Richard and Verna Bull of Rt. 1, Blair, Nebr. lost his life in Vietnam at 9:00 P.M., April 17, Vietnam time. Upon personal request the Army Headquarters confirmed the date and time of death according to Central Stand time in the United States would be 6:00 A.M., April 16th.

Kenneth was born in Omaha on August 16, 1947 and lived with his parents near Elkhorn. He began his education in the Elkhorn Public School. The family moved to a farm north of Valley in 1953. In 1955 the family moved to their present home north of Blair in the Pleasant View Dist. He attended Blair High School where he participated in football and took part in both his Junior and Senior Class plays. He graduated in the spring of 1965.

He was received into membership of the first Lutheran Church at Blair by confirmation in May, 1961.

In January, 1966 he continued his education at the Nebr. Vocational School at Milford, Nebr., graduating from a course in Body and Fender technology in June, 1967. He practiced his trade in Hastings and then Kearney before being called by the draft November 16, 1967.

Ken took his basic training at Ft. Lewis, Washington and his advanced training at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Aftr spending about three weeks leave with his family, he was sent overseas on April 29 for Vietnam. He was stationed with the 199 Lt. Infantry Brigade. For the most part he served in the area around Saigon. Ken received two R & R trips to Singapore. One last fall, and the second one in March. About March 5th he received his Sergeants rating, and was in charge of his platoon when he was killed while on a combat operation when a booby trap detonated.

Ken was 21 years 8 months of age at the time of his death. He is survived by his parents, one sister Cathy of 4106 Cumings St. Omaha, two brothers Keith and Kirk at home, his maternal grandfather, Paul Kruse, of Rt. 6, Omaha, and his paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Bull of Elkhorn, Nebr.

The date for the funeral has not been set, but the services will be held at the First Lutheran Church with Pastor George Pallesen officiating. Committal will be at the Blair Cemetery. Campbell Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Casualty Record for Kenneth R Bull

General/Personal

Home Blair, Nebraska

Birth Date 1947-08-16

Sex Male

Race Caucasian

Married/Single Single

Religion Lutheran & Missouri Synod

Citizen Yes

Military

Service Army

Rank SGT

Serial Number 56544378

Component Selective Service

Grade E5

MOS 11B40

Length of Service 01

Start of Tour 1968-04-27

Casualty

Casualty Date 1969-04-17

Casualty Type Hostile, Died

Reason Other Explosive Device

Air or Ground Ground Casualty

Country South Vietnam

Province Gia Dinh

Posthumous Promotion No change

Body Recovered Body recovered

Location on The Wall Panel 27W-Row 098

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~