Lt. V. A. Meierhenry Memorial Services

Memorial services for Second Lt. Vernon A. Meierhenry, Arlington, will be held at the Telbasta Evangelical church on Sunday, December 17, at 3:00 p.m.

Lt. Meierhenry, a bombardier on a Flying Fortress, was killed in an airplane crash in England on a combat mission that claimed the lives of all his fellow crew members except the pilot.

The Arlington American Legion Post will be in charge of the services. A Chaplain from the Lincoln Army Air Base will be accompanied by a quartet from that base as representatives of the Military. Dean C. K. Burkholder of Midland College will pay tribute to his college accomplishments, and the Rev. Robert A. Jeffrey, Gretna, will picture his high school life. The Rev. Harvey A. Schwab, Winslow, will also participate.

The family requests no flowers.

#2-Arlington Herald 2 Nov 1944

(Photo)

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Meierhenry received a telegram on Tuesday morning telling them of the death of their son, Lt. Vernon Meierhenry, who was killed in action over England on Oct. 15.

Lt. Meierhenry was 21 years old, a graduate of the Arlington schools, and after enlisting was a graduate of the Bombadier school at Childress, Texas, where he received his commission on April 27 of this year.

Besides his parents, he is survived by his wife, the former Mary Casey, now with her parents in Gregory, S.D., and a baby son, born on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Gregory; two brothers Harold, at home, and Wesley of Lincoln, to survive.

American battle Monuments Commission The World War II Honor Roll

Vernon A. Meierhenry

Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces

Service # O-722740

835th Bomber Squadron, 486th Bomber Group, Heavy

Entered the Service form: Nebraska

Died: 15-Oct-44

Buried at: Plot D Row 3 Grave 7 Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England

Awards: Air Medal, Purple Heart

#3-Enterprise 14 Dec 1944

Plan Services In Memory of Lt. Meierhenry

Arlington A. L. In Charge Dean C. K. Burkholder To Pay Tribute

Memorial services for Second Lieutenant Vernon A. Meierhenry, Arlington, will be held at the Telbasta Evangelical Church on Sunday, December 17, at 3:00 P.m. Lt. Meierhenry, a bombardier on a Flying Fortress was killed in an airplane crash in England on a combat mission that claimed the lives of all his fellow crew members except the pilot.

The Arlington American Legion Post will be in charge of the services. A. Chaplain from the Lincoln Army Air Base will be accompanied by a quartet from the base as representatives of the Military. Dean C. . Burkholder of Midland College will pay tribute to his college accomplishments and the Rev. Robert A. Jeffrey, Gretna will picture his high school life. The Rev. Harvey A. Schwab, Winslow will also participate.

The family requests no flowers.

#4-Pilot Tribune 2 Nov 1944

Died Overseas Oct. 15

Lt. Vernon Meierhenry Of Arlington Leaves Wife, Small Son

2nd Lt. Vernon A. Meierhenry, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Meierhenry of Arlington, was killed in action on October 15. He had completed seven missions over German and received the air medal since reaching England on August 29.

Former Midland football player, Lt. Meierhenry was a member of the Midland 1942 “Little Giants”, so-called because they were undefeated throughout that season. He left Midland to enter service February 20, 1943, and received his commission at Childress, Tex. April 29, 1944.

He was married on August 11, 1943, to Miss Mary Casey, Fremont, now living at Gregory, S.D. Also surviving are a son; the parents; and two brothers, Harold Meierhenry of Arlington and W. C. Meierhenry of Lincoln, assistant director of the University of Nebraska extension division.

#5-Pilot Tribune 14 Dec 1944

Memorial Rites are Planned

Will Honor Lt. Vernon A. Meierhenry At Telbasta, Next Sunday

Memorial services for Second Lt. Vernon A. Meierhenry, Arlington , will be held at the Telbasta Evangelical church on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m. Lt. Meierhenry, a bombardier on a Flying Fortress, was killed in an airplane crash in England while on a combat mission. The crash claimed the lives of all his fellow crew members except the pilot.

The Arlington American Legion Post will be in charge of the Telbasta services. Dean C. K. Burkholder of Midland college will pay tribute to Lt. Meierhenry’s college accomplishments, and the Rev. Robert A. Jeffrey of Gretna will picture his high school life. The Rev. Harvey A. Schwab of Winslow will also participate.

Representatives of the military at the services will be a chaplain from the Lincoln Army Air Base accompanied by a quartet, also from that base.

The family has requested that no flowers be sent to the memorial service.

#6-Pilot Tribune 9 Nov 1944

(Photo) (Caption – Pictured above is 2nd Lt. Vernon A. Meierhenry, who was killed in action on October 15 after completing seven missions over German. His wife is the former Mary Casey of Kennard, now of Gregory, S.D. Also surviving are the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Meierhenry of Arlington, and an infant son.

#7-Another Article:

Service picture

Vernon A. Meierhenry

Born August 24, 1922

Killed in Action, England European Theatre, October 15, 1944

Second Lt. Vernon A. Meierhenry, 22, was killed in action in England on October 15, 1944. Lt. Meierhenry was a Bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress and was killed in an airplane crash in England that claimed the lives of all his fellow crew members except the pilot.

Lt. Meierhenry had completed seven missions over Germany and was participating in his eighth combat mission at the time of his death. He had won the Air medal shortly before his death and the Purple Heart has been awarded Posthumously.

He attended and graduated from the Telbasta rural school in 1936 and took his ninth and tenth year at Arlington high school. The following two years he spent at Republican City high school, graduating from that school in 1940. He enrolled in Midland College in the fall of 1940 and continued in his college work there until his call to the service of his country on February 20, 1943, which was the result of his previous enlistment in the Air Corps Reserve on August 24, 1942.

He was orientated into army life at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., and after completing basic training was sent to Carbondale Normal, Carbondale, Ill., where he was a member of a College Training Detachment Unit. Following this training, he was classified as a Bombardier at the San Antonio Classification Center and sent to primary training at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas, followed by advance d training at Childress, Texas. He was graduated a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps at Childress on April 29, 1944.

Lt. Meierhenry was an active participant in many types of activities. As a high school student at Republic City he was a member of all athletic teams. He performed especially well on the football team of 1939, which compiled one of the best records in the school’s history and was one of the leading performers on the basketball team of that same year which gained the semi-finals in the state tournament at Lincoln. He was also active in music and dramatic clubs during his high school career.

At Midland College he was best known for his exploits in connection with the undefeated football team of 1941, the team which was called the “Little Giants” because of its record.

He was married to Mary Casey at Carbondale, Ill., on August 11, 1943.

Lt. Meierhenry joined the Telbasta Evangelical Church in 1934. He attended its services regularly until the time of his call to his country’s service. He enjoyed singing and was a member of the Fontanelle Glee Club and the Carbondale CTD quartet, which sang at many occasions in and around Carbondale. His warm personal qualities and wide interests made him a favorite companion on hunting and fishing trips as well as at social gatherings.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, and an infant son, Mark Vernon; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Meierhenry, and two brothers, Harold and Wesley.

#8-14 Dec., 1944 - The Enterprise

PLAN SERVICES IN MEMORY OF LT. MEIERHENRY

Arlington A. L. In Charge Dean C. K. Burkholder To Pay Tribute

Memorial services for Second Lieutenant Vernon A. Meierhenry, Arlington, will be held at the Telbasta Evangelical Church on Sunday, December 17, at 3:00 p.m. Lt. Meierhenry, a bombardier on a Flying Fortress, was killed in an airplane crash in England on a combat mission that claimed the lives of all his fellow crew members except the pilot.

The Arlington American Legion Post will be in charge of the services. A Chaplain from the Lincoln Army Air Base will be accompanied by a quartet from that base as representative of the Military. Dean C. K. Burkholder of Midland College will pay tribute to his college accomplishments, and the Rev. Robert A. Jeffrey, Gretna, will picture his high school life. The Rev. Harvey A. Schwab, Winslow, will also participate.

The family requests no flowers.

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