Capitaine Jack R. Klinger

Jack R Klinger was born in October 20, 1920 in Pueblo, Colorado. His father, Ralph Klinger was a German immigrant who fled from his country for 20 years. He had married and was living in Pueblo, Colorado. Unfortunately, when he was over 6 months old, Jack lost his mother. His father married a schoolteacher named Roseanna. At the age of 13 year, another tragedy struck Jack. His father was killed in an avalanche in Colorado. Roseanna tried to raise little Jack the best she could. She enrolled him in a private religious school. Jack played music in bands to help pay for the school fees for his studies.
After graduation, Jack joined the army. On February 7, 1940, he was assigned to the 68th Armored Regiment and later to the 82nd Division.
In 1941 he met and married Verona Preist in Columbus, Georgia.
At the same time, Jack attended classes as an Officer Candidate Schoolat Fort Knox in Kentucky. He received the distinction of "Officer of the youngest U.S. Army at the age of 21 by Brigadier General S G Henry. In 1944 he returned to Fort Benning where he entered the paratrooper school. He served as an instructor. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division

On June 18, 1944, was a happy day for Jack. Verona his wife gave birth to a daughter, Carol. Two months later, Jack had to leave the country; he was deployed to England where he joined the 17th Airborne Division. Jack Klinger, Captain, took command of B Company, 194th GIR vacated. The former commander had married an English citizen and managed to transfer to another unit. The 17th Airborne Division was sent to the Ardennes on December 24th, 1944 to deal with the last German offensive. It was the Battle of the Bulge.Unfortunately Jack Klinger never came back. On January 7, 1945, was the baptism of fire for the 194th PIR men. It was very cold, -20°C and the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. At 7:00a.m, artillery barrages preceding the assault began. The objectives of the 194th GIR were the villages of Millomont, Rechrival and Hubermont. At 8:15a.m, the companies set off. But the Germans were ahead. They opened heavy fire on the poor GI's. Jack was killed. Falling snow was still covering his body when he was found in spring 1945. He was initially buried in Belgium before his body was shipped back to the United States in 1949. Today, Captain Jack Klinger is buried at Park Hill Cemetery in Columbus Georgia. His wife never married again. She remained alone, heartbroken until her death in 1998.