Frank Kowalski

Their Story

Frank Kowalski was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 2, 1898. He had a sister, Sophie, later known as Sophie Wagner.[1]  His headstone and interment papers say that he served during both WWI and WWII with Company F, 381 Infantry Regiment, 96^th Division.[2] He registered for the WWII draft Feb 16, 1942. At that time, he lived in Wolf Lake, Union, Illinois. He was 43 and worked at CCC Camp Hutchins, Wolf Lake, Illinois. His next of kin was Mrs. Sophie Wagner, Dickens Ave., Chicago, Illinois, who was his sister.[3]

In early 1942 Frank was working at the CCC. It is unclear how long he had been working there. The CCC was the Civilian Conservation Corps that preserved America’s natural resources from 1933 – 1942. This Corps came out of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal to assist America’s young men emerge from the grip of the Great Depression and conserve our natural resources.[4]

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the nation was shaken to its core. Now that the country was dedicated to the war effort, all federal projects not related to the war effort came under scrutiny. The CCC was no exception and came under review late in 1941. The congressional committee recommended the Civilian Conservation Corps be abolished by July 1, 1942, as it was not a priority.

No longer having a job, Frank enlisted in the Army October 17, 1942. He was discharged February 26, 1943.[5] The 381 Infantry Regiment was ordered into active military service August 15, 1942, and reorganized at Camp Adair, Oregon. The 96^th did not go overseas until July 1944.

 Frank died April 27, 1952.