John "Jack" R. Holum (1925-1945)
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Like so many young men, Jack gave his life while serving his country in WWII. Born in 1925, he was the only son of Elsie and Lennie Holum and brother to Margaret Ann Holum. He grew up in Mount Horeb on Third Street, in a house next door to his grandparents and the local Methodist Church. He graduated from Mount Horeb High School in 1943. Seven months later, in December 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Jack served for 15 months with the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Division - known as "Old Hickory". In the spring of 1945, as the 30th Division was moving from Belgium into Germany liberating towns along the way, Jack was killed by German mortar fire in a small village along the Rhine. Like many American soldiers, he was buried in Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Holland. After the war and at the request of his family, his body was returned to Mount Horeb in 1948. Jack was buried in Mount Horeb Union Cemetery on November 9, 1948.
Jack's letters to his family tell the story of a sensitive young man seeing the world beyond his Midwest home for the first time. He speaks of his love for family and how his friends and fellow soldiers got him through difficult times. He shares the daily trials of a wartime soldier, and the excitement and uncertainty of young love. These letters - saved and treasured by his family, and then salvaged from an estate sale by an antique collector (and former police officer) - remind us of the sacrifices of so many families, and of how very fragile life can be.
Jack served for 15 months with the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Division - known as "Old Hickory". In the spring of 1945, as the 30th Division was moving from Belgium into Germany liberating towns along the way, Jack was killed by German mortar fire in a small village along the Rhine. Like many American soldiers, he was buried in Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, Holland. After the war and at the request of his family, his body was returned to Mount Horeb in 1948. Jack was buried in Mount Horeb Union Cemetery on November 9, 1948.
Jack's letters to his family tell the story of a sensitive young man seeing the world beyond his Midwest home for the first time. He speaks of his love for family and how his friends and fellow soldiers got him through difficult times. He shares the daily trials of a wartime soldier, and the excitement and uncertainty of young love. These letters - saved and treasured by his family, and then salvaged from an estate sale by an antique collector (and former police officer) - remind us of the sacrifices of so many families, and of how very fragile life can be.
PDF copies of original letters are linked below.
Jack's U.S. Army Timeline
- May 1943 - graduated from Mount Horeb High School
- December 20, 1943 - drafted into the U.S. Army
- December 23, 1943 - arrived at the Recruit Reception Center at Fort Sheridan, IL
- December 30, 1943 - arrived at Camp Croft, South Carolina for Basic Training
- May 1944 - arrived at Fort George G. Mead, Maryland for additional training
- May - June 1944 - Jack had a number of opportunities to take leave, visiting Chicago, New York City, Washington D.C., and a visit home to Mount Horeb. In D.C., Jack met Barbara with whom he developed a relationship
- Late June - Mid July 1944 - assigned to the Battalion Headquarters Company of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Division and he shipped out to England
- Mid July 1944 - left England for France to join the 30th Infantry Division already in Normandy
- August - September 1944 - as part of the Northern France Campaign, the 30th moved east and north through France and Belgium, and then into southern Holland
- October - November 1944 - by early October, the 30th Infantry Division moved into Germany
- December 1944 - January 1945 - Jack was in Belgium, including on Christmas and New Year's Days
- February 4, 1945 - Jack's battalion moved into Germany
- March 14, 1945 - Jack and his friend, Ray Cunneen, had their photo taken together in Inden, Germany
- March 24, 1945 - Jack's company set up their headquarters in the small German town of Gotterswickerhamm, just after crossing the Rhine. Jack was standing guard at the headquarters when he was killed by German mortar fire. Jack was buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. A local young woman, Yvonne Bollen, volunteered to tend Jack's grave, beginning a long friendship with Jack's family.
- October 1948 - Jack's body is returned to Mount Horeb
- November 9, 1948 - Jack's funeral was held at the United Methodist Church of Mount Horeb and he was buried in Mount Horeb Union Cemetery
Letters and Transcripts
Jack's Letters to Home (December 1943 - March 1945):
Camp Croft, South Carolina - Jack is seated in the 2nd row from the bottom and 4th from the left. (MHAHS 2021.107)