Albert J. “Bert” Greteman

World War II

Bert Greteman was born on December 15, 1910, in Templeton to William and Catharina (Gerber) Greteman. William died in 1925. Bert attended school in Templeton and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1930. In the mid-1930’s he attended Creighton University in Omaha, NE before returning to Templeton to work in the family business.

Bert was inducted into the US Army at Fort Des Moines, IA on May 7, 1942. He was assigned serial number 37 194 450. At 31 years of age, he would have been among the oldest recruits. He was sent to Camp Wolters in the Texas hill country for basic training. After this training, Bert was assigned to Company E of the 33rd Infantry Regiment. This unit was part of the Caribbean Defense Command. On September 25, 1942, Bert was sent to the island of Trinidad off the coast of Venezuela, South America. During this time, some members of the 33rd Infantry were in Surinam guarding bauxite mines and protecting the Dutch government in exile. It is unknown if Bert was a part of this activity.

In September, 1943, the US Army began to assemble troops to form the 5307th Composite Unit popularly known as Merrill’s Marauders. Various units were levied for properly trained troops including the Caribbean Defense Command which had to supply 960 jungle-trained men. Bert was one of those selected and he flew from Waller Field, Trinidad to the Miami on September 6, 1943. By September 21, 1943, Bert was again going overseas landing in Bombay (now Mumbai), India on October 31, 1943. The unit was moved to Deolali, India, and then on to Deogarh for intensive training that lasted until the end of January, 1944.

Merrill’s Marauders entered Burma in February, 1944, as a light infantry assault unit consisting of 2,750 officers and men. Their mission was to disrupt Japanese offensive operations. On February 24, the force began a 1,000-mile march over the Patkai range and into the Burmese jungle behind Japanese lines. Using mobility and surprise, they harassed supply and communication lines, shot up patrols and assaulted Japanese rear areas. Over the next few months, the Marauders continued their movement successfully attacking the Japanese even though they were always outnumbered and outgunned. They next moved over the Kumon Mountain range to attack Myitkyina. On May 17, 1944, they captured the Myitkyina airfield.

The town of Myitkyina could not be immediately taken. After reinforcement by a Chinese division, the town was finally captured on August 3, 1944. This was their final mission and completed many months of battle casualties, heat, lack of food, malaria, dysentery and typhus. Of the 2,750 men that began the campaign, only 130 were combat-effective at the end and only two had never been hospitalized with wounds or illness. Merrill’s Marauders were disbanded on August 10, 1944. In a rare distinction, all members of the unit were awarded the Bronze Star.

Bert returned to the United States on October 13, 1944, and was given a 21-day furlough that included a visit to Templeton. He was then assigned to Camp Livingston near Alexandria, Louisiana. This was a training base for new inductees that received the benefit of Bert’s experience. He remained there until his discharge on October 25, 1945, as a staff sergeant.

Bert returned to Templeton on November 16, 1945, and worked in the family business for the remainder of his life. He never married. He died in Carroll on May 10, 2005 at age 94. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.