John A. Balk

World War I

John Balk was born on May 23, 1890 in Pleasant Valley Township in Carroll County. His parents were Frank and Eva (Bornbach) Balk who were from Iowa and Wisconsin, respectively. The family had moved to Carroll County from Kansas in 1888. By the 1905 census, the family had moved again to Guthrie County.

John registered for the military draft in Carroll County in 1917 and listed his occupation as farmer and his address as Templeton. He was inducted into the US Army on September 5, 1918, and was assigned serial number 4819235. He was sent to Camp Dodge near Des Moines and began training as a part of the 163rd Depot Brigade.

Shortly before John’s induction, Camp Dodge had been forming the 88th Infantry Division for action in France. By John’s arrival, the 88th Division had shipped out and the new 19th Infantry Division was being formed. As his training progressed, he was assigned to Company 18 of the 88th Infantry Regiment. By November 11, 1918, the war was over and, although training continued, plans to activate his regiment were shelved.

John was discharged on January 24, 1919. He subsequently moved to South Dakota and was engaged in farming. He never married. He died of a heart attack on August 30, 1948, at age 58 and was buried in the Saint George Cemetery in Hartford, SD.