Kenneth W. Kemper

Vietnam War

Kenny Kemper was born near Templeton on September 24, 1946, to William and Frances (Irlbeck) Kemper. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Kuemper High School with the class of 1964. He then worked on the family farm.

On February 2, 1966, Kenny was inducted into the US Army in Omaha, NE with eight other Carroll County men. He was assigned serial number 55 855 791. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, MO for basic training and was a member of the 2nd Platoon, Company B, 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Basic Combat Training Brigade. By May 14, 1966, Kenny had completed his training at Fort Leonard Wood.

He was then transferred to Fort Benning, GA to attend Radio Maintenance School. He was assigned to Company H, ISB Radio No. 10. On July 19, 1966, he completed the course in Infantry Radio Maintenance. Kenny was transferred to Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of the 11th Infantry Brigade and sent to Schofield Barracks on Oahu, Hawaii. The 11th Brigade had been formed to replace the famous 25th Infantry Division which had been deployed to Vietnam.

While in Hawaii, Kenny took additional training as a 16mm film projectionist as well as a course in the US Army Equipment Records System. In December, 1967, Kenny and his unit were sent to Vietnam. Kenny’s time in Vietnam was relatively short as his enlistment was ending. He was returned to the United States and discharged from the US Army at Oakland, CA on January 27, 1968, with the rank of SGT(T) (sergeant). He remained in standby reserve until 1972.

Later in 1968, members of the 1st Battalion of the 20th Infantry Regiment were responsible for the deaths of between 340 and 500 Vietnamese civilians in what became known as the My Lai massacre.

Kenny returned to Templeton and farming. On September 28, 1968, Kenny was married to Monica Davis in Sacred Heart Church in Templeton. The couple farmed south of Templeton. Kenny died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City on August 21, 1978 at age 31. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.