Recollections one man's experiences in the U.S. Army's Horse Cavalry at Fort Omaha and Fort Riley from 1936 through WWII and later in the reserves. The author, now 89, learned to ride with the Cavalry at the age of 12. As WWII broke out, just as he completed high school, he enlisted and was sent to Ft. Riley for basic training. Already trained in weapons and horsemanship with the military, he completed basic training and then was assigned to train other enlisted men in basic training. After training three units, he was sent to the China-Burma-India Theater. He arrived in Burma just as the Battle of Myitkyina was ending and Allied troops were taking the city from the Japanese. From there Ketzler, who knew both weapons and horsemanship, was assigned to a mule packing unit which picked up air dropped supplies and took them to the front lines along the Ledo Road. He was then flown to China where he went to Kunming assigned to train Chinese soldiers and officers on use of American weapons. Finally, as the war ended, he supervised the unloading of ships at Shanghai which had been ready for the invasion of Japan. Ketzler returned from WWII and served in the U.S. Army Reserves. One Soldier's Story is Ketzler's recollections of the individual experiences which give the reader a feeling for what life in that part of the war was like. Some stories are humorous and some are shocking, but mostly, they convey the day by day life of an enlisted man.
About the Author: Donovan Dehner Ketzler took over The Dehner Company, manufacturers of custom-made riding and military boots, from his father and grandfather. Today he is Chairman and still goes to the factory several times a week. He is a founder and former Master of the North Hills Hunt (Fox hunt) and helped to start several police mounted patrol units. While he still rides several times a week (at age 89), he gave up fox hunting and jumping two years ago. For years he has trained riders in military drills, teaching them military horsemanship. He is popular on trail rides with other riders wanting to learn more about his military and horse experiences. Vicki Krecek is a 20+ year riding partner of Ketzlers. She is a free lance writer and retired as Vice President of Communications with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. She rides her three Morgan horses daily and is constantly sharing the horse knowledge she has learned from Van over the years. She recently completed a book "Breaking Covert," an early history of the North Hills Hunt.