Sgt. Fred Wagner
Does anyone remember Sergeant Fred Wagner?
A friend of mine asked me to see if I could help her locate some information on her deceased uncle, Staff Sgt. Fredrick H. Wagner, who was with the 99th Infantry Division and was killed in action March 16, 1945, during the expansion of the Remagen bridgehead.
She said after her uncle was killed in action, her grandmother received a letter from his commanding officer telling the details of his actions when the 99th was fighting at the bridge. She also informed me that Fred Wagner had been awarded the Silver Star for his actions at Remagen. The ICO's letter was later passed around to family members and Fred's sister took it to school and his family didn't see it again. She asked if I could help her obtain a copy of that letter and she is hoping someone who served with Fred may know some information about how Fred was killed and subsequently awarded the Silver Star for his actions. She wants to know for her own benefit but also wants to pass the information on to her father, Fred's older brother.
I have talked to one of our research assistants at the State of Wisconsin Veterans Museum and he photocopied some pages out of "Dauntless: A History of the 99th Division" for her. The book verifies that Wagner was killed on March 16, was with the 99th, and did receive the Silver Star for his actions. I am happy to see the book is back in print and I will give the Wagner family that information in case they want to purchase the book, assuming some copies are still available.
We also are filling out a Standard Form 180 to see if we can get some information from the National Records Center, but I have informed her that 80 percent of Army records during this period were lost in the 1973 fire.
Any information your members may know about the actions of Sgt. Wagner would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance for any information you may be able to provide. I also want to thank all your association's members for their service to our country.
Bob Buhr
Wisconsin Dept. of Veterans Affairs
NW Regional Coordinator
1418 East LaSalle Ave.
Barron WI 54812
E-mail: cbsbuhr@spacestar.net
bbuhr@chibardun.net