Born and raised in Buckman, Minnesota, army nurse Cecelia Schmolke gave her life for her country in World War II.

She was born on November 15, 1920, to John Meinrad Schmolke ( sometimes spelled Schmoelke) and Pauline Beka Schmolke. Growing up in Buckman, Cecelia received her education at St. Michael’s grade school and St. Francis High School in Little Falls.[i] In high school in Little Falls, she was a boarding student who came home on the weekends.[ii] (Some documents spell her first name as Cecilia.)

Cecelia was part of a large family as John and Pauline had 12 children. In addition to Cecelia, they were Reverand Joel Schmolke, Sister Mary Thomasine Schmolke, Loretta M. Schmolke Smith, Jerome “Jerry” Francis Schmolke, Celestine Valentine Schmolke, Sister Margaret Schmolke, Helen Schmolke, Patricia Schmolke, Caroline Schmolke, Thomas Schmolke and Francis Schmolke.

When Cecelia was born in 1920, John was working as a merchant in a general store and they lived in a home they owned. By 1930, John was a real estate agent to support his family. They lived in a rental home in Buckman. John was a native of Minnesota but his parents had been born in Germany. Pauline was born in Germany. In 1940, John was in the construction industry.

She graduated from high school in 1939.[iii]

HER LIFE BEFORE MILITARY

After high school graduation, Cecelia headed off to college at the School of Nursing at St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge. She graduated in 1941. After graduation, she worked at the Miller Hospital in St. Paul,[iv] which is about 100 miles south of her hometown.

HER MILITARY STORY

Cecelia Schmolke entered the army on March 2, 1943. She was first stationed in Clinton, Iowa. After that, she went overseas to Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji and then India.[v]

While serving in New Caledonia in 1944, Cecelia got quite the surprise which must have thrilled her parents and siblings. She was featured in a full-page newspaper spread “Minnesota Nurse in South Pacific” about the day in the life of an army nurse.

The article, in the Star Tribune newspaper, describes her waking at 6 a.m. at a rear hospital then getting ready for the day in a cold-water canvas shower. By 7 a.m., she’s on the ward looking after the patients. The article continues with how she spends her time off – swimming in the Pacific Ocean, doing laundry and a few dances at the Officer’s Club.

Cecelia told the newspaper that she would very much like to get home for a day but otherwise she was content to serve her post there.[vi]

The Ledo area of India, where Cecelia eventually died, was known to be one of the worst areas of malaria in the world. In addition, there was ward after ward of typhus patients. Lice, tape worms, maggots and other parasites were common. Horribly wounded men would arrive from all over and many amputations were done due to gangrene developing over their days-long journey to get care.[vii]

In an oral history record, “Voices of the Past,” Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays recalled “… our nurses were well prepared. We had a fair amount of equipment and supplies… And has history has proven, the whole theater was sadly neglected. But, as I said, we did the very best we could.”[viii]

At the time of the war, Hays was a nurse in the operating room in India. In 1970, she was the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to wear the stars of a general officer when promoted to Brigadier General.[ix]

“Of course, the heavy rains would pour in seven to eight inches of water in 24 hours in the monsoon season. You can imagine the mud problems. Each building was made of bamboo and our roofs were palm fronds so when it rained, water came through the roofs,” she said in her oral history. Without secure doors, snakes, sacred cows or wild jackals would run or slither through the wards or nurses’ quarters. They also cared for ill and wounded Chinese soldiers, American allies, which brought language and cultural differences for the nurses in trying to provide the best care.[x]

Cecilia arrived in India in the summer of 1944. She’d been nursing there about eight months when tragedy struck.[xi] She is listed as serving with both the 18th General Hospital and the 472nd General Hospital.[xii]

HER LAST DAY- March 4, 1945

On her last flight, Cecelia was in route from a hospital along the Ledo road to a new assignment[xiii] in the India-Burma Theater to care for wounded in Imphal.[xiv] Her Douglas C-47 Skytrain (#41-18554), assigned to Air transport Command, 11th Combat Cargo Squadron,[xv] took off from Dinjan Army Airfield in Assam, India on a mission to ferry passengers. The plane came in too low during the last turn in the process of landing and crashed. Twenty-five passengers, including Cecelia Schmolke, plus the crew of two were killed. Most of the passengers were Army nurses and medical personnel.[xvi]

She was 24.

In a letter found on Ancestry.com, while doing this research, a family member was searching for news of their own loved one. Mrs. Henrietta Launier writes to Cecelia’s sister Mary Thomasine asking for news of Joseph Launier, killed in the crash with Cecelia. In that letter she writes:

“So, let’s hope after this war, someone will remember them and let us know how it all happened.”[xvii]

We do remember and honor them.

MEMORIALS

2nd. Lt. Cecelia Schmolke is remembered on the website of Morrison County & World War II: The Ultimate Sacrifice.

HER FUNERAL AND GRAVE

2nd Lt. Cecilia Anna Schmolke’s funeral was held at St. Michael’s Church at Buckman on March 20, 1945.[xviii] She was the first in St. Michael’s Parish in Buckman to die in service.[xix] She is buried at St. Michael Cemetery, Buckman Minnesota. (Row 7, Memorial ID 35420510)

LIST OF THOSE KILLED IN THE MARCH 4, 1945 LEDO, INDIA AIR CRASH

Capt. John J. Lukaszczyk, Co-Pilot
Capt. Nicholas J. Mandoukos, Pilot
1st Lt. Walter S. Amsler, Jr.
2nd Lt. Francis W. Blalock
2nd Lt. Julia S. Barnes
2nd Lt. Jane M. Blevins
2nd Lt. Evelyn M. Bruton
2nd Lt. Thomas E. Dellinger
2nd Lt. Rita F. Erard
2nd Lt. Evelyn M. Gerdrum
2nd Lt. Lyndell A. Glisson
1st Lt. Henry D. Hammack, Jr.
2nd Lt. Eathel L. Harris
2nd Lt. Helen J. Henley
1st Lt. Catherine M. Larkin
2nd Lt. Joseph R. Launier
1st Lt. Kathryn L.Lloyd
Capt. Charles W. Loucks
1st Lt. Grady A. Masters
2nd Lt. Kathryn L. McCarthy
2nd Lt. Ann L. Merrill
2nd Lt. Genevieve R. Monahan
Capt. Edward R. Moore
2nd Lt. Mayo C. Onken
Lt. Col. Jack P. Scott
Leona A. Thomey, Civilian, Red Cross
1st Lt. Robert W. Tibbetts

ABOUT THIS STORY

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

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