Herbert Bernard Kohus Jr.

1917-2009

Herbert Bernard Kohus Jr. was born in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, on 27 Feb 1917, the son of Herbert Bernard Kohus Sr. 1886-1969 and Mabel Julia Duncan 1890-1970. He grew up in Cincinnati and at the age of 20, on 2 Oct 1937, he entered the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). He was stationed in Camp D-2 near the town of Defiance, Ohio. The CCC was a measure enacted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933 as part of the New Deal. It put unemployed young men to work during the depression when there were few jobs to be had. Roosevelt planned a fight against soil erosion and declining timber resources, utilizing the unemployed of large urban areas. Photo - Herbert Kohus Sr. holding son Herbert Kohus Jr., (circa 1917)

Herbert B Kohus Jr (about 1928)

(back) Adeline Virginia Kohus 1920-1997, Herbert Bernard Kohus Jr 1917-2009, Donald Martin *1919-,

(front) Lucille Martin, *1923- Harry Martin *1921-

 Adeline Virginia Kohus and brother Herbert B Kohus Jr

Herbert CCC Camp 1937-1939

Herbert worked as a laborer in the CCC and sent most of his $22 monthly allotment home to his parents to help them out in hard times. While serving in the CCC he was attending a local dance one evening in the town of Defiance and met his future wife, Virginia Louise Mihm 1921-2003, daughter of Justice Elmer Mihm 1882-1947 and Ada Elisabeth Clouse  1888-1971 of Van Wert, Ohio.

Virginia Louise Mihm 1921-2003 (circa 1937)

The story goes that Herbert was standing on the sidelines at the dance when Virginia tripped and fell on the dance floor in front of him. Herbert rushed over and helped her up. That was how they met. They were married on 7 Jun 1939 in Defiance. Virginia later admitted to family members that she tripped on purpose to get his attention. Herbert was discharged 11 Sep 1939 from the Civilian Conservation Corps. He and Virginia went to live in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. By 1943 Herbert and Virginia had 2 daughters, Rebecca Sue and Evelyn Elisabeth. The second World War was under way for the Americans by then and Herbert felt the call of duty, like so many other young men at that time. On 3 Dec. of 1943 he enlisted in the US Army. He first tried to join the Marines but was turned down and told they were not taking any more recruits that month. On his way out of the Federal Building in Cincinnati an Army recruiter approached Herbert and offered to sign him up, so he agreed.

After his enlistment he waited until 23 Dec 1943 when he received orders to report to the induction station at Fort Thomas Kentucky (#387a - #387b). Herbert took basic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, near San Antonio, with the newly formed 723rd Railroad Operating Battalion. He was assigned to Headquarters Company. Herb trained there until March 13,1944 when the entire battalion boarded trains and shipped out for Lincoln, Nebraska, where they received technical training on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Virginia, at that time living back in Van Wert, Ohio, took a train out to see him. Herb received a 3-day leave in mid-June, along with most of the battalion, but was 2 days AWOL before returning to camp. After technical training was completed, the battalion shipped out. They traveled by train to New York City where they boarded ship, the Edmund B. Alexander, at 10:30AM on 11 Aug 1944, and  headed for Liverpool. Herbert said they did not learn their destination until they were underway. He said they left port in a large formation of ships. He saw ships to the horizon in every direction and was feeling pretty comfortable. After a couple of days, he awoke one morning, looked in the distance and could not see a single ship. He disliked the close cramped quarters below deck so he spent all of his journey across the Atlantic on deck, even sleeping on deck at night. Below is a photo of the Edmund B. Alexander taken in 1945.

Following an uneventful journey, they arrived in Liverpool, England on 22 Aug. Disembarking the ship on the 24th and boarding a train to Southampton, where they spent the night. They boarded the British ship Chelsia on the morning of the 25th for the trip across the English Channel to France. By 4 PM on the 26th, they were loaded onto L C I 's for transport to Utah Beach. That was about 2 months after the infamous D-Day invasion on June 6,1944, when Utah Beach was used as one of 2 landing spots by the U.S. 3rd. Army during the invasion of Europe. The 723rd Railroad Operating battalion was part of the supply chain during operation Overlord. Herbert served his duty in France, Belgium and Germany. He worked mostly guarding trains supplying material to the front lines and German Prisoners on the return trip and at camp, where their were German prisoners used for labor. One story Dad told me was one night he was guarding prisoners when one of them motioned him over to the fence and asked for a cigarette. Dad gave him a cigarette and to his amazement, the man spoke perfect English. After a short time, Dad learned that he had gone to school in Toledo, Ohio and knew as much about Ohio as he did.

                                                SHIP - Edmund B. Alexander

 My father did not realize, nor did I until I started researching this family tree, that at one time he was very near where his great grandparents and family lived in Ostbevern, Germany. His great grandfather Johann Henrich Kohues 1828-1875 immigrated from Ostbevern to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1850. His cousins, descendents from his great great great grandparents, were then serving in the German Army. Sometime post-war, after VE-Day on 8 May 1945, Herbert was transferred to the 718th Railroad Operating Battalion. The war effort was winding down then and people were being sent home or to other units to await shipment home. Going home mostly depended on a point system. At the core of the US Army Demobilization Plan was the 'Point System.' Points were awarded for years of service, years overseas, medals and other commendations received, campaign battle stars earned, as well as other factors. The point total for being sent home was 85. Many men had more points, and those that had the most were slated to be sent home first. Herbert returned to the U.S. with the 718th ROB. There were histories written about dad's units, the 723rd and the 718th. A copy of each unit history is available for download. See Books under Kohus on index page. In 2004 my father and I visited the Right Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. While touring through the museum he happened upon an old French box car on display. He seemed delighted to see the old train car. He told me it was called a 40 and 8. I asked him what that meant. He said it either held 40 men or 8 horses. I have since read the term in historical railroad articles. A sign on the side of each car read 40 hommes et 8 chevaux, meaning 40 men or 8 horses. These train cars were much used by our Transportation corps in France and Germany during WWII.

On the day of departure from camp to return home, the unit lined up to leave from Mourmelon, France, at 3 PM but were delayed leaving until 7:30. It was a very cold day and they stood around waiting for 3 hours. After sundown, with the temperature falling lower, they loaded onto trucks and headed for the train station. Enduring cold weather was never one of my father's best attributes. Their was an accident on the way to the train station. While rounding a corner, the side of one of the trucks came off and 30 soldiers were tossed out onto the roadway putting three into the hospital. Upon arrival at the train station they crowded into day coaches with no heat. Some lit candles for heat and stuffed newspaper into the cracks of the French train cars.  After about four hours, they stopped for a meal and blankets. After boarding again, they covered up with the blankets and off they went. In the morning, the train stopped for another meal and the men piled out into the frosty morning, dirty, shivering and thoroughly cold. They continued the trip, stopping and laying over here and there for an hour or two at a time. Twenty-four hours into the trip and 200 miles later, the train arrived at the harbor of Le Harve, France. It was dark when they arrived but trucks were waiting to take them into camp, a tent city, for processing back to the U. S. For three days they held formations one after another, giving them their last shake down, looking for ammunition, gathering up unauthorized GI equipment, doling out clothing, and making out custom's declarations and baggage tags, After issuing the men back their souvenir guns and knives, the unit was loaded onto a U.S. Army Transport Ship. It was a victory ship named Sea Cat. No photograph is available at this time but here is a similar victory ship of the same design named SS John W Brown. 

They left La Harve France on 25 Nov. 1945 and arrived in the U.S. eight days later on December 3rd. Herbert processed out of the Army in Pennsylvania and was released from active service on 8 Dec.1945. I know it must have been a very happy Christmas for Dad and the family. I (Mike Kohus) was not around yet but was born a baby boomer less than 2 years later in November 1947. His children had not seen him for 2 years. Rebecca's 7th birthday was the same week, December 7, just before her dad came home. Evelyn, who was 8 months old when Dad left was now almost 3. For his service to our country, Herbert received the WWII Victory Medal, a European-African-Middle East campaign medal with 3 bronze stars and a Good Conduct Medal. During WWII the Army was broken into 3 basic units, the army air forces, ground forces and service forces. The railroad operating battalions fell under the army service forces. The shoulder patch seen below on dad's right arm indicated army service forces. His stripes indicated he was a tech corporal tec-5 at the time he was discharged and the insignia on his hat indicated he was a member of the 718th Railroad Operating Battalion.

During wartime the troops overseas were permitted to receive mail and write letters home. However, every letter was censored to make sure it contained no information which could aid the enemy. These letters were called V- Mail. The following is a copy of a V- Mail letter that my father sent home to his parents. Herbert was very proud of his service to his country as I am proud of him for answering the call when his country was in need. He always considered himself a patriotic American. For countless years he flew a flag in front of his house. I suppose he saw first-hand what being an American was all about.

Returning home to Cincinnati after the war, Herbert settled into civilian life with his wife and 2 daughters. Eventually after a few jobs here and there, one was with the Red Top Brewing Company and later the Jergens Company, he gained employment with the Cincinnati Street Railway Company. That was the local trolley car company in Cincinnati. This was the company his father Herbert Kohus Sr. also work at as a street car conductor. Herbert did all the jobs around the garage until finally settling in as a diesel mechanic. Back then the garage was known as a car barn. I suppose the car barn got it's name from the very earliest days of the company. Before electric trolley cars the place housed mules or horses used to pull the street cars.  

On 16 November 1947, about 2 years after returning home from the war, Herbert and Virginia had their last child, Michael Lee (that's me). At that time they were living at 2622 Hackberry Street in the Walnut Hills section of Cincinnati. It was the first house they ever owned. They purchased it on  23 May 1946 with a $200 down payment on a $6,000 loan, secured by the Veterans Association. It was a 2-story older house and Herbert's parents and sister Adeline lived upstairs on the second floor. The family lived there until 1952 when they sold the house and moved to 6055 Floyd Place in Mt. Repose, Ohio, about 25 miles east of Cincinnati. Photo left - 2622 Hackberry Street, Cincinnati, Ohio.

At that time, the community of Mt. Repose, 5 miles east of Milford, Ohio, was no more than an old barn which had been converted into a church, gas station, a few farm houses and a newly half built subdivision on a dead end street named Floyd Place. Our Kohus Family was one of the first residents on the street, moving in before all the houses on the street were completed. In 1952 you could stand in the yard on Floyd Place and see farm fields no matter what direction you looked. Today the area is heavily populated and mostly wooded. The population in the area has multiplied many times over since the early 1950's. 

Their children were all living there when each left home. First Rebecca got married in 1956 and then Evelyn in 1961. I (Michael) was the last child to leave home in 1967 to do my 3 years of military service in the Army. The Cincinnati Street Railway, a privately owned company where Herbert worked was eventually bought out by city/state government and renamed the Queen City Metro. I was hired at the Metro and worked there from 1977-1985. My father retired from the Metro in 1983. He and my mother Virginia enjoyed retirement. They traveled, put out a garden each year in the back yard, my mother canned vegetables and they simply enjoyed each other's company.

Littler red brick house on Floyd Place

(L-R) Rebecca, Michael and Evelyn Kohus

(Photo Sept. 2002)

They were married for over 63 years when my mother, Virginia (Mihm) Kohus died in her sleep. Sadly, she passed away on my father's 86th birthday, February 27,  2003. Mom lived 81 years, 9 months, and 13 days. 

Dad lived another 5 and a half years, after mom died. They both loved sitting on their front porch. This is where they sat and enjoyed each other's company hour after hour, year after year, since we moved into the little red brick house on Floyd Place in 1952, and this is where the above photo was taken in 2008, This porch was where some of my fondest memories occurred over my lifetime from childhood to adult. Dad missed my mother every day after she passed away but he did his best to carry on without her. He was a selfless, loving man who devoted his entire life to his family. My father, Herbert Bernard Kohus, died on 30 July 2009, at age 92 years, 5 months, and 3 days. 

The front porch on the little brick house on Floyd Place now stands empty. My mother and father are gone but my memories here will never be forgotten.

Greenlawn Cemetery Milford, Ohio