In
Memory of U.S. Army Sergeant
Killed in Action, NW of Saigon near the Cambodian border, North
Vietnam
John Burdette Ulfers was born near Chancellor, Turner
County, South Dakota, on March 15, 1946, to Edward and
Tillie (Jurgens) Ulfers. His siblings were Stuart, Jewel,
and Marjo. When John was 12, his father passed away. He was
primarily raised and educated in Turner County. At age 15,
he moved to Sibley, Iowa where he lived with his mother and
his step-father, Harry Ernst. He then graduated from Sibley
High School in 1965. He attended college at Worthington,
Minnesota for a year. His interests included cars, racing,
and demolition derby. John’s sister Jewel has fond memories
of him:
John was the youngest in our family. I
was a teenager when he was
born. I loved taking care of him, and spoiling him, too.
When he was two
years old, we lost him in the oats field behind our
house. With his tow-head we weren’t able to see him in
the ripened field. Our farm dog and John were good
buddies so we found him by calling the dog. John always
had a good sense of humor, a ready smile, and a love for
cars, motorcycles and racing.
On June 26, 1967, John Ulfers was inducted into the U.S.
Army and entered active service. He completed basic training
at Fort Leonard, Missouri, and advanced infantry training at
Fort Polk, Louisiana. On February 12, 1968, Pvt. Ulfers left
for Fort Lewis, Washington. From there he was sent to AnKhe,
South Vietnam, with the US 1st Cavalry, Company D, 1st
Battalion, 8th Cavalry Unit. While in Vietnam the company’s
first engagement was at Khe Sanh where the unit relieved the
Marines fighting there. In April and May of 1968, his
company participated in the fighting in the A. Shau Valley
Campaign. In August Sergeant Ulfers took his R & R in Hong
Kong. When he returned to Vietnam, his company was stationed
in the Quang Tri Province near the Demilitarized Zone. The
first part of November the entire 1st Air Cavalry was moved
to a location northwest of Saigon near the Cambodian border
in the Tay Ninh Province.
The following is taken from one of his last letters to
his sister, Jewel:
I
have been getting real poor at writing letters, must be
that I am getting short- that means that I don’t have
too many days left. [To end his year in Vietnam]. Feel
sorry for the new guys just getting here. They will be
in the Spring Offensive which I consider the worst of
the year. Don’t believe the monsoon will have too much
action in it. It’s just as hard for Charley [the enemy]
to move in this weather as it is for us. I think he is
less alert than we are. He’s got this for a lifetime; we
only have it one year. We can afford to stay alert for
that time. Mother wrote it was raining there. It really
has been here, for about 12 days we never saw the sun.
It would rain up to 20 times a day. Love, John
PS-
Have new promotion to sergeant.
Sergeant John Burdette Ulfers was killed in action on
November 27, 1968, at Tay Ninh Province during heavy enemy
fire when D Company went to help C Company; John was lead
man for his platoon when he was hit in the leg by enemy
fire. His Lieutenant (Dwight D. Sarjeant) went to help him
and they were both killed by North Vietnamese Army’s fire,
but Company D’s machine gunner, a friend of John’s, returned
fire, killing the NVA who killed John.
The following is quoted from the Frank R. Vavrek,
Commanding officer of the Company D, 1st Battalion, 8th
Cavalry, to Mrs. Tillie Ernst: “I extend my most profound
sympathy to you on the recent loss of your son Sergeant John
B. Ulfers, Company D, 1st Battalion 8th Cavalry, who died in
the service of his country on 27 November 1968.”
The body of Sergeant John Burdette Ulfers was returned by
plane to the Sioux Falls Airport, accompanied by a family
relative, Spec. 4 Elgin Van Anken, who was stationed in
Taiwan at that time. Services were held on December 16,
1968, at First Presbyterian Church at Sibley, Iowa and at
Germantown Presbyterian Church of rural Chancellor. He was
laid to rest with military honors at the Germantown
Cemetery.
Sergeant John B. Ulfers was awarded the Combat
infantryman badge, Bronze star medal (1st award), Bronze
star medal (2nd), Air Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Good
conduct medal, National defense service medal, Vietnam
service medal, Republic of Vietnam campaign ribbon, and the
marksmanship badge with rifle bar.
Current survivors of Sergeant Ulfers include his brother,
Stuart (Frances) Ulfers, Annandale, MN; and his sisters,
Jewel Sweeter, Worthing , SD; and Marjo (Gary) Dannen,
Chancellor, SD; and 15 nieces and nephews and their
families.
In closing, John’s sister, Jewel, wrote: “John was a good
soldier and did his duties well. In eight months he rose
from private to sergeant and received good conduct,
marksmanship, and combat badges.”
This entry was respectfully submitted by Lauren
Harrington, 8th Grade, Spearfish Middle School, Spearfish
South Dakota, October 11, 2005. Information and approval for
this entry was provided by Jewel Sweeter, Worthing, South
Dakota.
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