JOHN L. SCHREIER:

John L. Schreier grew up in the Rice Street area of St. Paul. He was the third son, and the fifth of six children born to George (1889-1930) and Theresa (1888-1980) Schreier. His siblings included Anna Marie (1911-1930), George (1912-1924), Barbara Catherine (1915-2001), Frank H. (1919-2002), and Marcella (1925- ).

His parents immigrated to the United States from Austria around 1911, initially settling near Currie, Minnesota. They later moved to St. Paul, where the elder Schreier worked for the Northern Pacific Railway. John attended St. Bernard's Catholic school in St. Paul, graduating in 1937. He then attended St. Paul Boys Vocational School, where he studied carpentry. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in northern Minnesota on a reforesting project near Cloquet. He was also employed by Swift & Company in South St. Paul, Minnesota.

Schreier was drafted in late 1942 out of Fort Snelling, joining the 94th Infantry Division,319th Engineer Combat Battalion, Company B. He trained at Camp Phillips, Kansas and at Camp McCain, Mississippi in 1943-1944. The Division shipped out in August 1944. They trained in England and then departed to France to add support after the D-Day invasion, remaining there the last three months of 1944. They then moved on to Germany where the Division assisted General George Patton's 3rd Army in the Battle of the Bulge. Schreier was killed during the Battle of the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) on January 23, 1945 and was buried in Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, an American military cemetery in Luxembourg.

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The collection includes photographs, newspaper clippings, a high school diploma, and miscellaneous other papers. Correspondence includes Schreier's letters to his mother, Theresa, and to his sister Barbara. There is also correspondence between his mother and military officials following his death. Of particular interest is an individual deceased personnel file, which includes correspondence and other information about Schreier's death and the disposition of his remains. A Photo Review of the 94th Infantry Division (1944) depicts the life, work and experiences of Schreier and his comrades. An oversize folder contains a group photograph of surviving members of the division, and a certificate awarded by the government in memory of Schreier after he was killed in action.

Individual materials in the collection were re-housed in acid free sleeves by the donor, Schreier's niece Rose A. Schreier Welton, who also included occasional notes that further describe the individual items and their context.

The material in this collection was gathered by Welton in the course of writing her book We Clear the Way: A Tribute to My Uncle, Staff Sergeant John L. Schreier and the 319th Engineer Combat Battalion, 94th infantry Division, United States.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. John L. Schreier Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,122

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, August 2007.

Catalog ID number: 990064619930104294

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Rose A. Schreier's book, We Clear the Way: A Tribute to My Uncle, Staff Sergeant John L. Schreier and the 319th Engineer Combat Battalion, 94th infantry Division, United States.3, is also available in the Minnesota Historical Society library.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945.

National cemeteries, American.

Soldiers -- Social life and customs.

Soldiers' writings, American.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns |z Western Front.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Casualties.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.

Persons:

Schrier, Rose A., 1953- .

Schreier, Theresa, 1888-1980.

Organizations:

Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial (Luxembourg, Luxembourg).

St. Bernard's High School (Saint Paul, Minn.).

United States.--Army.--Engineer Combat Battalion, 319th.

United States.--Army.--Infantry Division, 94th.

Places:

Luxembourg (Luxembourg).

Document Types:

Diplomas.

Photographs.

Occupations:

Soldiers--United States.

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