Springfield South Dakota Veterans
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  SERGEANT LAWRENCE NAMMINGA SR                                    

Picture

On the morning of December 16, 1944, thanks to the efforts of the German Army’s Field Marshall Karl Gerd von Rundstedt, the life of Tech 4 Lawrence Namminga, Sr (Headquarters Battery of the 118th Field Artillery attached to the 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory Division)) was about to get much more exciting and dangerous.  In a last gasp, the Germans initiated a counter-offensive through the Ardennes forest that would famously become known as the “Battle of the Bulge,” and the 30th Infantry Division was one of the many obstacles standing in the way.  Tech 4 Namminga, a rural farm kid from Southeastern South Dakota, had answered the call of his country and traded the benign fields of rural South Dakota for the forbidding fields of Central Europe. 

Lawrence and 23 other young men from Bon Homme County, travelled by train on October 7, 1942, to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas to be inducted into military service.  From there, Lawrence completed his military training before joining the 118th Field Artillery, which was attached to the 30th Infantry Division.  The division, after landing at Normandy several days after the D-Day Invasion, along with Lawrence and the 118th began their chase of the retreating Germans across Europe.
 
Lawrence’s MOS, “Fire Control Instrument Operator” with Headquarters Battery, 118th FA, meant that his primary responsibility was to do the mathematical calculations and adjustments received from the forward observers, that would move the artillery rounds to the target.  When the forward observer indicated they had the target, the order would be given to “Fire for Effect” and rain down protective cover for the infantry forces that were attacking the enemy positions.  The fighting and the exemplary performance of the 118th FA/30th Division in its chase of the Germans is well documented in the history of WWII. 
 
For the months of January and February of 1945, the German efforts to “break out” (known as the Battle of the Bulge) and regain the Port at Antwerp, Belgium failed; and as the German army retreated, it was closely followed by the 30th Division and the 118th Field Artillery.    On March 23, 1945, the 118th FA was the first artillery unit to cross the Rhine River and take up positions in the area.  It was during the crossing of the Rhine River that Lawrence received the Bronze Star.  The Citation states:
 
"Technician Grade 4 Lawrence Namminga, is awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement and service from 19 March 1945, in Germany.  Technician Namminga distinguished himself during the preparations for the crossing of the Rhine River, by working tirelessly and skillfully in compiling the vast and detailed firing data which his battalion used in giving maximum artillery support to 30th Infantry Division’s assault crossing."
 
In addition to the Bronze Star, Lawrence also earned the Good Conduct medal, American Campaign Medal, World War 2 Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, the Belgian War Shoulder Cord and attained the rank of Sergeant.
 
Lawrence and his fellow 118th Field Artillery continued on toward Berlin until May 7, 1945 which was VE Day (Victory in Europe).  “On August 2, the majority of the 30th Division boarded the HMS Queen Mary which had returned to its old berth in Southampton, England for the first time in four years, and on the next day steamed out of the harbor on its way to a tumultuous welcome in New York City.”
 
The intense fighting and hardships endured by all of the armed forces was finally brought to a close on October 7, 1945 when Lawrence was discharged.  The farm kid from Springfield, like all the other soldiers who fought in that Great War, was able to return to his life in South Dakota.
 
          Lawrence Namminga, Jr with assistance from Dick Martin                   


This web page is a work in progress. It has been created through the donated efforts of Laura Genant Martin, Dick Martin, and Jim Hornstra. When Laura was made aware of what we needed, she took the initiative to research and educate herself on how to create a web site to identify, respect and honor the military veterans in Springfield. The web site had to be easy to navigate and had to provide the viewer a method of providing feedback. Most of the written material has been provided by Dick Martin over the past couple of years with some important contributions from others, i.e. Jim Kirk.  Jim Hornstra has been the reliable source as he has been the collector of information concerning Springfield Veterans and has provided Laura much of what has gone into the web site.
  • World War I
    • Veteran Photos
    • Veteran Photos
    • Biographies >
      • Edwin Dwight Wood
  • World War II
    • The Rest of the Story >
      • Lawrence Namminga
      • Fred C Hornstra
      • Chuck Dawes
      • Grover DeLong
      • John Palsma
      • Clarence Ludens
      • Jack Martin
      • Bob Slade
      • Joe Uken Jr
    • Springfield Was There
    • Biographies A-H >
      • Walter Babcock
      • Wayne Barham
      • Charles "Chuck" Dawes
      • Grover DeLong
      • Jake DenOuden
      • Biographies K-Ma >
        • Bernard Kastein
        • James Kirk
        • Leonard Lange
        • Ted Lindeman
        • Clarence Ludens
        • John C. Ludens
        • John "Jack" Martin
        • Richard "Darby" Martin
      • Robert DeRoos
      • Shorty Halsey
      • Nanno Hiemstra
      • Fred C Hornstra
    • Biographies Mi-O >
      • Floyd Mitchell
      • Jacob Namminga
      • Lawrence Namminga Sr
      • Ode Odens
      • Lawrence Owens
    • Biographies P-S >
      • Allen Palsma
      • John Palsma
      • Virgil Rauch
      • Jack Rich
      • Robert Slade
    • Biographies Th-U >
      • Clark Thomas
      • Neil Thomas
      • Merle Toyne
      • Joe Uken
  • Korean War
    • Veteran Photos
    • The Rest of the Story >
      • Robert "Bob" Ludens
    • Biographies >
      • Donald Dempster
      • Gelvin "Gil" DeRoos
      • Robert "Bob" Ludens
      • Virginia McClure
      • Donald McMillan
      • Peter Monfore
      • Wilbert Renner
      • Clarence Vanderlei
  • Cold War
    • Veteran Photos
    • Biographies >
      • Robert McCollum
  • Vietnam War
    • Veteran Photos
    • The Rest of the Story >
      • Daryl Heusinkveld
      • Harvey Kastein
      • Dan Mejstrik
      • Lee Merchen
      • Larry Talsma
    • My Week in Hue City
    • Biographies >
      • Daryl Heusinkveld
      • Harvey Kastein
      • Perry Lundin
      • Dan Mejstrik
      • Lee Merchen
      • Robert Monfore
      • Larry Talsma
  • Middle East Wars
    • Veteran Photos
    • Biographies >
      • James "Uke" Uken
  • Army National Guard
    • Veteran Photos
    • Rapid City Flood
    • Japanese Internment