Thursday, January 10, 2013

Korean War Veteran Honored 62 Years After Death


Private First Class Glenn Schoenmann will be laid to rest today, 62 years after his death. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has ordered flags be lowered to half-staff on Saturday, Jan. 12, in honor of the Tracy City man who died while serving in the Korean War.

Schoenmann was born in Palmer and grew up in Tracy City where he attended James Shook School and worked on the Werner Farm with his family. He was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division in the U.S. Army where he was at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in North Korea on Nov. 28, 1950. The Grundy County native reportedly died as a prisoner of war on Dec. 29, 1950. Schoenmann was 20 years old when he was killed. Family members say Schoenmann’s remains were recovered in 2004, but the identification process was not finalized until this December.

“The Schoenmann family has waited 62 years to give Glenn a proper burial, and we join them in remembering his service and sacrifice,” Haslam said. “As a state we mourn the loss of PFC Schoenmann, but we are grateful for his return to his home and family.”

Schoenmann is survived by his sister Edna Kilgore of Monteagle, brothers Ernest Schoenmann of Creave Coure, Ill., Raymond Schoenmann of Tracy City and Carl Schoenmann of Winchester.
“It just means a lot that he will be buried in the same cemetery with our mother, father and grandparents,” Raymond Schoenmann said. “It’s finally uniting the family back together.”

Visitation will be 5–8 p.m., today, Jan. 11 at Layne Funeral Home in Palmer. Visitation will resume at 10 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 12 at Grundy County High School, 24970 State Route 108, Coalmont. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m., at the high school, burial to follow at the Brown’s Chapel Cemetery in Palmer. In case of inclement weather, all services will be held at Layne Funeral Home in Palmer. 

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