Alumni Hall of Fame
Military Service to Country (2022)

Charles V. “Chick” Kettler was born and raised in St. Marys. He was a member of the St. Marys Memorial High School Class of 1939 where he earned the nickname “Chick.’ After graduation, “Chick” worked briefly at the Equity Dairy Store and the St. Marys Foundry before enlisting in the Ohio Army National Guard in October 15, 1940, on the same day the 37th Infantry Division was called into Federal service. He joined his two brothers, Sergeant Arthur J. Kettler and Corporal William A. Kettler, in serving their nation as part of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division of St. Marys, Ohio. Fellow MHS graduate, First Lieutenant Charles Henne, also served in the Ohio Army National Guard in Company M. When “Chick” enlisted, another MHS graduate and friend, Sergeant Herbert C. “Tex” Linville, Jr., re – enlisted and joined him for training at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Pennsylvania. Ultimately, “Chick” achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant before deployment. Kettler and Linville, were assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division. The 37th Infantry Division earned the nickname the “Buckeyes” during World War I because the core of the Division were Ohioans in the Ohio National Guard.

The 37th Infantry Division trained for service in the European Theatre. However, in June 1942, they were ordered to the Pacific Theatre to counter Japanese victories there. Kettler and Linville arrived in the Fiji Islands and prepared for vigorous jungle training and to set up a coastal defense. They moved to Guadalcanal in April 1943 to stage for the Munda Campaign. Munda is on the southwestern side of the main island of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese had built an airstrip there that was the target of the Munda Campaign. The 37th Infantry Division encountered heavy fighting on July 11, 1943, as they fought to take the Munda Airfield. Staff Sergeant Charles V. “Chick” Kettler and Sergeant Herbert C. “Tex” Linville, Jr. both lost their lives during combat in separate incidents on July 11, 1943.

On that fateful day, Company K was assaulting the Japanese strongholds on the outskirts of Munda Airfield. Staff Sergeant Kettler, his Platoon Leader, and fellow soldiers were pinned down by heavy enemy machine gun fire when Kettler, “located the hostile section and aggressively moved forward alone in an attempt to eliminate it. Upon reaching a point twenty – five yards removed from his objective, he threw a hand grenade which missed its mark. Disregarding the intensity of the enemy’s fire, he crawled closer, grenaded the position as he moved, completely demolished it, and enabled his platoon to continue its advance. In doing so Sergeant Kettler sacrificed his life.” (Silver Star Medal Citation) His actions were witnessed by fellow MHS graduate, Charles Henne, who was with Company M. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his friend, Sargent Herbert C. “Tex” Linville, Jr., would be killed in action on the same day in a separate act of selfless courage and valor. Both men would be awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action.

The 37th Infantry Division would go on to take Munda Point and the airfield.

The President of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt, awarded the nation’s third highest award for valor, the Silver Star Medal, posthumously to Staff Sergeant Charles V. Kettler. The Silver Star Medal was presented to Charles V. Kettler’s parents by officers of the 37th Infantry Division at a ceremony conducted at Fort Hays in Columbus, Ohio. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Asia – Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Mr. Kettler’s body was interred at the American Manilla Cemetery in the Philippines along with 16,859 American Soldiers who lost their lives in the Asia – Pacific Theatre of WWII. He was later re – interred in 1948 at Elm Grove Cemetery in St. Marys.



For his bravery, courage, valor, and gallantry in action, for his sacrifice for his fellow soldiers and country for which he was honored with one of the nation’s highest military honors, for representing the best characteristics of an MHS graduate of patriotism, service, and honor, and for making the ultimate sacrifice for his country, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Staff Sergeant Charles V. “Chick” Kettler into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame for Military Service to Country.