North High School Wall of Honor Thomas Harvey Lorenz Class of June, 1949
Research done by Claradell Shedd, class of 1953.
Thomas Harvey Lorenz Tom graduated from North High in June, 1949. At the time, his next of kin was Mr. Fred Lorenz, 1651 23rd Street, Des Moines, IA. His service number was 55163190.
Thomas Harvey Lorenz Year   Rank   Status June, 1949   Graduated x Graduated from North High, Des Moines, IA June, 1949-1950   Employment x Rock Island Motor Transit in Oskaloosa, IA and Oklahoma City, OK Fall, 1950 x Employment x G.W. Onthank Company, Des Moines, IA December 24, 1950 x Family x Engaged to Marilyn Stewart, North High School, June, 1949 January, 1951 x US Army x Drafted into US Army; KRNT Theater, Des Moines, IA March 17, 1951 x Family x Married Marilyn Stewart October 23, 1951 x US Army/ PVT/E1 x Inducted at Fort Sheridan, IL January 16, 1952- March 20, 1952 x Basic Training/ PVT;E1 x Basic Training at Fort Knox, KY for ten weeks. Special Training Regiment. 3th Armored Division. March 28,1952 x Training/PVT x Certificate of Proficiency; 3rd Armored Division, Fort Knox, KY May, 1952 x Stationed x Replacement Depot, Fort Lawton, WA. to Headquarters Company USARAL, U.S. Army Alaska; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska May, 1952 x Enroute/PFC x To Elmendorf AFB, Alaska via * USS James O'Hara (DD-889) troop ship. October 24, 1952 x Stationed x Ordnance Winterization Equipment Training at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska January, 1953 x Enroute x Elmendorf AFB, Alaska to Fort Richardson, AK February 27,1953 x Training x Organizational Maintenance of Truck, Cargo, 2-1/2 Ton, 6x6, M-211 (GMC); Fort Richardson, AK March 16, 1953 x Rank x Promoted to CPL October,1953 x Enroute x Seward, AK to Seattle/Fort Lawton, WA via ** USNS Frederick Funston (APA-89/T-AP-178) October 10, 1953   US Army/ Discharged/CPL x Troop train from Seattle to Camp Carson, CO October,1953 x US Army/ Discharged/CPL x Via Rock Island Rocket from Camp Carson, CO to Des Moines, IA October 10, 1953 x Transferred x Transferred to Army Reserve, Iowa Military District to complete eight years of military service. October, 1953 x Employment x Worked at Lorenz and Jones, East 2nd and Grand, for my father at his auto repair business, as well as a boat and motor business. In six months, began a wholesale parts and accessory business which still exists today, 2014, in Ankeny, IA and is operated by our three sons. October,1953 x Personal x When having returned from the military, lived at 3838 4th Street, Des Moines, IA November 1,1959 x US Army Reserve x Discharged from US Army Reserves; Minneapolis, MN 1959-Present x Civilian x Served on Iowa Lutheran Hospital Board of Directors and Chairman for seven years. Marilyn and I have served on our church council for several terms, being chairman as well. Living in West Des Moines, IA. We have four children; three sons and one daughter, all married with families. We have twelve grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Reported: KRNT Theater; Des Moines Inducted: Fort Sheridan, IL Basic Training;Fort Knox, KY Discharged; Camp Carson, CO Top: 1952: Fort Knox, KY; Below: Clear, Alaska
Fort Richardson, AK. Photo above right: January, 1953 Tom & Marilyn; June, 1949 Began dating after this photo ad.
USNS James O'Hara (T-AP-179) - Fort Lawton, WA to AK Flat Hoist/Radio Call Sign: N - I- X- R
*USNS James O'Hara; (/T-AP-179) Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons Precedence of awards is top to bottom, from left to right Top Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2) Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5)- World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (1) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation Fourth Row - Philippines Liberation Medal - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)
* USNS James O'Hara (T-AP-179) USNS James O'Hara (APA-90) was a Frederick Funston-class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II and later in the Korean War. The ship was named after a Continental Army officer who fought in the Revolutionary War and who later became Quartermaster General of the US Army. Initially acquired as an Army transport, the ship was soon acquired by the Navy and reclassified an attack transport for the duration of the war, then returned to the Army and redesignated USNS James O'Hara. In the 1950s she was reacquired once again by the Navy and reclassified, serving as USS James O'Hara (T-AP-179) until her final decommissioning. The ship was laid down for the Army under Maritime Commission contract by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, Tacoma, Washington, 16 June 1941; launched 30 December 1941; and delivered to the Army 30 November 1942. USS James O'Hara decommissioned at San Francisco 5 April 1946 and was transferred to the Army the same day. During the next 4 years she served out of Seattle, Washington as a transport with the Army Transportation Corps, under the name USNS James O'Hara. Reacquired by the Navy 1 March 1950, she was reclassified T-AP-179 on 28 April and assigned to MSTS. During the struggle to repulse Communist aggression in South Korea, James O'Hara transported troops and supplies from the West Coast to the Far East. Operating primarily out of Seattle, between October 1950 and July 1954 she made 18 deployments to ports in Japan and South Korea. In addition she supplied American bases in the Marshalls and the Marianas, and she made numerous troop training **USS Frederick Funston (APA-89/T-AP-178) USS Frederick Funston (APA-89) was a Frederick Funston-class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II. Before serving as a Navy APA, she had been the US Army transport USAT Frederick Funston. After World War II, she was returned to the Army and operated as USAT Frederick Funston. Funston was among the seventy-two ships transferred to the Navy's Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) in the 1 March 1950 group and placed in service as USNS Frederick Funston (T-AP-178). Named after US Army General Frederick Funston a Medal of Honor recipient, the ship was launched 27 September 1941 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation at Tacoma, Washington and acquired by the US Army as a transport ship. She was acquired from the Army by the US Navy on 8 April 1943, reclassified an APA (Auxiliary Personnel Attack, i.e. attack transport), and commissioned 24 April 1943, Commander J. E. Murphy in command. After serving with the Army Transportation Corps Fleet out of Seattle, Frederick Funston returned to naval custody when the Military Sea Transportation Service was formed in 1950, and was placed in noncommissioned status for operations with a Civil Service crew, after which she saw some service in the Korean War. The ship was scrapped in 1969.
USNS Frederick N. Funston (APA-89/T-AP-178)-Seward, AK-Seattle, WA Flat Hoist/Radio Call Sign: N - I- G- B
*USNS Frederick Funston; (APA-89/T-AP-178) Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons Top Row - American Campaign Medal Second Row - Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (2) - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (4) - World War II Victory Medal Third Row National Defense Service Medal - Korean Service Medal (1) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation Third Row - United Nations Service Medal - Philippines Liberation Medal (2) - Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Thomas Harvey Lorenz Corporal Special Training Infantry Regiment 3rd Armored Division US Army
References The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of all North High School graduates can be found online at http://www.ndmhs.com/. Thomas Harvey Lorenz's class page can be viewed at http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1949(2009.60).html.
03/06/14
Music: "Wind Beneath My Wings"
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