Alfred G. Plassman Family

Alfred G. Plassman, son of Henry F. Plassman and Clara Wachtman Plassman was born July 10, 1916 in Napoleon Township, Henry County, Ohio, and lived on Road P-31/2 miles West of Napoleon, Ohio. He went to Freytag School, corner of Road P and Road 18. Finishing eighth grade in 1931 during the depression, he then helped his Dad with the farm work and his tiling machine with which he did custom work for area farmers and neighbors.

In August, 1941, he was drafted into the armed services of his country and was sent to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri for his basic training in the Army combat engineer corps. Late in November 1941, he was sent to VanCouver Barracks, VanCouver, Washington near the West Coast and attached to the 18th Engineer Combat regiment. Late in March of 1942, the regiment was sent to Whitehorse Yukon Territory, Canada to help build the Alaska highway. He helped build the section from Whitehorse Northwest to the Alaska border about 300 miles. Other regiments built other sections of the highway. In January 1943, as the regiment was completing its section of the highway, the temperature was averaging near 40 below zero. Then the regiment was sent out into the Aleutian Islands off Alaska to construct an airport on a small island named "Shemya", working there until November 1944. Then he was sent back to the States for his first furlough over Christmas and New Years 1945. Then he was sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was there when the war ended. He was discharged Sept. 30, 1945 and came back to the farm and ditching work which he does to this day.

In April, 1950, he married Luella Panning Plassman, daughter of Emil J. Panning and Emma Freytag Panning and they live on the place where he was born.

They had two sons, Tom, born Oct. 24, 1951 and Robert born on Oct. 19, 1953.

Submitted by: Alfred Plassman