A hero's welcome

By Celeste Edenloff

Bill Platto, a 1940 Alexandria graduate, found out how much his military service meant to a town that he and his Army buddies liberated in World War II – more than 40 years after it happened.

Platto went into the service in February 1941. He served in the National Guard Army through the summer of 1945, according to his daughter, Lynda Wosmek, who still lives in Alexandria.

Wosmek provided the newspaper with some newspaper clippings, information and photos of her father during the time he served.

She also noted that the members of the guard unit that her father served with had yearly reunions in Alexandria the second Sunday of July for 60 years – from 1946 until 2006.

Proud of her father’s time in the military, Wosmek shared the story behind two of the photos she brought in.

Platto was part of a unit that was sent over to liberate Putte, Belgium in 1944. While in Putte, a local photographer took photos of all the soldiers who had liberated the town. In one of the photos, he captured a picture of his daughter, Godelieve Daans, with two soldiers – Wosmek’s father, Bill Platto, and another soldier, John “Meatball” Metzuck of Chicago.

The black and white photo shows a picture of the little girl holding hands with the two soldiers.

Fast forward more than 40 years.

Platto and some of his National Guard buddies went back to visit the town they liberated. A celebration ensued and a parade was held for those members. Wosmek shared a photo of her father and other soldiers riding in an Army vehicle in the parade.

But that is not the other photo with a story.

The other photo taken in 1985 shows a picture of Platto next to a young woman in a restaurant. That woman is Daans, the same person Platto had a picture taken with more than 40 years prior.

On a piece of paper that Wosmek shared with the newspaper, it said, “Her mother, Den Dok, was also present with the other villagers at the gathering for the returning soldiers. It is an example of how the villagers never forgot their liberators.”

The following information was provided by Platto’s family. It was written after a column from the Douglas County Historical Society ran in the Nov. 3, 2006, issue of the Echo Press.

Bill Platto was the secretary/treasurer for the Battery C Club for the past 12-15 years. In that capacity and during that time frame, he planned reunions for his fellow veterans from National Guard Battery C Regiment 217 and Battery B Regiment 494.

These veterans were from Minnesota – many from Alexandria and the surrounding area – Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Texas and California. Reunions were held in Alexandria from 1946 to 2006.

Since officers for the Battery C Club were elected annually, others were involved in planning the reunions, notably the late Julian Newhouse of Alexandria who served as secretary/treasurer for many years. These reunions were very important to the Battery C and Battery B men. However, after 60 years, the group decided the 2006 reunion would be the final one.

As secretary in 2006, Platto had in his possession the memorabilia that was recently donated to the Douglas County Historical Society. Discussion at the reunion resulted in a mandate to give the newspaper clippings, photos, minutes from all reunions and more to the DCHS because of historical significance.

The group of men who left Alexandria on the troop train on Feb. 25, 1941, bound for Camp Haan in California, were a special breed. They joined other young men who were

Taken in Putte, Belgium in 1944, the photographer captured a picture of his daughter, Godelieve Daans, with two soldiers, Bill Platto of Alexandria, right, and John “Meatball” Metzuck of Chicago. Contributed photo In 1985, Bill Platto of Alexandria, a veteran, visited the town of Putte, Belgium, and met up with Godelieve Daans, whom he first met in 1944 when she was a little girl. Her father took photos of soldiers who had liberated the town of Putte and he took a photo of Daans and two soldiers, once of which was Platto. Contributed photo