Seaman, First Class, United States Navy.
Entered the service from Nebraska.
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea.
Awarded the Purple Heart.
Vencil Frank Sidlo was one of 57 crew members who were lost at sea (Latitude 21.1º north Longitude 160.6º west) in the Pacific on January 23, 1942 when their oiler the Neches was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. A torpedo on the starboard side hit on the stern, killing almost all of the crew aft and destroying the engine room. The Neches went down rather quickly, maybe an hour or less. The lifeboats were all recovered, and the surviving crew members were able to get to them. Later they were rescued and taken to Pearl by a destroyer. (Information from a Neches survivor, R. D. White.)
Obituary from the Red Cloud, NE Newspaper. Article titled Vencil F. Sidlo Gives His Life For His Country.
"Sherman's version of war was vividly brought home to this community, on yesterday, when Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Sidlo received a telegram from the War Department announcing that their son, Vencil F., a seaman first class, had met death while in active duty for his country.
The young man was known to all of this community as a lad of promising characteristics. he graduated from the Red Cloud High School with the Class of 1940 and immediately thereafter joined the Navy. While attending school, for some time he was in the employ of A. Beams, of the Auditorium.
Mechanically inclined and possessing a rugged constitution, prior to his enlistment in the Navy, he devoted his spare time to reading and studying along mathematical lines and was ambitious to become a radio technician and a flier. That he was making headway toward this goal, is evinced by the fact that word from him only a few months ago, carried the information that he was soon to be permitted to take a plane up by himself.
Vencil was the oldest boy of a well-mannered, well behaved family of seven--five boys and two girls. The old saying, the larger the family, the stronger the ties of affection, was never more strongly attested than in this case. Stunned by their irreparable loss of a son and brother, the family, like true soldiers, are finding their consolation in the fact that in the face of death he remained true and unflinching to the oath which he had taken. Freely did he lay down his life to help further the just cause of his country--that the people of the world might again be freed from the iron heel of the dictators.
While two other Webster county boys have been reported missing in action, this is the county's first and only really known fatality in World War Number Two."
Vencil Sidlo was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal on January 7th, 1944. On the reverse side of the medal was inscribed: For Military Merit, Vencil F. Sidlo, S 1-c, U.S.N.
Entered the service from Nebraska.
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea.
Awarded the Purple Heart.
Vencil Frank Sidlo was one of 57 crew members who were lost at sea (Latitude 21.1º north Longitude 160.6º west) in the Pacific on January 23, 1942 when their oiler the Neches was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. A torpedo on the starboard side hit on the stern, killing almost all of the crew aft and destroying the engine room. The Neches went down rather quickly, maybe an hour or less. The lifeboats were all recovered, and the surviving crew members were able to get to them. Later they were rescued and taken to Pearl by a destroyer. (Information from a Neches survivor, R. D. White.)
Obituary from the Red Cloud, NE Newspaper. Article titled Vencil F. Sidlo Gives His Life For His Country.
"Sherman's version of war was vividly brought home to this community, on yesterday, when Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Sidlo received a telegram from the War Department announcing that their son, Vencil F., a seaman first class, had met death while in active duty for his country.
The young man was known to all of this community as a lad of promising characteristics. he graduated from the Red Cloud High School with the Class of 1940 and immediately thereafter joined the Navy. While attending school, for some time he was in the employ of A. Beams, of the Auditorium.
Mechanically inclined and possessing a rugged constitution, prior to his enlistment in the Navy, he devoted his spare time to reading and studying along mathematical lines and was ambitious to become a radio technician and a flier. That he was making headway toward this goal, is evinced by the fact that word from him only a few months ago, carried the information that he was soon to be permitted to take a plane up by himself.
Vencil was the oldest boy of a well-mannered, well behaved family of seven--five boys and two girls. The old saying, the larger the family, the stronger the ties of affection, was never more strongly attested than in this case. Stunned by their irreparable loss of a son and brother, the family, like true soldiers, are finding their consolation in the fact that in the face of death he remained true and unflinching to the oath which he had taken. Freely did he lay down his life to help further the just cause of his country--that the people of the world might again be freed from the iron heel of the dictators.
While two other Webster county boys have been reported missing in action, this is the county's first and only really known fatality in World War Number Two."
Vencil Sidlo was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal on January 7th, 1944. On the reverse side of the medal was inscribed: For Military Merit, Vencil F. Sidlo, S 1-c, U.S.N.
Seaman, First Class, United States Navy.
Entered the service from Nebraska.
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea.
Awarded the Purple Heart.
Vencil Frank Sidlo was one of 57 crew members who were lost at sea (Latitude 21.1º north Longitude 160.6º west) in the Pacific on January 23, 1942 when their oiler the Neches was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. A torpedo on the starboard side hit on the stern, killing almost all of the crew aft and destroying the engine room. The Neches went down rather quickly, maybe an hour or less. The lifeboats were all recovered, and the surviving crew members were able to get to them. Later they were rescued and taken to Pearl by a destroyer. (Information from a Neches survivor, R. D. White.)
Obituary from the Red Cloud, NE Newspaper. Article titled Vencil F. Sidlo Gives His Life For His Country.
"Sherman's version of war was vividly brought home to this community, on yesterday, when Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Sidlo received a telegram from the War Department announcing that their son, Vencil F., a seaman first class, had met death while in active duty for his country.
The young man was known to all of this community as a lad of promising characteristics. he graduated from the Red Cloud High School with the Class of 1940 and immediately thereafter joined the Navy. While attending school, for some time he was in the employ of A. Beams, of the Auditorium.
Mechanically inclined and possessing a rugged constitution, prior to his enlistment in the Navy, he devoted his spare time to reading and studying along mathematical lines and was ambitious to become a radio technician and a flier. That he was making headway toward this goal, is evinced by the fact that word from him only a few months ago, carried the information that he was soon to be permitted to take a plane up by himself.
Vencil was the oldest boy of a well-mannered, well behaved family of seven--five boys and two girls. The old saying, the larger the family, the stronger the ties of affection, was never more strongly attested than in this case. Stunned by their irreparable loss of a son and brother, the family, like true soldiers, are finding their consolation in the fact that in the face of death he remained true and unflinching to the oath which he had taken. Freely did he lay down his life to help further the just cause of his country--that the people of the world might again be freed from the iron heel of the dictators.
While two other Webster county boys have been reported missing in action, this is the county's first and only really known fatality in World War Number Two."
Vencil Sidlo was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal on January 7th, 1944. On the reverse side of the medal was inscribed: For Military Merit, Vencil F. Sidlo, S 1-c, U.S.N.
Entered the service from Nebraska.
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea.
Awarded the Purple Heart.
Vencil Frank Sidlo was one of 57 crew members who were lost at sea (Latitude 21.1º north Longitude 160.6º west) in the Pacific on January 23, 1942 when their oiler the Neches was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. A torpedo on the starboard side hit on the stern, killing almost all of the crew aft and destroying the engine room. The Neches went down rather quickly, maybe an hour or less. The lifeboats were all recovered, and the surviving crew members were able to get to them. Later they were rescued and taken to Pearl by a destroyer. (Information from a Neches survivor, R. D. White.)
Obituary from the Red Cloud, NE Newspaper. Article titled Vencil F. Sidlo Gives His Life For His Country.
"Sherman's version of war was vividly brought home to this community, on yesterday, when Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Sidlo received a telegram from the War Department announcing that their son, Vencil F., a seaman first class, had met death while in active duty for his country.
The young man was known to all of this community as a lad of promising characteristics. he graduated from the Red Cloud High School with the Class of 1940 and immediately thereafter joined the Navy. While attending school, for some time he was in the employ of A. Beams, of the Auditorium.
Mechanically inclined and possessing a rugged constitution, prior to his enlistment in the Navy, he devoted his spare time to reading and studying along mathematical lines and was ambitious to become a radio technician and a flier. That he was making headway toward this goal, is evinced by the fact that word from him only a few months ago, carried the information that he was soon to be permitted to take a plane up by himself.
Vencil was the oldest boy of a well-mannered, well behaved family of seven--five boys and two girls. The old saying, the larger the family, the stronger the ties of affection, was never more strongly attested than in this case. Stunned by their irreparable loss of a son and brother, the family, like true soldiers, are finding their consolation in the fact that in the face of death he remained true and unflinching to the oath which he had taken. Freely did he lay down his life to help further the just cause of his country--that the people of the world might again be freed from the iron heel of the dictators.
While two other Webster county boys have been reported missing in action, this is the county's first and only really known fatality in World War Number Two."
Vencil Sidlo was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal on January 7th, 1944. On the reverse side of the medal was inscribed: For Military Merit, Vencil F. Sidlo, S 1-c, U.S.N.
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