Sgt. Frizen, Mayfield

Sgt. Frizen, Mayfield
World War II

Sgt. Frizen Finds Parents He Had Not Seen Since 1930 in Germany

MAYFIELD - Mrs. Hazel Fritzen of North Main Street recently wrote to her husband Sergeant August Fritzen, who is somewhere in Germany, "If you keep on going into Germany, you will be in your own home town, but, I suppose you can't say anything about that". Last week she received a letter from her husband, dated March 26th and in part read:
"I have seen my parents and they are both living and doing well under the circumstances. Is that not something wonderful?"
"I shall give you an idea what happened, and here it is. This morning after coming back from the heat treatment Captain Mohr said to me, "What do you say Sergeant Fritzen, let's go to Neuwred and see your parents." My heart was quite a bit faster after hearing that, you will understand. So off we went, rode for sometime and arrived in Neuwred. On the way my mind wandered and my thoughts were many, after all I did know if they were still living! So we arrived in Neuwred, pulled up to the curb and knocked on the door. Nobody answered. Across the street, there were some men cleaning up the sidewalks. Captain Mohr inquired if Phillip Fritzen was living there. One of them said they do not live there anymore as [??    ] hit the house and that they had moved around the corner. (That is the place where my godchild's parents lived.) They are not in the city now, they have moved further into Germany.
The Captain and I jumped into the jeep and drove to the house."
Sgt. Fritzen told of repeated knockings without anyone answering, which worried him, but a man standing next door informed the American soldiers that Mrs. Fritzen had left about five minutes before to but something at the store. After thinking things over, they decided to wait for her to return. When Sgt. Fritzen saw his mother, he did not want to excite her and cause a scene on the street so he passed her. Someone must have told her that two Americans had been looking for her and she must have expected that they were going to drive her from her home. He looked backed her saw her talking to the two men.
The Captain and Sgt. Fritzen rode down the street and turned around. By that time his mother had gone to find her husband. They followed her and stopped the jeep along side of her and she told them she was going after her husband. She told them her husband would talk to them, because she could not hear very well.
"You can't figure out how I felt. I felt like stepping out of the jeep and taking her in my arms and kissing her, but, I had to control myself because I did not want to make a scene. So we went back to the house and waited for my parents to return. Capt. Mohr stopped father, he asked Captain Mohr what he could do to help, the Captain did not say anything but looked at me and I did not speak because I could not. All at once I hugging and kissing my father and he recognized me and shouted "My son August, my son August." Just then my mother arrived and asked father if they had to move out of the house for the American soldiers and before my father could answer, I clasped my mother to my heart and kissed her. Of course the joy was such that words can not tell all."
He had said they had a long talk and said his parents said they were so sick of the way Hitler was doing. They were so happy to know the Americans were doing what they were and hoped it would all end soon.
Mr. Fritzen is 72 and Mrs. Fritzen is 67. Sgt. Fritzen came to this country when he was about 19 and in 1930 he visited his parents, for the first and last time in civilian life.
Mrs. Frtizen of North Main Street, received a letter from her husband Sgt. Fritzen for which he received from his Commanding General John Millikin, last January, which was a Commendation for participating in the relief of Bastogna.
Sgt. Fritzen was inducted and left for training April 2, 1944 and was sent overseas last September.

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