PFC DominicValentine Peternell

PFC Dominic Valentine Peternell was born 12 Feb 1922 in Saint Joseph,Minnesota. He was the 7th of the 10 children born to Louis and Agnes (Schauback) Peternell. His father had farmed but by 1940 was working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) on road construction reporting a 1939 income of $520. Dominic was working as farm helper in 1940 and he then went to work for Armour Inc in a meat processing plant.

Dominic was drafted in December 1942. After his basic military training he was sent to England and assigned to H Company 116th Infantry as a machine gun crewman. He trained with the unit for the planned amphibious landing on the coast of occupied France. He participated with H Company in that landing on 6 Jun 1944 and beyond and was promoted to PFC on 12 Jun 1944. PFC Peternell was wounded on 26 Jun 1944 and evacuated to hospital. PFC Peternell was returned to the unit via the replacement depot on 30 Jul 1944. Dominic was wounded again on 5 Aug 1944 outside Vire, France and was immediately evacuated. However, PFC Peternell died of his wound(s) on 6 Aug 1944.

PFC Peternell was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in Saint Stephani Cemetery in Saint Stephen, Minnesota.

3 of Dominic's brothers also served during WW2. Alphonse Louis Peternell also served in the U.S. Army. Robert James Peternell served as a ABM(CP)3c aboard the USS Yorktown. Donald Jerome Peternell served as a disbursing clerk aboard the navy oiler, USS Guadacanal.