Heritage Homes Resident Serves His Country and Team
Before Harold Bobrofksy joined the military, he felt he was helping the World War II effort by working in a machine shop and learning about metal products. After the start of the war, the company switched to making parts for submarines.
Harold expected to be drafted soon so he opted to enlist in November 1943. “They could have sent me to any branch of service that they wanted to, but this way I could chose, though the only choice was really infantry,” Harold explained.
Harold attended basic training for three months at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in Arkansas. There the Army learned Harold had a high IQ and sent him onto training to become an Army officer.
When it was time for his final exam, Harold had to answer questions in front of a group of people. “I knew every answer, but my voice gave out and I could not say a single word. So they had to cancel me out,” Harold explained, “Guess the good Lord was watching over me as I would have ended up as an infantry officer overseas.”
Harold continued to attend different Army schools. He made first-class marksman for rifles, 30- and 50-caliber machine guns. He traveled through several different states around the country and was put in charge of one of the companies before becoming a member of the 858th Chemical Company.
“Our country worried our enemy might fight against by using poison gas. We spent months learning how to use poison gas, how to defend ourselves, and how to ruin it if our enemy used it against us,” he explained.
Harold and his fellow soldiers learned to become truck and trailer drivers. Some nights were spent practicing training maneuvers in the mountains of California with no lights. Next, the group was sent to Guam where their first project was to extend the runways at the airport so larger planes could land.
Harold soon became a cook for a group. Each day, he would begin work at 11 a.m. and serve lunch and dinner. The next morning, he would have to up by 4 a.m. to serve breakfast.
When the time for his discharge came, Harold was number 38 and had to patiently wait his turn. “When the day finally came, I went in for my discharge papers. They said if I’d wait three more days, they could give me a sergeant’s rating. I would have been better off if I had taken it. But I said, “No! My discharge is here and I’m going home today!” Harold took the train to Camp McCoy in Wisconsin to receive his discharge papers on February 14, 1946.
Harold spent more than three years in the service. He resided at Heritage Homes in Watertown, Wisconsin. “I couldn’t ask for better service than I get here,” Harold said of his time at Heritage Homes.
After sharing his story with us, God called Harold home to heaven on Saturday, July 7, 2018.
Harold was one of only 80 veterans residing in a TLHA care community. In our 120th year of caring for souls, we are honoring both our veteran residents and team members. Our history begins with one family’s loss during the Civil War. 15-year-old Ernst Boessling from Belle Plaine volunteered to serve with the Minnesota troops and died in September of 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi in service to his country.
His mother, Sophie, had saved the government death benefits she received all the years after Ernst died. Wanting to provide a home for others like herself, she donated the money and her family’s farmland to build das Alten und Waisenheim—the Aged and Orphans’ Home. Now more than a century later, Sophie’s gift continues to benefit countless lives.
TLHA has active senior living, assisted living and memory care communities in Belle Plaine, Minnesota and River Falls, Fountain City, and Watertown, Wisconsin. Looking for a place to call home? Visit www.tlha.org/communities.