Jon Edward Nelson Fink

August 25, 1922- June 14, 1996

Jon was born in Winnebago, Nebraska, to Alfred and Lois. His father tragically died when he was only 5 years old, after which he was adopted by Carl and Mildred Fink of Lake Benton, Minnesota. 

He enlisted in the US Army on November 6, 1942, and was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training. Before shipping off to England, Jon also trained as a battlefield medic. He was assigned to the 119th Infantry Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division and saw action in Normandy, northern France, the Rhineland, and Ardennes-Alsace. He was captured at the start of the Battle of the Bulge. 

It took more than a week by truck and rail to get to Moosburg, Germany, where he was imprisoned at Stalag 7-A.  

At Stalag 7-A, Jon was part of the work crews made up of POWs that cleared debris after American bombing raids of Munich. For this extra work Jon received two additional daily rations. This was difficult labor and the POWs were typically well-treated.  However, Jon witnessed an unnamed American POW being beaten by a German guard, as one can see by this post-war report that he filed in October of 1946:

His adopted father, Carl A. Fink, was informed of Jon’s status as a POW in Germany on March 14, 1945. [1] This notification came two days before he was transferred from Stalag 7-A in Moosburg to the tiny farming POW camp in Nussdorf am Inn.

Pfc. Jon Fink used the logbook issued to him (and all the other POWs) to keep a diary. His entries don't begin until his transfer to Nussdorf am Inn from Stalag 7A.  

His diary makes for fascinating reading: 

Today marks a new stake in my POW...It does seem strange to have a bit of freedom. We left the camp at 4:30 this AM with two B Parcels. After a very hard day of luggin' our equipment we finally arrived at our barracks. We live in a small town at the very foot of the Alps. It is very beautiful and the people received us with open arms. We are to work on the farms around the village. The barracks is an old barn--rebuilt inside and it really looks super. I think we have a good deal but only time will tell. Right now things are off to a bad start.  This Sgt.  seems to want to run the Red Cross. Seems like over here we don't own a darn thing. Me thinks I'll blow my top. We may be here till the end of the war. As of now things look dark. But they say "All dark clouds have a silver lining. The only hard thing is turning it inside out. Who knows - will see how things go. I am mucking in with a couple good Joes--Hunt and Cy [Dwane Hunt & Clyde Vineyard]. Oh Well. I’ts a great day for the [??] and tomorrow is the wearing of the green. It's Pat's Day-so for a while...

I do wish I could describe this beautiful place. Methinks I'll wait till there is a nice sun instead of this rain. I surveyed the town today and we put up a - house. So far the place is beginning to take form and it looks good. The boys seem to work together good so far. We had our parcels tonight. We have really eaten up a storm today. I've dreamed of these days at the Stalag but didn't know dreams came true. Today is Sunday and a day of rest. For breakfast this AM we had toast, bacon and eggs, and tea. To finish things off we had a bit of jam and crackers. Right now I am munching on crackers and having a spot of tea. Last night the guard brought us a pail of beer which added to our pleasant stay here a bit of cheer.

A low mist hung over the mountains this morning shutting out all sunlight. This town is called Nussdorf. It is surrounded on three sides by the Alps. The mountains towering into the clouds. On clear days when there is no fog you can see the snow caps behind the first ridge. Except for the guard and an occasional soldier one would never realize there is a terrible war within a couple hundred miles. People here seem to love life and want to live to enjoy it. They have treated us with great kindness and curiosity. I hope that by tomorrow we will find our places of labor and receive our mattresses and blankets. It's not good to sleep on boards and cover with a coat.

Now, after a good bath and a breakfast of oatmeal, toast and tea, I feel refreshed. This makes the first week of work out here. It feels good to stretch our muscles and breathe some good strong mountain air. In a few minutes I leave the Lager to go the farm where I work for Sunday dinner. That really sounds good. To eat a Sunday dinner on the farm. I have eaten like a king this week. The folks are really nice. They wash my clothes and treat me like one of the family. We are having a bit of trouble with the Sgt., but he will come around later we hope. The town here is built on the end of the valley. The towering Alps begin at the very edge. The people here are of a Swiss decent, and the houses are built on that basis. They are quaint and beautiful. The population is about like Benton, with a swift river running by about 300 mm from town. After a week of work they have the fence put up. What about that? Prisoners building their own prison and then living in it. What's this war coming to? Well, dear wife, I must go to dinner now. Here is hoping they have a little flesh.

Today marks the second week of work for Reisinger, the farmer. Seems like time really flies.

At least there is dough and spuds.

Had rabbit for dinner.

Our parcels arrived. Smokes and chocolate. [2]

Jon worked on the Josef Reisinger farm/mill at what is now Dorfstrasse 9. The adjacent farmhouse is at "Hs.-Nr. 53". The Peter Moser family were next door neighbors. Fellow POW, Aubrey Temples, worked for the Mosers.  

Josef fought on the Western Front during World War I and saw action in several major battles. He received one medal and three citations for bravery. He served as Board Chairman of the "Kriegervereins" (Veterans Association) of Nussdorf from 1938 until the end of the war, and then again from 1949-1952. In 1945, Josef was only 58 years old but he had physical limitations caused by war wounds. 

Liberation Day (May 2, 1945)

Dear Diary,

I am writing in an MP house far behind our own lines. Hard to believe, yes, but here's how it was. On Wednesday morning, after a grand night's stay at the farmers, I was sitting in the kitchen drinking wine when Butch [see note 3] came in and said the Americans have come. I was so weak and excited I couldn't move. Later, I walked down town and there were three GI half tracks. It was the 12th Armored Div.  of the 7th Army. I was never so glad in all my life. We were taken to a C.P. and treated like kings. I took a car from an officer (Jerry) and his pistol and the rest of the boys followed likewise. We drove there back to the rear echelon. Oh, diary it's a great feeling to be free again. It was hard to leave the family (in Nussdorf) till I saw the US Jeep. Now after a swell meal and sleep I am ready for anything. Bye for now. [4]

Jon's step father, Carl A. Fink, was notified of Jon’s liberation on June 4, 1945. [5]

After the War

After the war, Jon was promoted to sergeant and he decided to make a career in the Army. He also met the love of his life, Patricia Marston, and they were married August 12,  1950.  Patricia was born in Lake City, Iowa, but was living in Winnebego, Nebraska, at the time. [6]

Jon's Return to Nussdorf 

In 1954, Jon returned to Germany to serve in US Occupied Germany with the 67th Medical Depot in Kaiserslautern. That spring, he was the first of the former American POWs to return to visit Nussdorf. He took his wife, Patricia, along to meet the Reisinger family. Sadly, when Jon arrived, he learned that Josef had passed away two years prior. 

Shortly after this visit, Jon was selected to attend school in Paris, France, to study Iron lungs, X-rays, physics, math, and electronics. His wife, Patricia, and daughter moved to join him there. [7] In 1956, he was re-assigned stateside and served as a medial equipment technician and repair specialist at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. By that time his wife had given birth to a second daughter. [8] By 1958, Technical Specialist Fink was stationed at Scott Air Force Base, in Illinois. [9]

Post-War Letter to Fellow POW, Joe Rous:

11 Jan. ‘88

Hi Joe!

It was great to hear from you! Yes, now many things come back to me. Received a real nice letter from Oliver Johnson of Portsmouth Ohio ( last one in Row #3 and ROw #L). All the information in your letter really brought memories back to me, as I had not really looked at my log book in a long time.

Yes, I have had the CIB and Bronze Star for a long time, Thanks.

I called Sue at Ex. POW Bulletin and she said my pictures will be sent shortly. If you want any copies, let me know.

And yes, I remember Kenney… what times…

Also, here is the guys that signed my log book, along with you. Sure brings back memories...How in HELL did we make it???

The VA corrected that awful stomach rupture that happened in Munich and put me back in the Army. Turned out great.

I became a Biomedical Engineer and spent 3 years in Germany, three years in France, one year in Vietnam and one and a half years in Turkey. I retired from Army in April 1970 and the Army called me right back in Civil Service and I retired from there in April 1983. I love every bit of it.

Enclosed are the names and addresses from (Stalag) 7-A.

Also my memories of Nussdorf.

Thanks for Letter.

Natch,

Jon

Jon  served in the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War in the USAF. Jon and Patricia had two daughters, Fabienne (1951) and Francian.  He retired from military service in 1970, and resided in Denver and Northglenn, Colorado, until passing away in 1996. Patricia passed away in 2020. [10]

[1] United States Army, "Combat history of the 119th Infantry Regiment" (1946). World War Regimental Histories. 49. http://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/49;

Sioux City Journal, March 14, 1945, p.8: "Prisoners of Germans for Tri-State Area - Lake Benton, MN - Pfc. Jon E. Fink
[2] Jon Fink  Diary, "Commando Lager", pp. 139-143.

[3] Krieger-, Veteranen- und Kameradschaftsverein Nußdorf e.V. (Website)

[4] Jon Fink Diary of May 3, 1945, in his Stalag 7-A issued logbook. p. 27; "Butch" was a nickname. He was probably a non-US POW, perhaps Polish or French, living with or working for the Reisingers in 1945.

[5] The Sioux City Journal, June 6, 1945, p. 3.

[6] "Marston-Fink Nuptials...", The Walthill Citizen, Aug. 17, 1950, p. 5.

[7] "To the Medical Depot", The Journal of Caldwell, Ohio, April 6, 1954.

[8] The Journal of Caldwell, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1956, p. 4. –[Daughters: Fabienne and Fancia]; The Walthill Citizen, Dec 13, 1956, p. 6.

[9] The Walthill Citizen of May 15, 1958.

[10] Obituarly of Jon Edward Fink, Rocky Mountain News, June 18, 1996.