Early Life in Kelly, Kansas

Bernard Otto Schultejans was born on August 25, 1924, on the family farm just south of Kelly, Nemaha County, Kansas. He grew up in a large Catholic family with four brothers—Theodore, Edwin, Albert, and Clarence—and two sisters, Bernadine and Anna. Bernard was part of the tight-knit St. Bede’s parish community, where faith, farming, and family were central to daily life. His roots in Kelly shaped his character: hardworking, faithful, and deeply connected to both his church and his neighbors.

Induction and Training

Bernard entered the U.S. Army on May 4, 1944, amid the great national mobilization of World War II. He received his basic training at Camp Fannin, Texas, a site known for preparing young infantrymen for the challenges of combat. Later he continued training at Camp Hood, Texas. In September 1944, he returned home briefly for a furlough before departing for Camp Meade, Maryland, and then shipping overseas in October.

Service with the 26th Infantry Division

Assigned to the 328th Infantry Regiment of the 26th “Yankee” Infantry Division, Bernard became part of General George S. Patton’s Third Army. The division was thrown into combat almost immediately upon arriving in Europe, seeing action in France and then crossing into Germany in December 1944.

In letters home, Bernard shared that he had been in France and “on German soil.” He also wrote to his friend, Rev. Father Placidus Keiffer, noting that “activity was plenty hot,” a brief but poignant glimpse into the realities of front-line combat.

The Battle of the Bulge and Luxembourg

In mid-December 1944, Germany launched a massive surprise offensive in the Ardennes, known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 26th Infantry Division was quickly redeployed north into Luxembourg to block the advance. Bernard’s regiment, the 328th Infantry, fought in bitter winter conditions through villages such as Arsdorf and Eschdorf.

On December 24–25, his battalion engaged in house-to-house fighting in Arsdorf, finally securing the village by Christmas morning. The next day, December 26, 1944, the regiment pressed forward toward river crossings at Insenborn, Bonnal, and Lultzhausen. Under heavy artillery, mortar, and sniper fire, the men worked to establish bridgeheads and prepare for the advance toward Wiltz and Schumanns Eck. It was during this phase of operations that Private First Class Bernard Schultejans was killed in action. He was only 20 years old and had been in combat scarcely more than a month.

News at Home and Memorial Services

Word of Bernard’s death reached Kelly in early January 1945. The Courier Tribune announced his passing, noting that he had been overseas only a few months. On January 15, 1945, a requiem mass was held at St. Bede’s Church, where his community gathered in grief and remembrance. His bier, draped in the American flag, stood before the altar as Rev. Father Placidus delivered the sermon. Members of the St. Aloysius Sodality, the Knights of Columbus, and the American Legion participated, rendering military honors with a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”

St. Bede’s parish placed a second gold star on its service flag in Bernard’s memory, alongside that of Joseph Enneking, marking the supreme sacrifice of two of its sons.

Final Resting Place and Legacy

Bernard Otto Schultejans was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for his sacrifice. Today he lies buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg, Plot B, Row 8, Grave 27, among thousands of fellow Americans who gave their lives in the liberation of Europe.

Though his life was short, Bernard’s story reflects the courage of a generation that left farms, schools, and hometowns across America to confront tyranny overseas. His name endures in the history of Nemaha County, Kansas, and in the sacred ground of Luxembourg, a symbol of sacrifice and devotion to duty.

SOURCES

Courier Tribune

5 Oct 1944

Pvt. Bernard Schultejans left Monday for Camp Meade, Md., after a furlough with hisi parents.

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Courier Tribune (Seneca, KS)

8 Jan 1945

A Kelly Soldier Killed in Action

Bernard Schultejans Died

in Luxembourg, Dec. 26

Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Schultejans received word Sunday from War Department that their second son, Pfc. Bernard Schultejans, was killed Dec. 26 in Luxembourg. He had been overseas only a few months and according to recent mail received from him, in action a little more than a month.

Bernard was 20 or 21 and had been in the army about six months. He took his basic graining at Camp Fannin, Texas, and spent a few days furlough with home folks before going overseas. He served in the infantry of the Third Army and wrote his friend, Rev. Father Placidus from the front that activity was plenty hot.

Besides his parents, Bernard is survived by brothers, Theodore, Edwin, Albert and Clarence and two sisters, Bernardine of the home and Annie, employed at the Axtell hospital.

Plans are being made for a memorial mass to be held at St. Bede’s church, Kelly, Monday Jan. 15 at 10 o’clock. The many friends of the Schultejans family extend sincere sympathy in their bereavement.

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Courier Tribune

18 Jan 1945

Honor Memory of

A Kelly Soldier

Requiem Mass Monday

for Bernard Schultejans

St. Bede’s church has two gold stars on its service flag in memory of soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for their country. The first honored Joseph Enneking and the second Bernard Schultejans.

A requiem mass for Pfc. Schultejans, 20, was held at ten o’clock Monday morning in St. Bede’s church. The young man lost his life in action in Luxembourg, December 26, 1944. The pastor, Rev. Father Placidus Keiffer said the mass and delivered the sermon. The flag draped bier rested before the altar. St. Aloysius Sodality of the Kelly parish and Seneca Council 1769, Knights of Columbus, attended the service in a body in respect for their former member.

At the close of the mass a military service was conducted by the members of the Earle W. Taylor Post of the American Legion. Jack R. Houston commanded a four gun salute and S-Sgt. James M. Minor and Pvt. Albert A. Wessel, served as color bearers. Edward R. Levick, Legionnaire, acted on behalf of the United States government, presenting the American flag to Bernard’s parents. Sammy Armstrong blew taps.

Bernard O. Schultejans was born August 25th, 1924 at the family home one-half mile south of Kelly. He was inducted into service May 4, 1944 and received his training at Camp Hood, Texas. The young man was home on furlough in September and went overseas in October. In letters to his parents previous to his death he spoke of having been in France and on German soil but gave his life in Luxembourg. His parents, two sisters, Bernadine and Anna and four brothers, Theodore, Edwin, Albert and Clarence survive.

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Find a Grave.

PFC Bernard Otto Schultejans V

Veteran

Birth

25 Aug 1924

Kelly, Nemaha County, Kansas, USA

Death

26 Dec 1944 (aged 20)

Luxembourg

Burial

Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

Hamm, Canton de Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Plot

Plot B Row 8 Grave 27

Memorial ID

55957878 ·

Bernard Schultejans

Private First Class, U.S. Army

328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division

Entered the Service from: Kansas

Died: 26-Dec-44

Buried at: Plot B Row 8 Grave 27

Luxembourg American Cemetery

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Awards: Purple Heart

Bernard Schultejans (37742449), Private First Class, is listed as Killed In Action in the 1946 Army and Army Air Forces Personnel Casualty List for Nemaha County, Kansas.

______________

From PErplexity

Here’s the snapshot for the 26th Infantry Division (“Yankee Division”) in Luxembourg on 26 December 1944:

The division had shifted north into Luxembourg 19–21 December and fought its way through Rambrouch and Grosbous, taking Arsdorf on Christmas Day after heavy combat. Wikipedia
On 26 December—while Patton’s Third Army was breaking the siege of Bastogne—the 26th was ordered to keep pushing from the Sûre (Sauer) River toward Wiltz and to drive on the Schumannseck crossroads to hit German forces east of Bastogne from the rear. Liberation Route Europe Land Of Memory
That day and the next, the division consolidated bridgeheads near Arsdorf/Liefrange and prepared further attacks; the fight would harden into a brutal, weeks-long slugfest around Schumannseck. patton.lu Visit Wiltz

If Bernard Schultejans was with the 26th ID then, his unit was in that Luxembourg push—securing river crossings and attacking toward Wiltz amid the Battle of the Bulge.

Here’s what I found:

According to Find a Grave, Bernard Otto Schultejans—Private First Class, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division—was killed in action on 26 December 1944 and is buried in Plot B, Row 8, Grave 27 at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City. He was from Kansas and was awarded the Purple Heart. sabethaherald.com+4Find A Grave+4interment.net+4
A local newspaper account (The Sabetha Herald) adds context, stating he was KIA Dec. 26, 1944, serving with the 328th Infantry Regiment during the Battle of the Bulge, specifically near Arsdorf, Luxembourg. sabethaherald.com

Summary

Everything matches up:

Exact date and place of death: 26 December 1944, near Arsdorf, Luxembourg.
Burial location: Luxembourg American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 8, Grave 27.
Unit and award: with the 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division; recipient of the Purple Heart.

Here’s the tightest picture I can give you for Arsdorf and the 328th IR around 26 Dec 1944:

Who was there & why: The 26th Infantry Division was driving north in Luxembourg to force crossings of the Sûre (Sauer) River and then pivot toward Wiltz/Schumanns Eck to pressure the German flank east of Bastogne. Opposing them in the Arsdorf–Eschdorf sector was the Führer-Grenadier-Brigade, with tanks and assault guns committed piecemeal. Wikisource Land Of Memory
Arsdorf fight (Christmas Eve–Day): The 1/328th Infantry, aided by 2/101st Infantry, fought through house-to-house resistance in Arsdorf the night of 24–25 Dec; by mid-morning 25 Dec the village was secured, stabilizing the division’s exposed left while the rest of the force pushed toward the river crossings. Wikisource
26 Dec, immediate aftermath: With Arsdorf in U.S. hands, the division focus shifted to the river line. The 26th cleared and held a chain of nearby villages (including Insenborn, Bonnal, Lultzhausen) to cover crossing sites and build a bridgehead; this was the day the division began consolidating positions north of the Sûre for the drive toward Schumanns Eck. Wikipedia Wikisource
Tactical picture that day: While the Eschdorf fight finally ended at first light on 26 Dec, German rear guards were falling back across the Sûre and sniping from the bluffs; U.S. infantry and attached engineers worked river approaches under sporadic small-arms, mortar, and observed artillery fire. The day closed with U.S. bridgeheads established and German local counterattacks checked. Wikisource

If Bernard Schultejans fell on 26 Dec 1944 with the 328th IR, he likely died during this consolidation/push from the Arsdorf sector toward the Sûre crossings (Bonnal/Lultzhausen) or from German harassing fires as the regiment secured those approaches—work that enabled the ensuing, brutal fight around Schumanns Eck. Wikipedia Land Of Memory