Helmer Swenholt
| Helmer Swenholt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 28, 1886 Wittenberg, Shawano County, Wisconsin |
| Died | May 8, 1952 (aged 65) Tucson, Pima County, Arizona |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 332nd Engineer Special Service Regiment |
| Commands held | 332nd Engineer Special Service Regiment 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment Southern Base Engineer Group No. 2 |
| Awards |
Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart Legion of Honor(France) |
Helmer Swenholt (28 June 1886 - 8 May 1952) was born in Wittenberg, Shawano County, Wisconsin (near Shawano, Wisconsin). Having pursued a degree in engineering, he put his education to work in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was an officer and Veteran of World War I, and after the war continued his service in the Army Corps of Engineers. In World War II, Swenholt organized one of the first of the Engineer Regiments, a new type of combat engineer organization. At the war's conclusion Swenholt returned to the United States and retired from the Army.
His father was Jonas Swenholt, who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1908 in engineering. Swenholt had played basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was named to the All Big Ten team. Swenholt, a forward on the basketball team, was elected captain for the 1907-1908 season of the Badger squad. He had tied with a teammate for the honor and the election was decided by a coin toss. He joined the National Guard.
He became a captain in an engineer company in World War I and was wounded in France in 1918. Captain Swenholt worked on the railroad from Murmansk with the Bolsheviks. In 1918 he decided to stay in the Regular Army. He briefly visited his hometown and then left for Morgantown, West Virginia for service at the state university. He was assigned to serve as an ROTC engineer instructor at West Virginia University. He would occasionally return to his home in Madison, Wisconsin to visit his parents and sister...
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