In his travels north through the islands of the Southwest Pacific, memorable points include
New Guinea, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and the invasion of Luzon in the Philippine Islands.
Finally peace was signed with Japan September 2, 1945, and he arrived in Japan September
14, 1945.
He spent quite some time on the island of Honshu, and the rest of a severe
winter on the island of Hokkaido. He finally acquired enough points to head back to the
States, and was discharged in 1946.
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Manning Monitor articles ------ 1944
Pfc. Ploen "Somewhere Overseas" July 4, 1944.
Well, not much real news to write about, but Iowa still appeals to me so the best we can
do is read about it right now I guess, so in closing I want to thank both you and the
American Legion for this courtesy.
Harry Ploen Back From Pacific Area |
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Plaza Resident of the Month Manning Monitor December 14, 1995 The Manning Plaza's featured resident of the month of December is Harry Ploen. He has been a resident of the Plaza since April 18, 1995. Harry was born June 3, 1911, to Peter and Lena (Moeller) Ploen. He and his older brother, Herman, lived with their parents on their farm near Aspinwall. His parents and brother have passed away. The family moved to Manning when he was a youngster. He has fond memories of helping his dad in the cream station which was located north of Frahm's Garage. Harry attended Manning Public School from kindergarten to the twelfth grade. He proudly states, "Not many people can say they have stayed in one school for their entire education, but I can." Upon graduation, he worked as a farmhand and day laborer for various people. He then joined the United States Armed Forces and served his country during World War II. This is most interesting as he tells of beginning his military career during the Pacific Campaign, then on to the final invasion in the Philippines, of Luzon, where the occupation troops were stationed. All others were planning the Invasion of Japan. He distinctly recalls the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. Harry and his comrades were very thankful that there was no invasion as this would have been a very costly measure to have taken. He was then transferred to Japan for extended occupation duties. He served for a term of four years. He then returned to Manning and went to work with Charlie Schmidt and Henry Grelck, two very accomplished carpenters. His first job with them was the building of the Ohde Funeral Home. Upon completion, he then took on maintenance duties for the Ohde family for a number of years. His final employment up to retirement was with the Municipal Fresh and Waste Water Department of Manning as main operator. Harry and his family always enjoyed hunting and fishing. They often traveled to Black Hawk Lake and Swan Lake. He continues to be very proud of the fact he was able to serve his country in the armed forces and has recently donated his "very well taken care of" uniform to the Carroll Community Theater. He is an active member of the VFW and Legion, of which he's been a continuous member for over fifty years. Harry states, "The Manning Plaza is a wonderful place to go when one gets to the point that they can not be at home any longer." |