Fred William Ott was born on December 18, 1918 on a farm near Menno, South Dakota to Mr. And Mrs. Emil Ott. Fred had four brothers and four sisters. He went to a country school, but only went from grades one through eight. Fred liked to farm, hunt, and fish. He was well liked by all the people who knew him.

Fred was drafted and on July 3, 1941 he was inducted into the army and trained at Fort Ord, California and in Texas. He was a sergeant as part of Co. K. 32 Infantry. In 1943, he fought in the Battle of Attu in the Aleutian Island Group. He later fought on Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Island Group. He was one of the few survivors left after the Battle of Attu.

Sergeant Ott wrote a lot of letters home. In a letter to his sister Erna Zeeb on May 7, 1943, he sent this note.

"Well Erna how is everything? Last year at this time I was with you folks. I have really been thinking of the swell time I had and how beautiful everything looked and sure hope I will see you next year by this time or a lot sooner, with the war over with. Tell mother not to worry too much, as I will be back."

On February 4, 19 44 on the Island of Kwajalein, Sergeant Fred Ott was shot by a Japanese sniper. The following is a quote from the US Senate "The War Department has just sent word to my office of new South Dakota casualties and on the list I find the name of your son Fred W. Ott." His original burial took place at Kwajalein Islands. He was later buried at Menno Cemetery in March 1948. Sergeant Ott was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

The survivors at the time of his death were his parents Mr. and Mrs. Emil Ott, along with his four brothers and his four sisters. These siblings included Sgt. Helmuth, Ewald, Private Felix, Albert, Mrs. Ida Cloeter, Mrs. Olga Heer, Mrs. Anna Heer and Erna Ott. His sister Erna Zeeb remembers him as a very likable, quiet man who was very serious about his duties as a soldier and his obligation to his country. His chaplain stated "He was of good Christian character and was prepared to face whatever might come." Sergeant Ott’s sister added the following note.

In December of 2001, there was a documentary on television about the Battle of Attu in the Aleutian Islands. This was very interesting to me, as after these many years, I did see the country and type of conditions Fred lived and fought under.

Stella Nusz of Menno then provided a copy of this documentary to the Menno High School junior class. Class members watched the documentary and were able to identify Sergeant Ott on the film, with the help of Mrs. Nusz.

This entry was respectfully submitted by Danielle Vis, 11^th Grade, Menno Public School, Menno,South Dakota, on February 11, 2002. Information for this entry was provided by Mrs. Erna Zeeb, Olivet, South Dakota, sister of Fred W. Ott.