S2/c Kenneth Albert Hillmer was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 13, 1921, to Henry W. Hillmer and Hilda Kruse-Hillmer, and had two sisters and a brother. His family resided at 843 Circle Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois. He graduated from St. John Lutheran School and Proviso Township High School in 1940. He then worked at the Burton – Dixie Mattress Company, Chicago, Illinois, as a machinist.
On February 16, 1942, he registered with Selective Service and named his father as his contact person. He gave his residence at 223 Marengo Avenue, Forest Park. Knowing he would be drafted into the Army, he enlisted in the US Navy on September 1, 1943, and received the serial number 8542818. He trained at Great Lakes Naval Station and then was sent to Elmhurst College for additional training. He achieved the rank of Seaman Second Class.
He was assigned to the Patrol Craft (PC) 1429 which was commissioned on February 9, 1944, in Jacksonville, Florida. The ship was an anti-submarine vessel which was only 178 feet long and patrolled coastal waters. As the threat from German submarines lessened the ships performed other duties in theaters of war.
What is known is that Kenneth grew ill and was sent to the Naval Hospital in Brooklyn and diagnosed with leukemia. According to records he died at the Brooklyn Naval Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, on March 4, 1945. A funeral service was held at St. John Lutheran Church on March 9, 1945, and he was buried in Arlington Cemetery, Elmhurst, Illinois, in Section 5, Grave 470.
