Sgt. Merrill William Kiester Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 12, 1918, to Merrill W. Kiester Sr. and Edith Busam-Kiester, and had three sisters. He was first raised in Crystal Lake, Illinois before the family moved to Oak Park and then Maywood. He attended high school for 2½ years before the family moved. He graduated from Northwestern Military Academy, Delafield, Wisconsin. After high school, he worked as an insurance agent for Thompson Insurance Company in Chicago.
On June 11, 1940, he enlisted in the US Army but it is not known where he did his basic training. He was issued the serial number of 7 031 840. There is a gap in information between 1940 and 1944. but what is known is that he rose in rank to sergeant. What is known is he was assigned to the Headquarters Company, C Battalion, 1275th Military Engineers Battalion. A HQ Company contained from 80 to 110 men who dealt with the daily operations of the battalion. What is known was the 1275th was stationed at Camp Gruber, Muskogee, Oklahoma, in June 1944. According to records Merrill was involved in a truck accident that resulted in his 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th ribs being broken. From the injury he suffocated. It appears that his mother received a telephone call telling her of Merrill’s death. His father was serving in the Merchant Marines, so it is not known when he learned of Merrill’s death.
Sgt. Merrill W. Kiester’s casket was sent to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on the Chicago & North Western Railroad. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Lake Geneva.
