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Saeger, Edwin W. (807th)

Edwin-SaegerEdwin W. Saeger

Biography:  Edwin William Saeger was born on March 9, 1916 in Rock Rapids, Iowa.  He was the son of William Saeger and Hulda Stoehr and attended a country school located seven miles south of Rock Rapids. 

Service Time:  Edwin entered the service and was stationed at Camp Roberts, California.  It was from Camp Roberts that both officers and enlisted personnel were pulled to form the 807thTank Destroyer Battalion at Camp Cooke, CA, on March 1, 1942.  Edwin was assigned to B Company and traveled with the unit to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, Camp Hood, Texas, and throughout their training before shipping out for England.  He served with the 807th until he was wounded, for which he would later receive the Purple Heart.  He also received a Bronze Star for his actions and left the service as a Staff Sergeant.

After the war, Edwin went back to farming and later married the former Alyda H. Hop on April 10, 1947. She was the daughter of Jacob Hop and Antonia Dibets of Holland.  The new couple resided in Rock Rapids, IA.  They had three children, Billy, born in 1948, Jacqueline in 1952 and Holly in 1958.

When Edwin wasn’t working the family farm, he enjoyed reading and writing and authored a book of poetry entitled, Poems of a Tank Destroyer Veteran of WWII.  The book includes poems on a variety of subjects including the military, nature, religion, history, humor and family.  One poem in particular, on page twenty, clearly identifies Edwin’s thoughts toward his unit.

Poem – The GOYA Battalion

He also enjoyed golf and was a member of the Christian Reform Church and the American Legion.  Edwin passed away on April 2, 2005, at the age of 89.  He was buried in his home town of Rock Rapids.

I want to thank Edwin’s son, Bill, for providing this information.