Photo Gallery
SGT Allan E. Singer
SGT Allan E. Singer’s family members displaying his military awards.
SGT Allan E. Singer
Alan E. Singer was born February 27, 1948 to Edward and Faye (Hubert) Singer. Everyone knew him as “Butch.”
Butch grew up in the Shawano area and attended Lake Drive country school and graduated from Shawano High School in 1966. In high school he played in the band and belonged to FFA. He also worked part-time at Schultz Brothers store on Main Street. His interests were cars, hunting, and fishing.
Upon high school graduation in 1966, he and a buddy spent the summer working at the Chrysler Auto plant in Belvidere, Illinois. After that, he worked at the Phenix door plant in Shawano until he was drafted on March 21, 1968 at the age of 20.
On March 21, 1968, Butch reported to the Shawano County Courthouse where he boarded a bus for Milwaukee along with other Shawano draftees such as Roger Strebig and Mike Fazendin. The bus traveled to Milwaukee along the Lake Michigan shoreline picking up many more draftees along the way. Eventually, the bus arrived at the Milwaukee Military Entrance Processing Station, known as MEPS. There, everyone was given a quick physical and were sworn in as a member of the US Army. Then a bus transported everyone to Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field and they boarded the flight to Fort Campbell, KY.
Butch completed 8 weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT) at Fort Campbell and then 8 weeks of Advanced Individual Training (AIT), as an infantryman at Fort Polk, LA. He then went to Fort Knox, KY for an additional 4 week of armored personnel carrier training before coming home on 2 weeks leave. During his leave, he attended the 1968 Shawano County Fair. While on leave, he told his brother, Wayne, that he didn’t think he would ever see him again. Butch arrived in Vietnam on September 9, 1968. He was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division. The unit operated southeast of Saigon in the Mekong Delta.
In February 1969, he was involved in a combat incident in which he had been burned on the arm. As a result of this incident, so Butch was awarded an army commendation medal for valor and a purple heart.
At about this time, Butch was thinking about a one week “R & R” that he could take. He talked with his parents about possibly meeting him in Hawaii but his parents were not travelers so that never happened so Butch took his “R & R” in Thailand.
In March 1969, he was selected to attend an NCO course right in Vietnam. Upon completion of the course, he was promoted to Sergeant in April 1969. A month later, he was killed while leading his men through an area of mines and booby traps. The date was May 4, 1969 and Butch was 21 years old. He had been in Vietnam 8 months and had been in the army 14 months.
The funeral was conducted at Zion Lutheran Church in Shawano at 2pm Thursday, May 15, 1969 with Reverand Roger Skatrud officiating. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery. Military rites were conducted at the cemetery by an Honor Guard from Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Born Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. The granite grave marker came from the Bruce Marble and Granite Company in Fort Scott Kansas.
SGT Allan E. Singer’s awards are:
Army Combat Infantryman Badge
2 Bronze Stars
Army Commendation Medal for Valor
2 Purple Hearts
Air Medal
Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal