Sergeant, United States Army
Serial Number 15089298
World War II
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Biographical Sketch of Edward Kaucher as told by his son, Edward George Fred Kaucher:

Born: 10 Feb 1908 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The first born of Edward Kaucher and Mary Margaret Maushart

Christened: 19 Apr 1927 at Phillipus Evagelical and Reformed Church, Cincinnati, Ohio
Godfather: John Maushart (Maternal grandfather)
Godmother: Augusta (Schultz) Kaucher (Maternal Grandmother)

Married: 9 Jul 1927 in Newport, KY to Bertha Marie Mefford (Second child of George Watson Mefford and Mary Caroline Gerringer)

Children: Edward George Fred Kaucher, born 9 Jun 1930; Mary Louise Kaucher, born 29 Jul 1932

Died: 18 May 1955 at Saint Francis Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio from cancer

Burial: Union Cemetery, Loveland, Ohio in the family plot of his second wife, Margaret Duermit Kaucher

Edward J. Kaucher (The most commonly used form of his name) grew to maturity in the predominantly German neighborhoods of Mohawk and Fairview Heights in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Fairview Elementary School through grade 8 and graduated valedictorian of his class on 21 June 1922. He attended Hughes High School for two years. As was the custom at that time, he quit school and took full time employment as a printer's apprentice. He had to quit the printer's trade due to an allergy to the printer's inks. His primary employment was driver-salesman for Townsend-West Dairy, Joseph E Whitsken Dairy, and French-Bauer Dairy, all located in Cincinnati, OH. In the middle 1930's, Eddie, as he preferred to be called, was active in the formation of the Teamster's Local 100, which still represents the dairy drivers in Cincinnati.

Eddie augmented his income before and during the Great Depression by participating in semi-professional sports in and around Cincinnati. At one time he was considered the best football halfback in the area. He also participated in local baseball, fast pitch softball, and boxed as a light heavyweight. Some of the football teams he played on were People's Packing House, Western Hills Merchants, Clifton Triangles, Rapid Electros, College Hill Merchants, Harry's Men's Wear, Blade Café, and Pepsi Cola. His football career began in 1926 and ended in 1938. He was severely injured only once. An opponent player drove both of his knees into Eddie's back after a play was over, breaking two vertebrae in his lower back. As a result of boxing, he had a deformed left ear, commonly called "cauliflower ear".

After the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor, Edward J. Kaucher enlisted in the army at Fort Thomas, KY on 27 January 1942. His basic training was at Camp Grant near Rockford, IL. He was transferred from there to the 73rd Evacuation Hospital in or near Santa Monica, CA. The 73rd shipped overseas on 19 January 1943 and sailed unescorted to Bombay, India. Stops were made at Wellington, New Zealand and Fremantle, Australia. The unit arrived at Bombay sometime prior to 04 March. The 73rd was posted to Assam Province in Northeastern India near the Burmese border. During this time, Sgt. Kaucher served as a Mess Sergeant, Truck Master, and Military Policeman. His longest period of duty was as a Military Policeman.

While in service he continued to participate in athletic programs, especially fast-pitch softball and boxing. The 73rd had a softball team that was rarely beaten. Sgt. Kaucher played center field. He boxed in matches against American and British units stationed in the area. His last boxing victory was against a British light heavyweight on 29 February 1944. The knockout he scored gave the team victory to the Americans. Sgt. Kaucher was 33 years of age at the time and fighting with an abscessed ear.

From 11 April 1944 through June 1944, Sgt. Edward J. Kaucher served with the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as "Merrill's Marauders". The time period covered the third and last mission of the Marauders. During the mission, the Marauders engaged and defeated the 18th Japanese Imperial Marines. Some of the engagements were small savagely fought battles along jungle trails and others were larger battles for vital crossroads or villages. The ultimate objective was the airfield at Myitkyina, Burma. The airfield was seized on 17 May 1944. At the end of the mission, the Marauders were so badly used that they were no longer an effective force and were withdrawn from combat. During the march on Myitkyina, the Marauders crossed the Kumon mountain range of Northern Burma in the monsoon rains, which had come early to the area. The Kumon range is extremely steep and at one point the Marauders had to climb to a pass that was 6,100 feet above sea level. The march alone took its toll of the men and mules that were used to transport heavy equipment. A Presidential Citation was presented to the Marauders. The Citation reads as follows: "After a series of successful engagements in the Hukawng and Magaung Valleys of North Burma in March and April, 1944, the unit was called upon to lead a march over jungle trails through extremely difficult mountain terrain against stubborn resistance in a surprise attack on Myitkyina. The unit proved equal to its task and after a brilliant operation of 17 May 1944 seized the airfield at Myitkyina, an objective of great tactical importance in the campaign, and assisted in the capture of the town of Myitkyina on 03 August 1944."

From personal accounts, Sgt. Kaucher served with Merril's artillery and with a machine gun crew. He contracted malaria, dysentery, and assorted jungle illnesses and fungi infections. He related in letters malarial attacks on 07 December 1943 and 22 October 1944, although he probably suffered more. It should be noted that Merril's Marauders operated behind enemy lines throughout the campaign against the Japanese.

For his service to his country, Sgt. Edward J. Kaucher was awarded the following medals and citations:

American Theater Service Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze battle stars
World War II Victory Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Presidential Unit Emblem
Meritorious Unit Emblem
Bronze Star Medal
Combat Medical Badge

Sgt. Kaucher left India on 15 March 1945, returning by way of Egypt, North Africa, the Ascension Islands, Natal, Brazil, the Caribbean to Florida in the United States; this circumnavigating the Earth. His Honorable Discharge from the Army was issued on 30 May 1945.

Upon his return to civilian life, he took a position as Deputy Sheriff of Hamilton County, OH with specific responsibility for the county park police forces. He held the rank of Captain of Rangers during this period.

On 12 February 1948, Edward J. Kaucher enlisted in the Regular Army. He was posted to Camp Holabird in Fort Meade, MD where he attended the army's Criminal Investigation Division School. He was next posted to Fort Hayes in Columbus, OH as an AWOL (Absent Without Leave) investigator. While an investigator he was responsible for the arrest and detention of many AWOL's and deserters from the army. One deserter was captured near Cincinnati after leaving his post in Germany. Another had to be subdued by gunfire from Sgt. Kaucher's partner. He was discharged from the Army on 05 April 1950.

Eddie went to work for the New York Central Railroad in Sharonville, OH in 1950. He quit the job at the outbreak of the Korean War when a labor strike held ammunition trains in the Sharonville yards. It is said that his rage could be heard for miles! He felt that whenever American servicemen were in combat, it was the duty of the civilian population to lend 100% support. He next went to work for the French-Bauer Dairy until his death on 18 May 1955.

Personal Glimpses of Edward J. Kaucher

My father stood six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and was well muscled. He wore his hair parted in the middle and combed straight back; a style that was popular in the 1920's. He smoked to excess but I rarely saw him drunk. He was always gainfully employed and looked to his family's needs. He never walked; he swaggered – especially when wearing his country's military uniform. He was extremely proud of his uniform.

He liked to recall the glory days when he participated in sports, especially football. On first meeting he gave the impression of a blow-hard and braggart. However, all his bragging could be proven as fact in newspaper articles and the personal accounts of those who witnessed his athletic accomplishments.

Although he never took full advantage of his education, or continued it after he was required to work full time, he did have a good quick mind. He wanted his children to have the advantages of a complete education.His proudest moments in this respect were my sister's award of an academic scholarship to the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati and my election to the Dean's List at the University of Cincinnati Evening College of Engineering.

His wit extended to many areas. When he first began work for the dairies, the delivery vehicles were horse or mule drawn wagons. Two mules that he drove for some years were afraid of steam locomotives. On the way to the barn at the end of the day, they had to cross the Eighth Street viaduct. The viaduct passed over many sets of tracks leading to and from the main rail terminals in the city. The mules ran as fast as they could during the crossing of the viaduct. His only recourse was to wrap the reins around his hands, plant his feet firmly on the dashboard, and let the animals run. For this daily performance, he dubbed the mules "War Admiral" and "Seabiscuit".

My father liked to go to the local racetrack, River Downs, and "make my annual contribution", as he liked to say. He maintained that when it came to picking winners "I couldn't pick s*** with the chickens or my uncle out of a n***** parade". His speech was liberally laced with profanity and prejudice on most occasions.

His interest in sports was keen until he died. While I was in the Air Force during the Korean War, he kept me posted on the activities of the Cincinnati Reds and the University of Cincinnati football team (which at that time was very good). Concerning most of the baseball trades, his comment was "Nothing for nothing". After the U.C. football team had beaten the College of William and Mary rather badly, he wrote, "Mary may come back next year, but William sure as Hell won't!"

Even though he had no great love of flying, he was pleased when I won my silver wings in the Air Force. He never got over his brother's death in World War II and preached to me "There is no percentage in sticking your neck out if you don't have to". Some of his other personal philosophies were "Any damn fool can work for a living, but a smart man lets his brain work for him." He also said "A little hard work never hurt anyone, but it never made them rich, either." Hard work in this sense meant manual labor.

My father was not a religious man in that he belonged to a given church and was an active participant. But every Good Friday he insisted that the evening meal consist of fish, boiled potatoes without seasoning, stewed tomatoes, bread, butter and milk. Occasionally, when my grandmother, Mary Mefford was leaving for church, he would hand her a five-dollar bill and say "Put this in the plate for the sinners". Her reply would be "Why don't you come along and put it in the plate yourself?" To which he would answer "An old sinner like me doesn't belong in church". Her reply was "God's house is reserved for old sinners". He never went to church.

One of the high points of his life (aside from his military service) was the birth of his first grandson, Edward Ralph Kaucher on 10 December 1950. The continuation of the family name was most important to him – a result of his German heritage. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the birth of his next grandsons, Eric George Kaucher and Jeffrey Wayne Bicknell.

Two other points of great note to him were his birthright as an American and his membership in the Order of Free and Accepted Masons of Ohio. He was a member of Yeatman Lodge No 162 in Cincinnati. He later became a 32 degree Mason in the Scottish Rite. His Scottish Rite ring was presented to me at his death.

One great dread in his life was growing old. It, perhaps, was a blessing that he died at the relatively young age of 47. I'm sure he would have suffered severe mental anguish while growing old.