Ose was killed on Nov. 22, 1944 near Aachen, Germany, in one of the series of battles leading up to the Battle of the Bulge.

The Honor and Remember flag program was developed by George Lutz, whose son George Lutz II was killed in Fallujah, Iraq on Dec. 29, 2005. In dealing with his grief, the father discovered that there has never been an official national symbol that specifically recognizes the ultimate sacrifice made by members of the US military who were killed in action.

So Lutz developed a remembrance flag program and the flags are given to surviving family members, regardless of the generation.

Each flag is personalized with the deceased veteran’s name and the flag’s sponsor. First Lt. Ose’s flag is sponsored by the family of Vietnam veteran Spc. 4 Robert D. Jensen who was killed in action.

Keith Truman Ose was born on Dec. 4, 1919 on a farm southeast of Hubbard, Iowa. He was the first of five children born to Oscar Balus Ose and Beulah Mae Mark. Ose worked the family farm until he started farming on his own near New Providence.

Two years later, he was drafted. Prior to leaving for basic training, he sold his livestock and farm equipment.

Ose served his basic training at Camp Walters, Texas, and was then sent to Hawaii where he was assigned a desk job. Growing tired of that, he applied and was accepted into the Officers Training School in Fort Benning, Georgia where he became a Second Lieutenant in June 1943. Also in June, he married Donna Huntrods, a third grade school teacher in Zearing, Iowa, who he had met in 1942 before he was drafted.

Eventually, Ose was deployed to the European theater, arriving in England on May 23, 1944. He was assigned to the anti-tank company of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the US Army’s 30th Division. His regiment landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on June 9, 1944, three days after D-Day.

The unit took part in the battle of St. Lo where Ose was wounded on July 16, 1944. He was sent to a hospital in Wales to recuperate and returned to his unit stationed near Paris on August 31.

Ose was among the first infantry division to enter Belgium and the Netherlands. These troops were instrumental in breaching the Siegfried Line in October 1944 and taking Aachen, Germany, the first large German city to be captured by the Allies in WWII. But Allied losses were heavy with over 140,000 casualties during the entire campaign.

Ose was injured a second time with shrapnel wounds, explained his nephew, Carroll Ose of Blairsburg. He recuperated in England and again returned to action on Nov. 19.

Only three days later, he took a direct hit while aiding his unit’s injured artillery sergeant and was killed.

Ose was posthumously promoted to first lieutenant.

In gratitude and respect, the people of the Netherlands established 26 cemeteries to bury the American dead who were killed so far from their homes and loved ones. The Dutch wanted to recognize and honor the sacrifice of these young soldiers who had fought so valiantly to free the Netherlands from four years of Nazi occupation. Ose was buried in Margraten American Cemetery.

Throughout the years, the people of Holland have maintained the American graves and placed flowers on them, said Carroll.

“It is a beautiful cemetery and the people who took care of his grave corresponded with the family, sending photos,” Carroll said.

Eventually, Ose was repatriated to the United States in 1948 and was buried in the Collins Cemetery in Story County. His widow, Donna, who never remarried, died in 2007 and is buried next to him. They had no children.

Keith Ose’s niece, Maureen and her husband Rob McMaster, have been active with the Lincoln Community Foundation in Nebraska to install a Gold Star Family Monument at Lincoln’s Memorial Park. During their efforts, the sacrifice of First Lt. Ose was learned by the regional Gold Star Mother’s organization. The organization then worked to ensure that Keith Ose and his family received the recognition he deserved.

In June, Maureen accepted the Honor and Remember flag at a ceremony in Lincoln and brought it to Hamilton County for the Ose family reunion in Williams in July. The flag was given to the Williams American Legion where First Lt. Ose’s footlocker and military photo are also on display.

“This is a really special addition to our museum,” said Williams Veterans Museum curator Connie Wahlert.