WWII Veteran 100th Birthday, Sioux Falls, S.D. Arnold Hinseth, 3 Brothers Served, Rhine Assaults

- WWII veteran celebrates 100th birthday in Sioux Falls. A kind soul.
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Hinseth grew up on a farm before getting drafted into the Army in 1944. (KSFY) July 17, 2024.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A resident of the Good Samaritan Society Sioux Falls Village celebrated reaching 100 years old this month, but reaching the century mark is just a small part of his amazing story. Arnie Hinseth grew up on a farm west of Irene before getting drafted into the Army in 1944.

He along with three of his brothers served during World War II.

He survived some life-threatening situations and can still remember the details of his time overseas over 70 years ago.

At the Sioux Falls Village, it’s very easy for Arnie to make friends. He’s one of the most competitive Bingo players out there, but a gentle soul kind enough to invite friends and family into his room for a conversation. Making friends was a skill he learned in his time serving his country. As a new machine-gunner, his basic training was cut short out of necessity.

The Battle of the Bulge broke out and he met his new comrades thousands of miles away from home. “I had to make all new friends all the way because they were all strangers to me and I was to them,” Hinseth said. He made his journey to the frontlines where he encountered enemy soldiers many times. Things had eased up on the frontlines of the Battle of the Bulge, so when he arrived in Europe he was sent further south in France where they pushed past the Rhine River into Germany.

“The Germans, they were on one side of the valley and we were on the other side and we could hear them at night,” Hinseth said.

Hinseth recalled approaching a village that had been destroyed except for a church tower. He and a few other soldiers had been pinned down by the Germans. He jumped into a hole filled with water. A few American planes likely faced issues because they were then shot at by tracer bullets. That night, his clothes froze from being in the water. Hinseth’s brother landed in Normandy before Hinseth made it to Europe. “I could see what them guys had gone through before,” Hinseth said.

Hinseth survived mortar rounds that took out seven or eight men, was shot at numerous times, and survived an explosion...

https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2024/07/18/wwii-veteran-celebrates-100th-birthday-sioux-falls/