News : Vinton loses local hero, John Gualtier

Vinton lost John Gualtier, a WWII veteran who served his country at home and abroad.

One of the many trips that John Gualtier took to speak in Kelly Steffen's class (2012) sharing his experiences in war and after

This week, we lost a local war hero. John Gualtier was a proud United States Army veteran who served as a combat medic during World War II. For his service, John earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Serving in France, Austria and Germany. John later re-enlisted and served stateside during the Korean War.

John's dad, a World War I veteran tried to spare his son from seeing, the same horrors that he had seen and experienced. Refusing to let his son enlist at 17 John enlisted as soon as he turned 18, and his life changed forever.

His first day in the field he recalled helping to lift a soldier, only to discover as he placed his hand behind the soldier's head that something was missing. The stories like this haunted John for nearly 80 years. He had said, "I still live that nightmare every day."

He was also part of the troops that helped to free prisoners from the concentration camps. Part of his duties in the camp included going through a mass grave holding some 3,000 people in search of survivors. Something most alive today cannot comprehend. His stories were so horrific and unbelievable to hear, that those who had been charged with helping him deal with the memories called him a liar. Only after there were photographs that proved what he said, was he believed.

During WWII, John treated both American soldiers and the Germans. The difference between the two didn't matter to him, realizing that they were all men who didn't want to be there.

Using all of his experiences, John then worked as a volunteer at the VA Hospital in Iowa City for more than 50 years, racking up an astonishing amount of volunteer hours. He spoke humbly of the bonds that he forged with soldiers in the P.T.S.D group that he formed through the hospital. He always tried to help the soldiers who came home understanding their struggles. He strove to help the young soldiers in any way he could with the hope that he could make their lives better than he had been upon his return from war.

He shared his stories with hundreds of high school children across the state, bringing the wars to life for many of them. Kelly Steffen wisely had John speak to her classroom for several years. Who better to sum up his service in that area? She said of John, "How lucky I was to have this incredible man walk into my classroom 17 years ago! He has blessed us all with his military service, his community service, and his service to his fellow Veterans. He has impacted every student and adult who has had the opportunity to hear his stories. Several stories stand out to me, but I will share just one because it speaks to John's humanity.

John was part of a force that liberated one of the subcamps of Mauthausen. John came across an imprisoned man who was barely alive. John cradled this man in his arms and provided the starving man with morsels of food. Moments later the cradled man gave John a smile and then passed away. As John was sharing this story with me he revealed that he felt bad that he couldn't nurture the man back to health. I then said to John, "You have no idea what you did for that man, do you? You made this man feel human again. You cared for him and showed him compassion for maybe the first time in years. The man in your arms died with a smile on his face knowing that mankind still has a chance". John smiled, and I felt humbled to have been a witness to that story.

This story lives on because it is shared in classrooms, and it has been documented in "Hero Among Us". John has truly earned the title of 'hero'."

How can you sum up the life of a man who went through so much? He didn't do that for himself. He went into battle for all of us, serving on behalf of our country. He served soldiers on different continents. Then he returned home and battled those memories every day for the rest of his life.

How do you sufficiently show your deepest appreciation for a man like this? How do you say thank you well enough to measure up for the life that this man lived? You try your hardest to live it right. You help your fellow man. You try to be better than you were yesterday.

But most of all, you remember the stories that he told. You share the stories that he shared. You don't ever let them go. You feel just a tiny bit of the pain that he felt. When you do that, you honor John's life.

Farewell, dear man. May you finally rest in peace.

John's Obituary

Other articles about John:

4/29/10 VA transportation

12/2/11 VFW drawing

1/13/12 and here Chosen to be one of the Nine Who Care Honorees

1/26/12 Reluctant Speaker

1/30/12 and 7/9/12 Jefferson Award

2/6/12 sharing his experience with area students

6/18/12 Onassis Award

4/18/13, 1/25/17 VA honors Gualtier

4/29/13 AMVETS 218

7/26/13 Receives Iowa Legion Service Award for the 2nd Time

8/29/13 Quilt of Valor

5/15/15 Honored by the Chicago Cubs

12/19/16 Documentary

2/6/17 & 2/8/17 VSHS Students raise funds for the Heros Among Us project

5/4/17 VFW raises funds for H.A.U.

1/8/18 Barbed Wire Wings

2/6/18 Hero Among Us presentation

3/26/18 Hero Among Us Premiere

5/17/18 Honored for speaking to students

10/16/19 Honored for his 50 Years as a Legion Member

6/18/20 John Gualtier Day

6/25/20 Receives Purple Heart

9/7/21 Gualtier takes to the Sky

12/19/22 Gualtier becomes a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart