“A Hero in World War II”
Carl was the youngest of twelve (12) children in his family. When Carl was eight years old the family still had a total of seven children, Carl being the youngest. The family moved to Waterloo, Iowa. Carl became an excellent athletic in both football and baseball in school. Carl Letney called Buck left his high school in his senior year to join the Army. He was trained to be an Assault Ranger and was sent to the Battle of the Rapido River where he fought for two days trying to cross the Rapido River (north of Naples, Italy) and reach the winter line. Buck Letney lost his life on the second day of fighting on the Rapido River. No gains had been made in the capture of the Rapido or Gari Rivers and they became one of the big defeats suffered by the US Army in World War II. The AMVETS Post 31 was dedicated to Carl’s memory and it is in Evansdale Iowa a small suburb of Waterloo where his statue and monument stands. Carls brother Jerry lives in the Villages.
