About
John (Jack) Edmund Thelen, the son of Edmund and Kathryn (LaPier) Thelen, was born on November 13, 1922, in Schenectady, New York. He played varsity football as a student at Mont Pleasant High School. When John was a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he participated in the ROTC.
John enlisted in the Marines and held the rank of Second Lieutenant. He spent nine months flying in the South Pacific. John's F4U-1 Corsair struck another F4U-1 Corsair as it was getting back from a combat mission. Although being saved, he passed away on May 28, 1944, a few hours later. He is buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Schenectady, New York.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry