Kansas National Guard Hall of Fame - COL Henry J. Weltmer

Col. Weltmer first entered the Kansas National Guard on April 1, 1904 as a private in F Company, 1st Regiment, Kansas National Guard in Hiawatha. Weltmer progressed rapidly through the ranks and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on April 19, 1913, remaining with F Company. Immediately before United States entry into World War I, Weltmer participated in the famous Mexican Border Campaign against Poncho Villa in the summer of 1916. During the Mexican Campaign, Weltmer became company commander and maintained that post from the mobilization for World War I to the end February of 1918. Following his service, Weltmer served with the Aviation Signal Corps at Waco, Texas. He returned to the Guard in 1921, and was assigned Adjutant to the 2nd Battalion of the 130th Field Artillery in Hiawatha. Within four years, he was promoted to major as the Battalion's commanding officer. Due to his leadership and a major change in the table of organizations, Weltmer was promoted to lieutenant colonel before the unit was activitated in 1940. With the mobilization on December 23, 1940, Weltmer was assigned to the Army Air Corps' Air Transport Command. During World War II, Weltmer held numerous noncombat roles for the Army Air Corps. He was the commanding officer for all the Air Corps schools in Kansas City, he commanded Camp Williams, which trained arctic rescue teams and arctic weather station crews, and he also served as an Air Inspector for the West Coast Wing Air Transport Command. With the end of the war, Weltmer was discharged on September 21, 1945, with the rank of lieutenant colonel and was reassigned to the Kansas National Guard. In 1948, Col. Weltmer retired from the military. Col. Weltmer gave a total of 43 years of his life to military service. He was a strong supporter of civic affairs in Brown County and was first and foremost a citizen soldier in the Kansas National Guard.





			COL HENRY J. WELTMER
	Col. Weltmer first entered the Kansas National Guard on April 1, 1904 as a private in F Company, 1st Regiment, Kansas National Guard in Hiawatha. Weltmer progressed rapidly through the ranks and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on April 19, 1913, remaining with F Company. Immediately before United States entry into World War I, Weltmer participated in the famous Mexican Border Campaign against Poncho Villa in the summer of 1916. During the Mexican Campaign, Weltmer became company commander and maintained that post from the mobilization for World War I to the end February of 1918. Following his service, Weltmer served with the Aviation Signal Corps at Waco, Texas. He returned to the Guard in 1921, and was assigned Adjutant to the 2nd Battalion of the 130th Field Artillery in Hiawatha. Within four years, he was promoted to major as the Battalion's commanding officer. Due to his leadership and a major change in the table of organizations, Weltmer was promoted to lieutenant colonel before the unit was activitated in 1940. With the mobilization on December 23, 1940, Weltmer was assigned to the Army Air Corps' Air Transport Command. During World War II, Weltmer held numerous noncombat roles for the Army Air Corps. He was the commanding officer for all the Air Corps schools in Kansas City, he commanded Camp Williams, which trained arctic rescue teams and arctic weather station crews, and he also served as an Air Inspector for the West Coast Wing Air Transport Command. With the end of the war, Weltmer was discharged on September 21, 1945, with the rank of lieutenant colonel and was reassigned to the Kansas National Guard. In 1948, Col. Weltmer retired from the military. Col. Weltmer gave a total of 43 years of his life to military service. He was a strong supporter of civic affairs in Brown County and was first and foremost a citizen soldier in the Kansas National Guard.