08/23/2026
John Truman Kendall was born on April 30, 1879 in Vernon County, Wisconsin.
He was living in Viroqua, Wisconsin when he joined the Wisconsin National Guard on November 15, 1909. He served with Company G, 2nd Wisconsin Infantry and became a chaplain with the rank of captain in February 1911. He was called into active duty in June 1916 and deployed to San Antonio, TX during the Mexican Expedition as the chaplain for the entire 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, with the rank of 1st lieutenant. He was again called into active duty in August 1917 for service in World War I.
He was commissioned into the Regular Army in December 1917 and served as a U.S, Army chaplain at Camp Lewis, WA and at the Presidio in San Francisco, CA. In 1921, he was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and served on transports carrying U.S. troops to and from the Philippines throughout the 1920s. He later served at Carlisle Barracks, PA, Fort Thomas, KY, Fort Riley, KS, and Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
He remained in the army through the beginning of World War II. He retired as a lieutenant colonel on April 30, 1943; the army performed the first formal review at Fort Leonard Wood on the occasion of his retirement.
Following his service, he eventually settled in Stevens Point, WI. He passed away on March 5, 1963 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. WVM proudly preserves the story of his service through papers, photographs, his chaplin’s stole and flag, dog tags, and souvenirs that he picked up throughout his service.
