Clayton W. Bihl

Clayton W. Bihl served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 and achieved the rank of First Sergeant.

Mr. Bihl was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He attended grade school at St. Mark’s, where he was a Boy Scout and an altar boy. He participated in numerous sports and enjoyed singing in the chorus. His schooling continued at Bennett High School.

In 1943, when Mr. Bihl was 19, he was drafted into the Army. He was assigned to the Anti-Aircraft unit at Camp Davis in North Carolina. He truly wanted to be a pilot and completed the pilot training exam. After a temporary assignment at Kessler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, he was transferred to Texas Southwestern State College, where he studied Navigation and Pilot Training.

It was during this time that he received word that he had to forgo his studies and training, and he was being transferred to the infantry and sent overseas to fight the Germans. He landed in Marseille, France and was assigned to the 103rd Division. Mr. Bihl was quickly promoted to First Sergeant.

After fighting battles in the Vosges Mountains, his Division continued to push through, and in December 1944, Mr. Bihl fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he spent 26 days living in a foxhole. Later, the 103rd Division moved deeper into enemy territory and broke through a series of defensive barricades called the Siegfried Line, located on the western border of Germany. Once inside Germany, Mr. Bihl took part in liberating the prisoners held at the Kaufering Concentration Camp, which was a sub-camp of the Dachau.

On April 28, 1946, Mr. Bihl was honorably discharged and received five medals for his bravery and valor during his military service.

Once back in Buffalo, he met and married Dorothea Utz. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Canisius College and became a math teacher at his alma mater, Bennett High School.

Now retired from teaching, Mr. Bihl and his wife spend time traveling and gathering with friends and family at their lake cottage. Mr. Bihl was also a volunteer at a local nursing home.

Along with his three children, Mr. Bihl has six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He recently celebrated his 100th birthday.