Ken Bourbina entered the Army at Ft. Leavenworth, KS on August 2, 1944. He worked there briefly in the testing room of the Induction Center. Following that, he was sent to Camp Joseph T. Robinson, AR where he attended Basic Infantry Training, 'boot camp', for 16 weeks. He was then transferred to Ft. Meade, MD where he spent 4 days before boarding a troop ship on January 3, 1945 for Le Harve, France. There, he joined his unit and spent 1 night in Burglinster, Luxemburg. They fought several 'skirmishes' en-route for the river crossing of the Prum River, Germany. He was wounded in the left calf by shrapnel from a tree burst of an artillery shell on February 17. Ken tells that another soldier was hit in the foot, just a few inches from his head as they lay in a trench during the artillery bombardment. He was taken to a temporary hospital and then shipped by train to a permanent hospital in Paris. He was then sent to Glasgow, Scotland for a week and then to Litchfield, England to guard German prisoners until the war ended. He returned to Ft. Campbell, KY for several surgeries on his leg after which he went to FT. Knox, KY for evaluation. He returned briefly to FT. Campbell and then was advised he was eligible for discharge and was sent back to Ft. Leavenworth. Ken's duty specialty was Rifleman 745. He received several Awards and Citations including: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, Victory Ribbon, American Theater Ribbon, EAMET Ribbon, and Good Conduct Medal. After discharge, Ken returned to Abilene, where he farmed for a while. He was also a Rural Mail Carrier and retired from the Postal Service with 25 years of service. He frequently drove veterans to the VA hospitals in Wichita and Topeka. Ken was married to Bonnie Lou Mock from Abilene on October 9, 1946. They had two children: Kenneth D. Bourbina, Jr. and Valerie Kay (Sare).