06/13/2026
We are starting out our series of feature stories on one of our members who has an interesting and unusual story, Hasso Kuehn.
Hasso is originally from Germany, born on Nov. 26, 1931, in Battrow (now part of northwestern Poland). He came from a family of 6: His parents Karl and Elisabeth Kühn, and three brothers, Max, Erwin, and Werner. Two of his brothers were drafted into the “Heer” – the army of Germany’s “Wehrmacht.” Max was 18, and Erwin was just 17. Max and Erwin were both lost on the Russian front, less than a year apart. One fell near the Crimean Peninsula, and the other near St. Petersburg. Right after the war, the Russian occupational forces took many men from their village, including Hasso’s father, away to work in labor camps rebuilding war-damaged areas of Russia. Hasso’s father did not return – it was reported that he died in one of the camps.
Months later, Hasso, along with his mother and Werner, had to leave their home and village, since that section of Germany east of the Oder River was given to Poland. As refugees, they were settled in the British controlled zone of post-war Germany. They were taken in as workers on a farm in Enniger (a town just northeast of Dortmund).
Hasso’s brother Werner immigrated to the US in 1952, sponsored by Church World Service. Hasso was still too young to come at that point, since you had to be at least 21 years old. They found work for Werner on a farm in lower Michigan.
Werner was able to sponsor Hasso to come to the US in early 1954,and he found work on a nearby farm. What a reunion that had to be!
Hasso was required to report to the draft in Michigan within 6 months of arriving.
After corresponding with friends from their village who had immigrated to Wisconsin, Hasso and Werner left their farm jobs and moved to the Fox Valley in Wisconsin. Hasso and Werner ended up marrying sisters from their friend’s family. Hasso’s wife was tragically lost in a boating accident in 1958.
Hasso found work at the Neenah Foundry. While he was working there, he received notification that he needed to report for duty. He was not yet a US citizen and held only a green card. He went to Ft. Leonard Wood MO for initial basic training, and then to Ft. Hood TX for advance training. He was then sent to Berlin, Germany, originally working as a regular infantryman, then as an interpreter, where he stayed for about 1 ½ years. He was able to travel and visit his mother and other family members while he was in Berlin. He described his work there as an interpreter as “kind-of kushy.”
His commander wanted him to re-enlist, but Hasso said “no,” that he needed to get back to the US to complete his citizenship. He finally became a US Citizen in 1961.
After he returned to Wisconsin, Hasso went back to work at the Neenah Foundry, where he worked as an electrician. He later worked for I. Bacall also as an electrician. After retirement, he worked several part-time jobs: delivering prescriptions for Morton Drug, as a driver for Straight Shot Express, and shuttling cars for Stumpf Ford.
Hasso married his second wife (also a German immigrant who lived in the Chicago area) in 1959. They had two sons. One lives close by in Neenah, and the other is currently in the Denver CO area.
In 2016, Hasso and his wife moved into the Highlands at Mahler Park senior apartments in Neenah. His wife became ill and had to move into the VNA care facility, which is within walking distance of Highlands. Hasso went to visit her daily until she passed away in July 2019.
Hasso joined the VFW in Menasha and Hawley-Dieckhoff American Legion at the “young” age of 89. He was a proud member of the Honor Guard, serving as such for many local funerals. He recently decided to give this up, but still regularly visits with the friends he made in both the VFW and American Legion.
When asked what he was most proud of, he said it was being in the honor guard when the Memorial was dedicated at Shattuck Park in Neenah last year. He also was proud to be chosen as the Parade Marshal for the Neenah-Menasha Memorial Day parade in 2025.
Hasso still drives himself to get his own groceries and stays busy visiting his friends and keeping himself in shape in exercise class at the Highlands.
Hasso certainly has come a long way from war-torn Germany. He’s 94 years young, and is truly a treasured member of our Legion family.
