Nickolas Ray Koehler

Nickolas Ray Koehler was born in Mason City and graduated from Mason City High School in the class of 1962. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and worked at the local Montgomery Ward Store. Koehler joined the Marine Corps in January 1963 and completed his training at Camp Pendleton, CA. Koehler had eight brothers and sisters, four of his brothers had also served in the military. Koehler boxed while in the service and was the 1964 Marine Corps middleweight champion. LCPL Koehler was deployed to Southeast Asia in November 1964. He commonly wrote letters home to his parents and siblings. On May 8, 1965 LCPL Koehler was killed in a small village outside of Danang. According to reports his unit was handing out candy to local villagers when Viet Cong rifleman open fired, wounding LCPL Koehler in the chest. He was the first killed from the Mason City area. His body was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City.