194th Tnk. Btn., Co. A. POW Camp No. 4. Son of Robert Kinler and Jennie Mae Nelson Kinler. WWII veteran. POW for 40 months during war. Fukuoka POW Camp #1 - Kashii (Pine Tree Camp) Kyushu Island 33-130. Bataan Death March survivor (with a foot wound yet!). Also survived the sinking of two POW ships and the atomic bomb at Nagasaki. Member of American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 933 of Burlington; American Ex-Pows; Disabled American Veterans; and American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.

notice from the Pine River, Minnesota, newspaper about Williams capture:

TranscriptBILL KINLER P.O.W. Mrs. Jennie Kinler, of north of Staples, has received word from the United States government that her son, Pfc William Kinler, who has been a Japanese prisoner since April 9, 1942, is still a prisoner and is now located on the island of Honshu, and in the Fukuoka prison camp. Pfc Kinler enlisted in April 1941, taking his training at Ft. Lewis, Washington. In September 1941, he was sent to the Philippines. He was located there when Wake Island was taken by the Japs. Later when the Philippines were invaded, his company went to Bataan and it was there that he was taken a prisoner. When on the Philippines, he was stationed at Ft. Stotensburg. Pfc Kinler was with the famed Co. A 194th Tank Battalion of Brainerd. On April 9, 1942, he was taken a prisoner. He was first located in Japanese prison camp No. 1, then was sent to Camp No. 4. In all of these years, Mrs. Kinler has received but five postcards from the Japanese government telling of her son. These cards are a regular form card and contain little information except what the Japs want to send, and this is very meager. The last card she received was about three weeks ago, and this was a long time after he had been sent to his new prison camp on Honshu. It is believed, from reports of the Associated Press and daily newspapers, that he left Camp No. 4 sometime in October, but, of course, this is not official. Mrs. Kinler is very happy to have word from the government relative to her son. Although his physical condition was not mentioned, because the Japanese are not at all cooperative in this manner, Mrs. Kinler feels that he is still well and safe, and that she will be able to see her son in the near future. Progress of the American and Allied troops in capturing the islands in the Japanese group, is what Mrs. Kinler is banking on, in being able to see her son soon. One other Staples man, Major Charles Foster, is the only soldier from Staples who has been released from Japanese held islands. Mrs. Kinler stated that she plans a regular good old fashioned family reunion when her son returns to his home here.