I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). A line from the bible which means different things to different people. To Reverend Otto Linnemeier the sheep were his flock at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Rochelle. Was Otto expected to “lay down his life” literally? No. He was to devote his life to ensuring that his congregation had the tools to survive as Christians in a confusing world. 

Otto and his bride Alma moved to Rochelle in 1928 when Otto was hired to minister at St. Paul Church. With Otto came the Linnemeier children; George, Kenneth, Charles and Sylvia. Otto served in Rochelle for 30 years, until 1958, shepherding his flock through good times and bad. For Otto’s eldest son George, the biblical quote may have had an even larger meaning.

George Linnemeier was born in 1917 in Saskatchewan, Canada. When the travels of Otto and Alma brought them to Rochelle, George, his brothers and sister came along. George attended local schools and upon graduation attended Concordia College in Wisconsin. Concordia was a Lutheran-influenced college and only served to re-enforce the teachings George had received from his father. At Concordia George excelled at boxing and wrestling. George finished his college career when he graduated from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 1941. 

George began protecting his flock in 1936 as a lifeguard at Spring Lake. For five years he spent his summers watching over families as they swam in the local swimming hole. In 1938 George and Ned Tilton were accredited with saving two swimmers that had strayed into the deeper waters. The lifeguard staff was cited for having seven rescues that year. 

In 1941, George entered Naval Flight training and earned his golden wings as a Marine Aviator. George was assigned to a Marine scouting and bombing squadron serving in the South Pacific. His mission varied day-to-day but focused primarily on locating enemy positions, troop locations and destroying them. Whoever controlled the skies controlled the battlefield, and the Marines intended to control both. As a member of “The Flying Wolves” George took part in dive bombing raids at Kolombangara, Bougainville, and in the Solomon Islands. One raid, on the Vila Airdrome, Solomon Islands, George had one of many near calls. “I nosed over at about 7,000 feet that day and began taking a bead on my target. At about 3,000 feet an anti-aircraft shell burst directly beneath me and threw the plane on its back. We kept on coming however, and I managed to right the plane and release the bomb at the about the same time. Meanwhile the engine had conked and I thought it was all over, but, all of the sudden it started as I pulled out of the dive and we made it back to the base.” George flew as part of VMSB 235 (Flying Wolves) and VMSB 244 (Bombing Banshees) during WWII, each group winning many commendations. Individually George received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. 

George flew through the end of WWII and stayed in the service. He expanded his training and by the onset of the Korean War was capable of flying airplanes and helicopters. From 1952 through 1953 George saw action flying both. Most of his time was in a single seat Skyraider, a piston engine aircraft that was nicknamed “Spad” after the French WWI fighter. The Skyraider was intended to fly slow. The technology at the time made it difficult for the faster moving jets to find and destroy enemy positions. The slower plane was able to locate and bomb the enemy with extreme accuracy. 

On June 16, 1953 now-Major George Linnemeier was flying his Skyraider when he happened upon a Korean PO-2. The PO-2 was the Korean version of the Skyraider in that it was a piston engine plane that was devastating in its accuracy. The PO-2’s night raids were so prevalent that the United Nations nicknamed them Bed Check Charlie. George found himself in a unique situation, two piston-driven planes in the same place at the same time. George was credited as the only pilot of a Skyraider to shoot down an enemy plane. George was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea. 

After the Korean War George returned stateside and was promoted to Commanding Officer of the helicopter transport group HMR-263. In 1955, with George in command, HMR-263 was named the best squadron of the year.

By 1963, as Lt. Colonel, George Linnemeier was in his third war, Vietnam.  George was assigned command of Marine Airbase Squadron-16 (MABS-16). Under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Linnemeier the base was turned from a temporary facility to a much more permanent base. 

George Linnemeier retired from active duty in 1965. He had earned four Distinguished Flying Cross Medals and 23 Air Medals through three wars; WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Upon retirement George worked with students at the Culver Military Academy in Indiana and as a Marine JROTC instructor in Conyers, Georgia.   

Throughout his life George Linnemeier had chosen to be a good shepherd, not by “laying his life down”, but by living his life protecting others.

Tom McDermott is a Flagg Township Museum historian and Rochelle city councilman.