Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Hadley Osten, 12, holds up a shadowbox full of World War II memorabilia that she entered into the Platte County Fair on July 5. Her great-grandfather, Alfred Wurdeman, served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, and the box contains some of his items from that time.

In this close-up of Hadley Osten's shadowbox, items such as an Air Force patch, billfold containing foreign money, vaccination card and other things owned by her great-grandfather are on display. 

Hadley Osten has turned a piece of family history into a project for this year’s Platte County Fair.

Hadley, 12, a member of the 4-H Baker Makers club, has put together a shadowbox containing World War II memorabilia, which she entered into the consumer and family science heritage exhibit.

The shadowbox contains a variety of correspondence and other items owned by Hadley’s great-grandfather, Alfred Wurdeman. Wurdeman served in the U.S. Air Force from 1942 to about 1945.

In the box are Alfred’s Air Force patch, his billfold containing money from Japan, France and Germany and social security card, as well as a ledger of expenses and his vaccination card. According to the ledger, a four-day stay at a motel had cost $20. Other interesting tidbits are also in the display.

“That's his communion card that he got from our church that I still go to,” Hadley said, noting that it’s the Christ Lutheran Church of Columbus.

Alfred was in the 422 Night Fighter Squadron, and the box contains a letter of commendation for the squadron.

“He was part of the Night Fighter Squadron in the Air Force,” said Jennifer Osten, Hadley’s mother. “On the night of Dec. 24 and 25, they helped the Allied night fighters on several different occasions and drove off German night fighter attacks upon their positions.”

The box also has a Columbus Telegram newspaper article from the early 1940s about Alfred and his brother Edward, who also served in the military, meeting up in Belgium during the war. The brothers spent three days together after being apart for 38 months.

“He surely didn’t change any during the time we didn’t see each other,” Edward wrote to the Telegram about Alfred. “I was really glad to see him and I guess he was just tickled. Wish we could all be together and hope we see each other again soon.”

According to the article, Alfred entered into service on June 20, 1942, and Edward enlisted in March 1942 and served in a tank battalion.

The article was a printout from the internet but tea-stained so that it looked antique like the other items in the shadowbox.

After their service, the brothers moved back to Columbus and worked as farmers, Jennifer said. They lived not that far from one another.

Hadley said the family found some of Alfred’s things in her Grandma Wurdeman’s home, which is located north of Columbus.

“It was in this metal box. And nobody had seen it before, so it was pretty cool to see,” Hadley said.

Jennifer added that the box was found a few years ago.

“We just kind of opened it though to kind of see what was in it,” Jennifer said. “There were important papers from the house and stuff like that. It (the box) had file folders and this was inside one of the file folders.”

Hadley said the idea for the project started when her brother took some of the found items to his speech class.

“It was really cool to watch how his classroom to so I wanted to see what people would think at the fair,” Hadley said.

She noted an interest in local history was sparked last year when she did a project on the Gottberg Barn, a structure built in 1913 five miles north of Columbus.

Hadley, who will be starting her first year at Lakeview Junior-Senior High School this fall, entered other projects for the fair on July 5, including one on a first aid kit and another on consumer management. She added she was also taking part in baking and cooking exhibits the following day.

She noted her excitement about the 2022 Platte County Fair starting.

“It's stressful, but it's fun,” Hadley said.

Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

While the sign outside of J. Patrick's says "Tuxedos," the Columbus menswear store does so much more.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) has reportedly entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal …

Hunter Liss, recent state champ in Certiport’s Microsoft Word competition, has advanced to the rank of national champion, following the compet…

Columbus Community Hospital recently received $12.6 million from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Shovel-Ready Capital …

County fairs are family events. Families come to see the shows, ride the rides and even run some of the attractions. It is rare, however, for …

From turtle races to demolition derbies and mud volleyball, the Platte Center Fourth of July Celebration has something for everyone. For its 5…

Platte Center's 50th annual Fourth of July Celebration came to a close on July 4.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce has announced information for the 2022 Red, White, KaBoom! fireworks show.

In Bill Podraza’s classroom at the Central Community College Adult Education program, students of all backgrounds meet to learn something many…

Hadley Osten, 12, holds up a shadowbox full of World War II memorabilia that she entered into the Platte County Fair on July 5. Her great-grandfather, Alfred Wurdeman, served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, and the box contains some of his items from that time.

In this close-up of Hadley Osten's shadowbox, items such as an Air Force patch, billfold containing foreign money, vaccination card and other things owned by her great-grandfather are on display. 

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.