{"id":1606,"date":"2026-10-31T17:37:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T17:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/?page_id=1606"},"modified":"2026-10-31T17:37:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T17:37:53","slug":"johnny-life-army","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/?page_id=1606","title":{"rendered":"Johnny Roling: family and early Army service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.family-topic-breadcrumb{font-size:.95rem;margin:0 0 22px}.family-topic-intro{max-width:68ch;line-height:1.7}.family-topic-menu{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr));gap:14px;margin:26px 0}.family-topic-menu a{display:block;padding:18px;border:1px solid #c9cec8;border-radius:4px;background:#f5f2e9;text-decoration:none;color:#293d30;min-height:52px}.family-topic-menu strong{display:block;font-size:1.1rem}.family-topic-menu span{display:block;margin-top:6px;color:#4f574e;line-height:1.55;font-size:.95rem}.family-topic-related{border-top:1px solid #d8d2c5;margin-top:32px;padding-top:18px}.family-topic-related a{display:inline-block;margin:6px 22px 6px 0}.family-topic-breadcrumb a:focus-visible,.family-topic-menu a:focus-visible,.family-topic-related a:focus-visible{outline:3px solid #98513b;outline-offset:4px}.wp-block-post-content:has(.family-topic-breadcrumb){max-width:960px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto}.wp-block-post-content:has(.family-topic-breadcrumb)>p{line-height:1.7}.wp-block-post-content:has(.family-topic-breadcrumb) :is(h2,h3){scroll-margin-top:24px}.wp-block-post-content:has(.family-topic-breadcrumb) a{overflow-wrap:anywhere}@media(max-width:600px){.family-topic-menu{grid-template-columns:1fr}.family-topic-menu a{padding:16px}}<\/style>\n<nav class=\"family-topic-breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/\">Home<\/a> \u203a <a href=\"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/?page_id=7\">Roling family<\/a> \u203a Johnny Roling: family and early Army service<\/nav>\n<p class=\"family-topic-intro\">Family memories, identification, Army entry and malaria in Italy. Original household\/identity qualifications and source notes stay together.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A big brother to Bob<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bob Roling remembered Johnny as a big brother. A handwritten family chart identifies Johnny as a son of Ben Roling and Katherine Korte, and records that he died in World War II. In the family account passed down from Bob, Johnny stayed with Joe and Ida after his mother died, while his father, Ben, traveled for work. His older brother Frankie stayed with Aunt Flora. Johnny later returned to his father after Ben remarried. The family also recalled later visits and Sunday dinners.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The family memories, census households and Army records strongly point to Private John W. Roling. In 1930, five-year-old Johnnie was listed with his grandfather, John F. Roling, in Salisbury. Ten years later, John W., 15, was again recorded as his grandson. These two snapshots do not tell us when all of Johnny&#x27;s stays with Joe and Ida occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1206\" height=\"1608\" src=\"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pvt.-John-W.-Johnny-Roling-memorial-card.jpg\" alt=\"Memorial card for Pvt. John W. Roling with his Army portrait.\" class=\"wp-image-1143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pvt.-John-W.-Johnny-Roling-memorial-card.jpg 1206w, https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pvt.-John-W.-Johnny-Roling-memorial-card-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pvt.-John-W.-Johnny-Roling-memorial-card-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pvt.-John-W.-Johnny-Roling-memorial-card-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1206px) 100vw, 1206px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pvt. John W. (Johnny) Roling, pictured on his memorial card. Family collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"johnny-entering-army\">Entering Army service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnny was inducted into the Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on March 2, 1943. He spent the next week in the Enlisted Reserve Corps and began active duty on March 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before entering the Army, Johnny worked as a lathe operator and had completed four years of high school. His service record names Ben F. Roling as his father, Aunt Flora as his emergency contact, and his brother Frank as serving in the U.S. Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source notes:<\/strong> Family-held additional Army personnel packet for John W. Roling: PDF page 33, \u201cOfficial Statement of the Military Service and Death,\u201d July 29, 1946; and PDF page 48, service-record sheet. The statement records induction and transfer to the Enlisted Reserve Corps on March 2, followed by active duty on March 9. The family entries name Flora Roling as his aunt and do not name his mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"johnny-malaria-1944\">Malaria in Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnny was hospitalized with malaria in Italy in August 1944. He was admitted to the 37th General Hospital in Naples on August 5, and a blood smear confirmed the diagnosis the next day. His hospital card records his return to duty on August 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source notes:<\/strong> Family-held additional Army personnel packet, <em>JohnRolingfile2.pdf<\/em>, PDF pages 11\u201313: field medical tag, August 4, 1944, and 37th General Hospital card, August 5\u201323, 1944. The hospital card records a positive smear for <em>Plasmodium vivax<\/em> on August 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Sources and research notes for this chapter<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Family sources: Bob&#x27;s recollections passed to his older son describe Johnny&#x27;s stays with Joe and Ida and identify his father as Ben. An undated handwritten family compilation separately lists Ben Roling, his marriage to Katherine Korte, and their son John (Johny), who died in World War II. The chart&#x27;s author and date are not established; this is family-record evidence rather than a birth certificate. Neither source supplies exact dates for the household moves. The frequency of later visits was recalled tentatively.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Birth index: the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services database extract, released by Reclaim The Records, contains John William Roling, born August 20, 1924. Its four fields do not identify parents, birthplace or military serial. The name and date fit the census ages and strengthen the identification, but the index alone does not join the birth to this soldier. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/Missouri_Birth_Index_-_1920-1929\">View the released index collection<\/a>. This is an index entry, not an inspected birth certificate.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1930 census: Salisbury City, ED 21-18, sheet 7A, April 8, dwelling 192\/family 201, lines 38\u201342. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/download\/missouricensus00reel1182\/page\/n559.jpg\">View the original census sheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1940 census: Salisbury City, ED 21-20, sheet 14A, April 16, household 361. <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.archives.gov\/medialz\/census-1940\/T627\/MO\/m-t0627-02096\/m-t0627-02096-00375.jpg\">View the original census sheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"family-topic-related\" aria-label=\"Related pages\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/?page_id=7\">\u2190 Roling family<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/?page_id=875\">Johnny\u2019s story overview<\/a><\/nav>\n\n\n<script>(function(){function revealTopicTarget(){var name;try{name=decodeURIComponent(window.location.hash.slice(1));}catch(e){return;}if(!name){return;}var target=document.getElementById(name);if(!target){return;}var node=target.parentElement;while(node){if(node.tagName==='DETAILS'){node.open=true;}node=node.parentElement;}}revealTopicTarget();window.addEventListener('hashchange',revealTopicTarget);})();<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home \u203a Roling family \u203a Johnny Roling: family and early Army service Family memories, identification, Army entry and malaria in Italy. Original household\/identity qualifications and source notes stay together. A big brother to Bob Bob Roling remembered Johnny as a big brother. A handwritten family chart identifies Johnny as a son of Ben Roling and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1606","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1606"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1738,"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1606\/revisions\/1738"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tim-roling.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}