The Hometown Treasure November 2012 | Page 21

his chute to open. He hit the ground shattering both of his ankles. Forced Phil Spreuer to march or die by the Germans, he walked several miles to the prisoner of war camp. Phil’s daughter, CJ Stoltz, remembers her father saying that the pain was so bad that finally a Russian soldier held him. One of the remarkable things about Phil Spreuer was that he seldom spoke about himself. After the war he devoted himself to business and helping others. He personally flew numerous people to the Mayo Clinic for medical treatment. Shortly before his death, he did speak about his military expericontinued on next page The Hometown Treasure · November ‘12 · pg 19