CW4 Keith D. Pregler U.S. Army, Retired

CW4 Keith D. Pregler, US Army (Ret), passed away peacefully in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, September 26, 2013. He was born July 15, 1925 in Dubuque, Iowa where upon graduating high school he entered military service on November 2, 1943 to serve in the World War II European Theater. Keith was a machine gunner in the 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division (“Yankee Division”), in General George S. Patton’s Third Army. Arriving on Normandy Beach (Omaha Red), France, he logged 177 days of combat through Northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, where at the end of the war (May 1945), his unit stood nose-to-nose with the Red Army (Soviet Army). Keith fought in numerous campaigns, including the Ardennes Counteroffensive (Battle of the Bulge). He was a member of one of the two infantry divisions that General Patton pulled out of battle in Northern France and rapidly pushed north in sub-freezing weather over 100 miles during 48 hours without sleep to immediately reengage in battle for an additional seven days and nights to open a corridor to Bastogne. Keith saw action again during two tours of duty in Vietnam. As a member of the Army Corps of Engineers, he helped build the deepwater port at Cam Ranh Bay in 1966-1967. During 1970-1971 he was a military advisor imbedded in the South Vietnamese 25th Infantry Division in Cu Chi, clearing fields of fire and providing rapid runway deployment and repair in Vietnam and Cambodia. Between his Vietnam tours, Keith was an engineering instructor at the U.S. Army School of the Americas, located at Fort Gulick, Panama where he taught foreign military officers from across Latin America. He was also a two-time graduate of the Defense Language Institute with fluency in Spanish and Vietnamese. Keith retired from military service on January 31, 1980 as the senior most Chief Warrant Officer (CW4) in the Army, with over 36 years of service. Keith was an avid train enthusiast and photographer. Throughout his life he traveled extensively, photographing and documenting trains and railroads from around the world, often in very remote regions. His post-retirement train expeditions included travels on steam locomotives across more than a dozen Latin American countries. Keith’s photos and videos have been published in numerous books, periodicals, and documentaries. Keith was married for 55 years to Eloise Pregler (formerly Martinez), a dance instructor from Port Arthur, Texas. Keith is survived by Eloise; daughter Lynn Bullard, and her husband Randy Bullard; daughter Laureen Buckaloo; son Arthur Pregler, and his wife Ranee Pregler; granddaughter Dawn Dixon, and her husband Todd Dixon; grandson Cory Buckaloo; granddaughter Crystal Brown; granddaughter Victoria Pregler; grandson Seth Pregler; and granddaughter Shelby Pregler. Visitation will be held Thursday, October 3, 2013 from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Colonial Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held on Friday, October 4, 2013 at 9:45 A.M. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors. A funeral service will be held on Friday, October 4, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. at the Army Residence Community Chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of one’s choice.