He is the son of Mr. Gustof & Mrs. Emma {Hooste} Schoonaert of R.R.# 3 in Peoria, Illinois, and the husband of Mrs. Gladys M.{Peplow} Schoonaert, and the father of one son, Charles Richard, age 3 of Pekin, Illinois {d.2005}. He does leave four brothers, Camiel {d.1989}, Robert, Joseph, and Henry {d.2001}.

Pvt. Schoonaert enlisted at Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois on January 1, 1942, and did his training at Craig Field, Selma, Alabama, and did not leave the country until March of 1945 as a replacement.

Pvt. Schoonaert was killed in action while serving as a Rifleman on 4-18-1945 with the 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division while mopping-up in the Harz Mountain area of Germany. He is now buried in Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com