Harvey Klafke was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 26, 1927. He attended local schools and was inducted into the Army in August 1945, less than a month after his eighteenth birthday. He received his basic training at Camp Blanding, Florida and went overseas in February 1946 as part of the American Graves Registration Command. He worked in Europe to identify, recover, and properly bury the remains of American servicemen killed during World War II. He spent most of his time in France, though he also worked in the United Kingdom.
Klafke remained in Europe until December 1946, returning to the United States and being discharged on January 23, 1947.
