World War II Honoree

Buford Merle Waln

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Holyoke, Colorado

Honored By

Wife & Children

HE ENLISTED ON JUNE 9, 1939 AND RECEIVED BASIC AT SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. HE WAS LATER ASSIGNED TO THE USS MILWAUKEE CL-5 BASED IN HAWAII. SHORTLY BEFORE PEARL HARBOR HE WAS SENT TO WEST COAST AND THEN TO THE EAST VIA THE PANAMA CANAL. HE SERVED FOR 1 YEAR ON PATROL DUTY BASED PORTS IN SOUTH AMERICA. IN MARCH 1942 HE WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE SHIP IN PUERTO RICO TO THE USS YMS-23, A MINESWEEPER, IN NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK. IN NOVEMBER, HIS SHIP WITH OTHER SMALL CRAFT, FORMED A CONVOY AND SAILED FOR THE INVASION COAST OF AFRICA. THEN TO ALGIERS, ALGERIA AND THEN TO LONDON, ENGLAND, WHERE HE JOINED THE FLAG OF THE NAVAL COMMANDER OF THE WESTERN TASK FORCE FOR THE INVASION OF FRANCE. AFTER THE INVASION, HE RETURNED TO THE STATES FOR REASSIGNMENT. HE WAS THEN STATIONED MIAMI, FLORIDA AT THE DADE COUNTY NAVAL BASE. HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM SERVICE IN 1945.