World War II Honoree

Orville Edson Dahl

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Golden Valley, Minnesota

Honored By

Stuart L. J. Dahl

Relationship

Son

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, U.S. ARMY; MOS: SCOUT 761. RECEIVED FIELD PROMOTION TO CORPORAL AND WORE THIS ON HIS UNIFORM AT TIME OF DISCHARGE. INDUCTED 7 OCT 1942. ACTIVE SERVICE FROM 20 OCT 1942 TO 29 OCT 1945. REPORTED TO FORT SNELLIN, MN, FOR ACTIVE SERVICE AND DISCHARGED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE AT CAMP (FORT) MCCOY, WI. ASSIGNED TO THE 91ST INFANTRY DIVISION, 362ND INFANTRY REGIMENT, 3RD BATTALION, HEADQUARTERS COMPANY. THE 91ST WAS LATER ATTACHED TO THE 5TH ARMY, II CORPS. THE 91ST WAS KNOWN AS THE POWDER RIVER DIVISION, TRAINED AT CAMP WHITE AND CAMP ADAIR, OR. THE POWDER RIVER WAS AT ONE OF THESE TWO CAMPS. IN APRIL 1944 THE DIVISION DEPLOYED TO NORTHERN AFRICA FOR IN-THEATER STAGING AND FURTHER TRAINING. BY EARLY JUNE 1944 DETACHED REGIMENTS WERE IN COMBAT AT ANZIO (NOT THE 362ND), THEN BY JULY 1944 THE ENTIRE DIVISION WAS ENGAGING WITH THE ENEMY AS A SINGLE UNIT IN ITALY. HE SAW ACTION IN THE FOLLOWING ITALY CAMPAIGNS: ROME-ARNO, PO RIVER VALLEY, AND NORTHERN APENNINES. HE SERVED AS ONE OF THE BATTALION'S FORWARD OBSERVERS, SCOUTING AND DIRECTING ARTILLERY FIRE. HE WAS OFTEN IN A TWO-MAN OR THREE-MAN TEAM, AHEAD OF FRIENDLY LINES WITH A RADIO AND/OR FIELD TELEPHONE; BINOCULARS AND MAP; A RIFLE AND A SIDEARM. HE WAS AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL (AWARDED ON 10 JUNE 1945 FOR HEROIC ACTION ON 17 OCTOBER 1944 NEAR LUCCA, ITALY), GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER SERVICE MEDAL, (2) OVERSEAS BARS, AND THE COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE. - - - - HE HAD JUST COMPLETED VOCATIONAL TRAINING AS A SHEETMETAL WORKER PRIOR TO GETTING HIS DRAFT NOTICE. IT BUGGED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE THAT THE ARMY SENT OTHER UNSKILLED AND UNTRAINED MEN INTO TECHNICAL TRADES INSTEAD OF HIM WHEN HE WAS ALREADY QUALIFIED. HE VOLUNTEERED TO BE A SCOUT WHILE ASSIGNED TO CAMP WHITE OR CAMP ADAIR. HE WAS SOMETIMES CALLED 'GOPHER' BY HIS BUDDIES DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE WAS FROM MINNESOTA, THE GOPHER STATE, AND BECAUSE WHEN THE UNIT TOOK GUNFIRE NOT ONLY WOULD HE HIT THE DIRT FASTER THAN MOST OTHERS, HE WAS ABLE TO QUICK-DRAW HIS ENTRENCHING TOOL FAST ENOUGH THAT IT OFTEN STRUCK THE DIRT BEFORE HE DID. HE SAID HE COULD THROW A SMALL BERM UP IN FRONT OF HIM ALMOST AS FAST AS HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS COULD REPOSITION THEMSELVES TO RETURN FIRE. HIS RETURNING FIRE WAS OFTEN ONLY A SHOT OR TWO BEHIND THE BULK OF THE OTHERS. HE TOLD ME THAT AS A FORWARD OBSERVER, HE WOULD TAKE EXTRA WIRE AND LAY HIS FIELD TELEPHONE WIRES OUT IN LONG 'S' SHAPED PATHS SO THAT IF THE ENEMY WAS TRACKING THE LINE THEY WOULD MOST LIKELY PASS IN BACK OF HIS CONCEALED POST A COUPLE OF TIMES, GIVING HIM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE OR HEAR THEM BEFORE THEY FOUND HIM. HE DIDN'T LIKE USING THE RADIO BECAUSE OF THE EXCELLENT RADIO-TRACKING CAPABILTIES OF THE GERMANS, SO HE FAVORED THE FIELD TELEPHONE. HE EVEN PREFERRED GOING OUT TO REPAIR THE WIRES TO USING THE RADIO. DURING ONE POSTING, HE WAS RUDELY AWAKENED BY INCOMING ARTILLERY TO HIS POSITION (HIS PARTNER AND HE WERE TAKING TURNS CATCHING NAPS, TYPICAL PROCEDURE WHEN OUT FRONT FOR A DAY OR MORE). IT APPEARED THAT HIS PARTNER WAS USING THE RADIO TO PASS INFO BACK TO HQ AND THE GERMANS ZEROED IN. HE TOLD ME THAT HE GRABBED HIS WEAPONS AND BACK-PACK ALONG WITH AS MUCH OTHER GEAR AS HE COULD READILY CARRY AND IMMEDIATELY VACATED THE POSITION, CUSSING HIS PARTNER OUT. THE LAND LINE HAD APPARENTLY BEEN BROKEN AND THE OTHER GUY DIDN'T WANT TO WAKE HIM UP SO THEY COULD REPAIR IT. ALTHOUGH HE WAS AN AVID HUNTER PRIOR TO THE WAR, HE NEVER HUNTED AFTERWARDS. HE SAID HE WAS SOMETIMES HAUNTED BY SOME OF THE CLOSE COMBAT INCIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THE CRIES OF THE WOUNDED AND DYING HE HAD SHOT WHILE DEFENDING HIS OBSERVATION POST, OR WHO HAD BEEN SHOT BY OTHERS OR WOUNDED BY ARTILLERY FIRE. HE SELDOM TALKED ABOUT ANY OF HIS MILITARY SERVICE. HE NEVER TALKED TO ME ABOUT HIS COMBAT EXPERIENCES UNTIL AFTER I WAS IN THE NAVY, AND THEN ONLY ONE TIME, AFTER MUCH CAJOLING ON MY PART AND PLYING HIM WITH SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES OF ALCOHOL. HIS ONLY ADVICE FOR ME AFTER I ENLISTED WAS TO VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING THAT CAME UP, BECAUSE HIS EXPERIENCE WAS THAT USUALLY IT GOT YOU OUT OF OTHER MUNDANE TASKS. HE RETURNED TO MINNESOTA, EVENTUALLY SETTLING IN THIEF RIVER FALLS, MARRIED AND RAISED FOUR CHILDREN. HE WORKED AS A SHEETMETAL WORKER UNTIL HE RETIRD IN THE LATE 1980'S.