World War II Honoree

Andrew Joseph Glatzmaier

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Albany, Minnesota

Honored By

Gary A Glatzmaier

Relationship

Son

He joined the U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 30th Infantry on February 19, 1941. After military training at the Presidio of San Francisco, CA and then at Fort Ord, CA, he participated, on November 8, 1942, in the amphibious landing under heavy gunfire at Casablanca, Morocco, the beginning of the North African Campaign. From there he saw action in Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy. On October 8, 1943, near German lines, he saved the lives of multiple solders, for which he was awarded the Silver Star. The citation reads "Answering the calls of wounded men, he disregarded enemy artillery fire, which had killed eight and wounded 30 in his battalion's assembly area, to rush to the aid of those injured to help carry or move them to positions of greater safety while shells continued to fall in the vicinity." Eight days later, on October 16, 1943, he was struck by a German shell fragment while ministering to the wounds of several injured men, for which he received the Purple Heart. While serving he caught Tuberculosis and spent many months recovering at the Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, CO before returning to Albany, Minnesota.