World War II Honoree

Melvin E. Peterson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private First Class. As a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard, he was inducted into the United States Army February 10, 1941 with induction at Austin, Minnesota. Following recruit and advanced infantry training, he was deployed to the European Theater of Operations. He served as a Rifleman with the 109th Engineer Combat Battalion, an element of the Thirty-Fourth Infantry ‘Red Bull’ Division, attached to the British IX Corps. His division participated in the North Africa Campaign, Operation Torch Location: Mediterranean Theater. Wednesday, March 11, 1943 he was mortally wounded, during a combat engagement against the German and Italian armed forces. Personnel from a Grave Registration Company buried him in the Nettuno Battlefield Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy. In the post-war era, this Soldiers’ family requested that he be buried with Military Honors at the North Africa American Cemetery Location: Carthage, Tunisia. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.