Experiences Abroad

Minnesotans serving abroad during World War II had many extraordinary experiences beyond those of combat. For a good number of them who had never been outside the state of Minnesota, the war presented an unexpected opportunity to visit distant places, mingle with a wide variety of people, and to face new situations.

Alexandria, Minnesota native Reverend Delbert Kuehl, as a chaplain assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, found new ways to minister to his men as they lay dying on the fields of the Netherlands following a disastrous crossing of the Waal River in Holland.

Betty Magnuson Olson of Duluth joined the Women's Army Corps (WAC) and found herself spending Christmas 1944 in the newly liberated city of Paris.

William L. Anderson of Minneapolis wrote home from Tunisia, North Africa of a touching moment of comraderie among his fellow soldiers one evening in camp.

Citations:

• Anderson, William L. William L. Anderson Papers. Minnesota Historical Society Manuscript Collection.
• Kuehl, Rev. Delbert; Thomas Saylor, Interviewer, Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project, Thomas Saylor; Minnesota Historical Society Oral History Collection, 2003.
• Olson, Betty J. Magnuson, A WAC's War: Reminiscences. Minnesota Historical Society Manuscripts Collection, 1965.