LESSELYONG - SADOWSKA - KESLER - MARTIN - ALTMANN
AMERICAN LEGION P0ST 54
Who is our Post Named For
WILLIAM J. LESSELYONG
William J. Lesselyong was born in Marshfield, Wis., August 28, 1889 and was killed in action at Chateau Thierry, France, August 2, 1918. He was the sonof Mr. and Mrs. John Lesselyong of Marshfield, Wis. He attended St. John's Parochial School in Marshfield, and worked as a carpenter until he joined Co. A, 2nd Wis. Inf. for service on the Mexican border in 1916. When World War l began he remained with the company, which became Co. A, 127th Inf., 32nd Division, and served with that company in the United States and France until his death.
His friends said he was always very popular because of his unfailing good humor, although the tricks he played on his friends occasionally led to laud talk. He was best known by his friends as "Weary".His body was brought to Marshfield after the war, and he was buried in Flanders Field.
IVAN G. SADOWSKA
Ivan G. Sadowska was born in Marshfield, Wis., November 29, 1919, and died November 8, 1942, He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gust. Sadowska of Marshfield, Wis. He attended high school in Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids, andat the time of his entry into the service, October 29, 1941, he was emoployed by the A. H. Weinbrenner Co.of Marshfield.
Pvt. Sadowska was trained as a tank operator with an armored force unit at Fort Knox, Ky. for six months, and then spent some time in New Jersey before going to Northern Ireland in May, 1942. He was aboar a vessel which was sunk in the action incident to the landing of our forces on the northern coast of Africa, and he was lost in this operation.
VERNON L. KESLER
Vernon L. Kesler was born in Colby, Wis., October 29, 1928 and moved to Marshfield with his parents the following year.He attended Sacred Heart Parochial School and graduated from Marshfield Senior High School in 1946. Kesler entered the Army September 28, 1946 and after basic training at Camp Lee, Va., he spent 1 1/2 years on occupation duty in Japan. He was discharged as a sergeant May 14, 1948. That fall he enrolled at St.Norbert College and was a junior, when as an Army reservist, he was recalled to duty Sept. 22, 1950. He arrived in Yokohama November 30, and was in Korea the following day. He was charged with aiding in the evacuation of GI's as assistant commander of a packet. At one time he had been 45 miles north of the 39th parallel. Most of his time in Korea was spent in constant rearguard actions. He died in action on January 26, 1951 and was 22 years old. He will be buried in Hillside Cemetery. He was the first Marshfield man to die in the Korean conflict.
VERNAL G. MARTIN
Vernal G. Martin was born in Marshfield, Wis. March 9, 1945, and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilford Martin of Marshfield. He attended Sacred Heart Parochial School and graduated from Marshfield Senior High School in 1963. He then enlisted in the Marine Corps July 18, 1963, and received his basic training at Camp Pendleton, Cali. He served with the 19th Fleet Marine Force in the Da Nang area from July 18 to Nov. 1, 1964. The Marine was then sent to Okinawa and returned to the continental United States in March, 1965. While in Vietnam on his original tour of duty, Martin received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and a Vietnamese citation. At Da Nang, he and his fellow Marines aided in guarding the air strip. PFC Martin began his 2nd tour of duty July 1, 1966. He lost his life as the reult of fragmentation wounds sustained in action in Quang Tri Provinence, South Vietnam, on Aug.8, 1966. He was 21 years old at the time. He is buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. He was the first local man to die in the Vietnamese war.
JOSEPH J. ALTMANN
Joseph J. Altmann was born in Marshfield, Wis. on December 15, 1984, and was the son of John and Jan Altmann of Marshfield. He attended Marshfield Area Catholic Schools and graduated from Columbus High School in 2003. He attended UW-Marshfield/Wood County, and UW-Marathon County before active duty in the Army in April of 2005. He attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., graduating in July 2005. He trained as a combat medic at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, graduating in November, 2005. Altmann completed further medic training in October, 2010 when he was awarded the Expert Field Medic Badge. This was a multi-day training and testing course that culminated in a 12-mile run which needed to be completed in under three hours. Of the 160 participants that started, only 12 complleted and were awarded the badge. He attained the rank of Army Staff Sergeant and served as a medic with the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii. He recently had re-enlisted and was known to his Army comrades as "Doc". He was initially assigned to duty in Kunar Province Afghanistan in April, 2011. He had served two previous tours of Duty in Iraq. He was due to complete his tour of duty in February or March, 2012. Joseph "Doc" Altmann died of injuries suffered during an insurgent attack on December 25, 2011. He is buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. He was 27 years old.