52 Ancestors - Military

This 52 ancestors prompt from Amy Johnson Crow was a while ago like for the last week of May.  I never completed so I decided to share my writing on Veteran's Day.  Happy Veteran's Day.

In both my husband and my family there is a long tradition of military service. Both my husband and I have served. We met in the Army at the 160th Special operation Selection and Training. When I met him, he was changing long fluorescent light bulbs by standing on a chair on a table. That is definitely not OSHA approved.  We have been married 26 years this year. 

Both of our Grandfather's were in the Army Corp of Engineers during WW II but different units. My Husband's Great Grandfather was awarded the Purple Heart during WW1. Both of our father's were in the military during Vietnam.  

I wanted to write a bit about my Husband's Great Grandfather. We have his purple heart.  I have heard many stories from his son, Pappy,  about him.  Carl was a difficult man. I would dare say abusive in many ways to his son. Many in his family said he came back from the war a changed person. There is not much said about his wartime service but I want to share all I know.  You don't get a purple heart for being a coward. 

Carl was a first generation American. Both of his parents were from Norway.  He was born in 1890 in Superior Wisconsin. By 1905, the family lived in Aitkin, Minnesota and homesteaded. Carl enlisted Feb 18, 1918 and was discharged April 29, 1919.  He was a private in the  58th Infantry 4th Division. There is a campaign ribbon with the purple heart for St Mihiel Campaign. That campaign was waged September 12-15th, 1918 in France.

The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against German positions. The U.S. Army Air Service played a significant role in this action - wikipedia

After the war, Carl was a farmer on his family homestead along with other activities such as logging. He married shortly after the war and in 1920 my husband's Pappy was born.  His marriage would not last long.  In 1935, he would marry again. According to the 1940 census he was residing in Minneapolis MN.  Carl worked for the post office as a custodian. Carl passed away in 1963 of prostate cancer.