Marty Luebke, Post 23 Member
The first Decoration Day honoring fallen Civil War Veterans started in 1868. It wasn’t officially changed to Memorial Day until 1967.
We recently honored those men and women who made that ultimate sacrifice.
It seems a fitting time to remember another man, Wayne Moeller from Garretson, who endured more than his share of hardships and witnessed firsthand fellow comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Wayne served in World War II. Although this story is over 80 years old, it still is powerful and has meaning. I hope you find it as educational and interesting as I did.
Wayne passed away 22 years ago; many old timers still remember him (but not many have heard his story).
Dale Moeller, Wayne’s son, said, “Dad didn’t talk about the war much. Only in his later years before he passed on did he talk about it."
However, thanks to his daughter, Waynette, who compiled 190 pages of history, there is a wealth of written information about Wayne’s WWII experiences- including in his own words (that will appear in quotes). So, LEST WE FORGET, let’s take a glimpse of his story now.
Wayne was born Dec. 4, 1922 and married Anita Rosburg. They farmed west of Garretson and together they raised 2 sons, Lonell and Dale, and 2 daughters, Waynette and Karen. My apologies for limiting other early years and family history as the purpose of this story is to share Wayne’s WWII experiences.
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