Wisconsin State Teachers College - Meletean Yearbook (River Falls, WI)

Page 23 text:

LieuTenanT PETER STENE, JR. PeTer STene was a sTudenT in The college Trom I936-I9-40, enlisTing in The Army Air Forces in June, I94I. He served in The European TheaTer and was in The assaulT on Regens- burg, Germany, in AugusT, I943. He meT his deaTh while reTurning Trom a bombing mission To Franl4TurT, Germany, February I7, I9-45. JusT oTT The coasT oT OsTend, Belgium, The aircraTT oT which he was Command PiloT caughT Tire Trorn an explosion in The nose oT The plane. IT crashed inTo The sea, and only one survivor was rescued. The Air Medal wiTh seven oalc leaT clus+ers and The DisTinguished Flying Cross were awarded To him. LieuTenanT DARRELL KEITH STOYKE Darrell KeiTh SToylce came To River Falls Trom CheTelc, srludied here in preparaTion Tor a business course, l939-l94O, and Then wenT To The UniversiTy oT MinnesoTa, which he aTTended Trom l94O To l942. He enlisTed in July, IQ43, in The Army Air Forces. He became a FighTer PiloT and was senT To The European TheaTer. On AugusT l9, l944, he was lcilled in acTion in SouThern France. He received The Air Medal wiTh Three oaln leaT clusTers. LieuTenanT SToyl:e was The son oT Mr. and Mrs. E. F. SToylce oT Sheldon. Ensign ROBERT THORESON RoberT Thoreson enlisTed in The Naval Reserve as an aviaTion cadeT in December, 1940. He was in his senior year aT The college, majoring in agriculTural educaTion and science. He had been acTive in college liTe and was business manager oT The MeleTean aT The Time oT his deparTure. He was com- missioned an ensign in l94l and assigned To duTy as a naval Tlying insTrucTor wiTh The paTrol bomber squadron aT The Naval Air STaTion aT Pensacola, Florida. He conTinued aT This duTy unTil his deaTh, due To a landing crash, SepTember 7. I942. His TaTher, Toby R. Thoreson, lives in River Falls. A broTher, KenneTh, was wiTh The Army Air Forces in lndia.

Page 22 text:

Ensign JEROME SOBOTTA Jerome SoboTTa graduaTed Trom River Falls in l94O, wiTh The degree B.S. in agriculTure. He TaughT agriculTure Two years in The Channing, Michigan, High School. In February, I942, he enlisTed in The Naval Reserve and received his commis- sion in The Tall of ThaT year. He was assigned on The seas The nexT year and saw acTion in The SouTh PaciTic unTil July I8, I943, when his ship was Torpedoed as iT was nearing The island oT Rendova in The Solomon Sea. Among Those who losT Their lives on The ship was The Tamous arTisT and illusTraTor, LieuT. Commander McClelland Barclay. Ensign SoboTTa is survived by his moTher, Mrs. Emma SoboTTa. His broThers served in The Pacific also. Pfc. RUSSELL SOLHEIM Russell Solheim, son OT Mr. and Mrs. Oswald J. Solheim oT Hudson, graduaTed Trom River Falls in l927. Music was one oi his chieT hobbies and he was a singer oT unusual abiliTy. AT The Time of his enlisTmenT, OcTober, I943, he was work- ing Tor The Cudahy Packing Company as a salesman. PrivaTe Solheim served in The lnTanTry and was senT To The European TheaTer. He ToughT in The baTTle oT ST. Lo and losT his liTe in France on The Tields oT Normandy, July I I, I944. Lieu+enanT KEITH SOLVESON KeiTh Solveson enTered The Army Air Forces February 24, l942, aTTer aTTending The college Trom I937 To l94l. He became bombardier Tor The crew oT The Sky WoIT, ac- counTing Tor more Than TwenTy German TighTers beTore going down over Oschersleber, Holland. l.ieuTenanT Solveson losT his liTe AugusT 20, I943. He was awarded The Air Medal wiTh Three oak leaT clusTers and The Purple HearT.

Page 24 text:

Lieu+enan+ STANLEY TORGERSON Sfanley Torgerson graduafed from River Falls in i939 and faughf in Hammond and lafer in Hudson. He was an honor sfudenf, an oufsfanding afhlefe and a feacher of unusual abilify. He enlisfed in fhe Field Arfillery in l94l and served on fhe lfalian fronf. He was killed in acfion af fhe Baffle of Salerno, Sepfember I4, I943. Only a few days before he had been cifed for heroic acfion on fhe Salerno fronf, where a pockef of American arfillery had no infanfry cov- ering and Lieufenanf Torgerson braved deafh by sfanding on a fuse box fo direcf blank fire. Lieu+enan+ WALTER BRUCE WALKER Walfer Bruce Walker was born in Canada and came fo Hayward wifh his parenfs in I9I9. He affended Flefcher College, lowa, in I936 and fhen River Falls Teachers College, from which he received his degree in agriculfure in I94l. He faughf af McMillan, Michigan, before enfering The serv- ice in Augusf, l942. He wenf overseas in April, l945, in fhe Pacific area. Word was received in Augusf fhaf he had died on le Shima of iniuries received in an accidenf, July 30, when a fruck gof ouf of confrol and crashed fhrough fhe fenf where he was sleeping. He was fo have been elevafecl fo fhe rank of capfain in fhe near fufure. Lieufenanf Walker was fhe son of Mr. and Mrs. John K. Walker of Hayward. A brofher, Keifh Walker, was wifh fhe armed forces in Germany. Sergeanf FRANK E. WINTERLING Frank E. Winferling was a sfudenf af River Falls in I936-l938, affending Sfouf lnsfifufe fhe nexf year. He enlisfed Decem- ber 8, I94l, in fhe Marine Corps and was senf overseas fo Guadalcanal. He rnef his deafh fhere Ccfober I4, I942. His brofher, Joe Winferling, losf his life in fhe service as a Marine in fhe Philippine Islands, May 6, l942. Affer fhe deafh of his fwo only sons, fhe fafher, Frank W. Winferling, enlisfed in fhe Marines himself and served wifh credif and honor.