Kenneth P. Ostlund
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Kenneth P. Ostlund of Virginia, Minnesota was inducted into the Army on Dec. 19, 1942.
He was a Private First Class and a survey and instrument man with Company D, 358th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division, serving in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.
He says: "We arrived in Cherbourg, France, and fought our way to the town of Stendal, Germany, on the Elbe River where we met the Russians. Several thousand Germans surrendered to Americans rather than the Russians at this point."
"The 102nd Division was through the towns and cities of Cherbourg, Thieville, Valegnes, Caen, Paris, Soissons and Leon in France and Liege, Linnich, Aachen, Dusseldorf, Duisburg, Paderborn, Kassel, Munster, Hannover, Magdebug and Stendal, as well as others in Germany."
The Division captured 13 cities and towns and crossed the Roer and Rhine rivers.
Mr. Ostlund received the: Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Service Medal with two bronze battle stars, American Campaign Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal and two overseas service bars.
He was discharged on Dec. 31, 1945.
