Lester J. Smaaladen
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Lester J. Smaaladen entered the Army on April 28, 1942, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Home at entry: Hibbing, Minnesota.
He served as a Staff Sergeant and infantry squad leader with Company H of the 290th Infantry Regiment of the Second Infantry Division in Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was wounded in action on June 16, 1944, in France.
He received the following: Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver battle star (in lieu of five bronze stars), World War II Victory Medal, and four overseas service bars.
He was honorably discharged on October 11, 1945, at Camp Grant, Illinois.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, 298.
