Matt A. Hakala
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Matt A. Hakala of Aurora, Minnesota, enlisted in the Army on October 24, 1940.
He served as a Private First Class and rifleman with Company K, 254th Infantry Regiment in the Aleutian Islands, Rhineland and Central Europe. He was wounded in action in the European Theater in 1944.
Mr. Hakala was awarded the: Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Service Medal with two bronze stars, American Defense Service Medal with one bronze star and four overseas service bars.
He was honorably discharged July 25, 1945.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 98.
