Wayne E. Leppala
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Wayne E. Leppala
Served in World War II.
He served in the Pacific Theater.
He was inducted into the U.S. Army on June 17, 1941 in Sacramento, CA. He was honorably discharged in July 1945.
He served in Company C, 160th Infantry. He served in Guadalcanal, Northern Solomon Islands, and Luzon, Philippines. He was wounded in the Battle of Luzon (1945), recovered, and then returned to duty.
He was a Rifleman.
He was born on April 16, 1915, in Florentin, Minnesota. His parents were Elias and Hannz (Rekonen) Leppala.
He died in June 1998.
Decorations received:
- Purple Heart
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Service
- American Defense Service Medal
- Five (5) Overseas Service Bars
- Good Conduct Medal
Source: Handwritten account provided by Carol Ann Leppala, and Honorable Discharge document.
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(The following is a reproduction of a handwritten account provided by his daughter, Carol Ann Leppala.)
Born April 16, 1915, in Florentin, Minnesota, of Elias Leppala (father) and Hannz (Rekonen) (mother).
Grew up on the farm in Florentin.
He was taken to California in his teens and joined Civilian Conservation Corps from 1934 to 1939.
He only had an eighth grade education and took many correspondence courses and any training the CCC’s offered.
He worked at odd jobs, a gas station attendant and cook at a delicatessen or whatever he could find. In June 1941 he was drafted into the Army in California.
He told me about being shipped out of San Francisco when war broke out. “The guys all said, ‘The Golden Gate in forty-eight.’” That’s when they figured the war would end and they’d be back. On to Hawaii and then the South Pacific to war against the Japanese. He was in the Infantry and on the front lines. He saw many others wounded and killed. In January of 194__ he was wounded in Battle of Luzon. While recovering, the USO was next to the hospital he was at, and he listened to them perform the play “Oklahoma” ’til he knew the play by heart.
He returned to duty and was then discharged in July 1945.
With a desire to see his family he came to Duluth, Minnesota. in 1945. His mother and half sister (Esther) were happy to see him. Esther introduced him to many friend, and he met Jessie Manialla. He got a job as a car man for the Duluth Winnipeg and Pacific Railroad in 1945. He then married Jessie in 1947. He was the father of five children, Jane, Robert, Ray, Carol, and Karen. Raising his family and working for the railroad occupied his life. He watched his children grow up and become adults. In 1975 he retired from the railroad after thirty years of service to them. With the youngest child (Karen) still in high school he worked as a security guard for Pinkerton at St. Ann’s Residence to supplement his income until 1984. His son Ray had given him two grandchildren, Jessica and Ross, by that time, and Wayne desired to travel some and enjoy life. He died in June 1998 after a brief illness. He is missed and remembered by all who knew him.
