103rd Cactus Division

VERNON W. SWANSON

Vernon Swanson entered the service in December, 1942 from Marinett, WI.  

He was sent to Camp Claiborne, LA.  Upon completion of his basic training, 

he was assigned to the 409^th, Company D, Heavy Weapons where he served in 

the 1^st Platoon, 2^nd Section of the .30-cal water-cooled machine gunners.  

He participated in the 3d Army Louisiana Maneuvers in 1943 and was later moved 

to Camp Howze as cadre. In September of ’44 he was transported to Camp Shanks 

and boarded the USS Monticello with the 103d Division.  He arrived in Marseille, 

France on Oct. 20, 1944.  Sgt. Swanson fought through the Vosges Mountains as 

part of General Alexander Patch’s 7^th Army.

 

In Selestat, France, on December 2^nd, 1944, Swanson was believed to have 

been manning their machine gun when a Tiger tank fired upon the gun from point 

blank range.  He was killed instantly.  He was 25 years old. 

 

See Zack Sigler’s bio for more details of the Selestat Battle.