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Class VII Biographies Inducted in 2015
Sergeant
Lawnie Coffman
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1922
- 2008
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Lawnie Coffman was inducted into the Army on
January 16, 1943. He was assigned to
the 35th Infantry Division. He was
sent with Company L, 137th Infantry to the West Virginia Mountain Maneuvers,
arriving at the mountain camp at Seneca Rock on February 16, 1944. Sergeant
Coffman landed with Co L, 137th Infantry, first in England in January of
1944, and then on Omaha Beach on July 6, 1944. On November 18, 1944, he was shot with a
German 88 causing life threatening injuries and was later discharged from the
Army on August 20, 1945. Sergeant Coffman wrote about his World War II
experiences in 35th Infantry Division in an extensive
autobiography entitled My Leg of the
Race.
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Master
Sergeant Bernard Deghand
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1964
- 2006
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Master Sergeant Bernard L. Deghand started his
Army career in 1982 as Cannon Crewmember (13B) and later transferred from the
Army Reserves to the Kansas Army National Guard in 1986. Ten years later, he became an Infantry
Rifleman (11B). Then served with 35th Infantry Division
Headquarters as a Readiness NCO and Operations NCO. Master Sergeant Deghand
deployed three times with 35th Infantry Division: Bosnia (2002),
Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Afghanistan (2006). During Operation Enduring
Freedom, he served as a trainer for the Afghan Army, teaching mechanized
infantry tactics using armored personnel carriers. He died in a firefight on Sept. 15, 2006,
in Spira, Afghanistan.
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Private
First Class Murray Leff
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1922
-
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Murray Leff served with E Company, 137th
Infantry from September 1944 until the end of World War II. Private First
Class Leff documented his unit’s and the 35th Divisions battles
from the Gremercy Forest through the Ardennes and the Battle of the Bulge to
the final push into Germany. Private First Class Leff provided a viewpoint of
Private in a foxhole with his photos and memories which were later documented
in his book. Lens of an Infantryman. His words and images from of the 35th
Division in World War II stand out in the history and lineage of the 35th
Division. Today, Murray Leff and his wife live in New York and he continues
to share his photos and stories about his experiences in World War II.
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Captain
Samuel G. O’Brien
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1920
- 2010
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Samuel G. O’Brien received a commission as Second
Lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia in the summer of 1943. He was assigned to
several positions of the 320th Infantry Regiment during World War
II. As a member of the 320th Infantry Regiment, he landed in
Normandy on July 6, 1944. He remained in combat with the 320th
Infantry until VE Day. Later, his
primary assignment was as Regimental Liaison Officer between the 320th
Infantry Regiment and the 35th Infantry Division Headquarters. He
participated in the battles of Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland,
and Central Europe. He was a decorated
officer and later was awarded the French Legion of Honor.
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Private
First Class Halbert Edward Olson
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1912
- 1945
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Private First Class Halbert Olson was 31 years
old when he enlisted in January 1944. After training in the United States, he
was sent to Belgium as a replacement in the 134th Infantry
Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. On February 26, 1945, PFC Olson was
in a room with two other Soldiers, preparing to clear out the enemy. A hand grenade became entangled in his
clothing. He could not get rid of it. He then ran to the other side of the
room and fell upon the deadly explosive. He gave his life to save those of
his comrades. PFC Olson was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service
Cross, the Army’s highest award for extreme gallantry after the Medal of
Honor.
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Staff
Sergeant Jack L. Ulmer
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1921
- 2011
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Staff Sergeant J.L. Ulmer was mobilized in December of 1940 as a
member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 137 Infantry, 35th
Infantry Division, Kansas National Guard at Lawrence, Kansas. On July 6,
1944, he landed on Omaha Beach and began combat in the hedgerows of Normandy,
first seeing action in the battle at St. Lo.
He was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions on July 17,
1944. Upon observing a wrecker carrying ten men and several boxes of grenades
and small arms ammunition burst into flames after it had struck a mine,
Sergeant Ulmer and two others accompanying him, rushed into the flaming area
and pulled injured personnel from the vehicle to safety, despite the fact
that grenades were bursting at the time. He
was awarded the Purple Heart for combat in World War II. In June of 2007, he was awarded the French
Legion of Honor.
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