At our November meeting, the Post charter was draped to honor the memory of Warren Eddy. Warren, who was a long standing member of Post #8870, served in the Army during WW II. Warren was raised in northern Minnesota and joined the Washington State National Guard unit upon moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1940. Soon after the unit was activated, Warren was selected to attend Officer Candidate School. After receiving his commission in 1942, he was assigned to a weapons battalion after which he boarded a ship headed for England. His battalion boarded LST’s on D-Day, and for the next three days, Warren and his men remained on the landing craft. Finally, on the morning of D-Day +4, they dry landed on Normandy Beach and headed inland.
While his unit’s mission was air defense, they were used primarily to provide ground support to the infantry. His battalion was assigned to the 29th Infantry Division. Shortly after arriving in France, Warren was ordered to reconnoiter a road to locate the enemy and assess its strength when the three soldiers were ambushed. For his action in returning his men to safety after being ambushed, Warren received a Bronze Star with a “V” device for Valor. Warren participated in combat operations as the Allied Forces chased the Germans back to Germany.
Upon his return home, Warren joined the Army Reserves and retired at the rank of Major. He and his wife, Sandra, were married for over 50 years, and they had two children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Warren, who died after a brief illness, was a Life Member of VFW.