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Lester Everett Dahl was the other Laurel boy killed in action in January 1945. Dahl was the son of Chris and Dora Dahl. The Dahls had two other sons in the service – Victor and Darrell.
Lester was born on April 17, 1917 — a few days before the U.S. entered World War I. He was killed in action on January 19, 1945 — a few months before the end of World War II. He was 27 years old.
Dahl attended Laurel high school but dropped out during his senior year. Had he finished he would have graduated in 1934. He was drafted into the army in March 1942 and sent to Camp Roberts, California, for basic training. On July 4th, he was transferred to the Hawaiian islands where he remained until the end of the year.
Dahl was a member of the 161st Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division. In January 1943, the 25th Infantry was deployed to Guadalcanal to relieve the Marines who had made the initial landings in August 1942 and had been fighting ever since. The 25th was given the task of eliminating the remaining Japanese resistance and securing the island.
Dahl’s regiment arrived on Guadalcanal in early January and took up defensive positions around a captured Japanese airfield. On January 15, they entered combat with an assault on entrenched Japanese forces in the Matanikau river valley. The men of the 161st defeated the enemy and continued pushing them northward until they reached Doma Cove on February 8. The battle for Guadalcanal ended shortly after that.
In a letter published by the Advocate on July 7, 1943, Lester included a poem. It read: In the deep blue Pacific so far away, The Lord must have lost his temper one day.
And in his wrath he thumbed his nose. And on that spot an island rose. A hell on earth believe me pal, This place was named ........... As soldiers were not allowed to divulge their specific location, the word “Guadalcanal” was censored.
On July 21, the 161st moved on to New Georgia, another island in the Solomon chain. On July 26, while supporting the attack on the Bibilo Hill, Dahl’s company came under heavy fire from Bartley’s Ridge. It was on that day that Sergeant Dahl earned a Silver Star.
The accompanying citation read: “For gallantry in action at New Georgia, Solomon Islands, while evacuating a wounded soldier in the face of heavy hostile fire on July 26, 1943.“ Dahl later was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge for “courage, initiative, and aggressiveness in action.“ Once Bartley’s Ridge was cleared, the 161st was ordered to capture Horseshoe Hill where another fierce battle ensued. Japanese forces were defeated on Aug. 1 and then, along with other units, the 161st pushed northward to help secure the entire island on Aug. 25.
In October 1943, the 25th Division was sent first to New Zealand and then to New Caledonia for rest, reorganization, and additional training. The men would not see combat again until they returned to battle on the Philippine island of Luzon more than a year later.
On Jan. 11, 1945, the Division made an amphibious landing at San Fabian and moved into the Central Plain where the 161st was assigned to capture three villages.
On Jan. 17, they engaged the Japanese in a fierce battle at Binalonan where the enemy counterattacked with tanks and artillery. (There is a short video on YouTube. Search for “Binalonan 1945”.) The next day the regiment moved on to San Manuel where they encountered stiff resistance. They managed to overcome the enemy and capture that town as well.
It was on that day - Jan. 19, 1945 - that Staff Sgt. Lester Dahl was killed in action. His parents did not learn of his death until Feb. 13 when a telegram from the War Department arrived. It stated only that their son had been killed in action on the island of Luzon on Jan. 19.
In a follow up letter written shortly after Lester’s death, his commanding officer wrote: “Lester was killed on the 19th of January. The battalion was moving into position about 2000 yards from an enemy held town when the enemy discovered and placed mortar fire on us. Your son commanded two bazooka teams and on his own initiative moved to a position to protect the company from an enemy tank attack. While moving he was hit in the left side by a mortar shell fragment with penetration to the heart. He died instantly. The wound was a small one and outwardly seemed to be only superficial. A medical man reached him in a matter of seconds but found him dead when he reached him. He is buried in our division cemetery. – Capt. Walter Tyumiak, Commanding Officer, K Company, 161st Infantry.”
A Memorial service was held at Gethsemane Lutheran church on Sunday, March 4. Lester’s body remained in the Philippines until 1948 when it was exhumed and shipped back to the U.S. on the “Morris E. Crain,” an army transport ship.
The casket containing his body arrived in San Francisco on June 28 and was forwarded to the American Graves Distribution Center in Kansas City. From there it was given a military escort to the Solso Funeral Home in Laurel. Graveside services were held Aug. 6, 1948.
On Sept. 28, 1948, Lester’s older brother Victor – also a World War II veteran and holder of the Silver Star — was married to Rose Madsen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Madsen. When their first child arrived a year later, they named him “Lester Everett” in honor of Victor’s deceased brother. Lester Everett Dahl passed away in Mitchellville, Iowa, in 2018.
