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| Pvt. Dale Modrell, 28th Infantry Division. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13923464&ref=acom |
Dale Doyle Modrell never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on June 20, 1917 in Nebraska. His parents were also both born in Nebraska. His father worked as a farmer. Dale had two older brothers, two younger sisters and one younger brother. By 1940 Dale had completed four years of high school and had moved to Colorado where he worked as a hired hand on a farm. He married his wife Anna on August 21, 1941 in Kansas. They had one daughter.
Dale enlisted in the armed services on March 18, 1943. He had been working in a meatpacking business. Dale arrived in Europe in September 1943 and became a private first class in Company B, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. Pvt. Modrell first entered combat on July 22, 1944. The 28th Infantry was active in Operation Cobra to break out of Normandy. One month later, the 28th Infantry marched in the parade to mark the liberation of Paris.
The 28th Infantry played a major role in the Battle of Hurtgen Forrest, the longest single battle ever fought by the US Army for nearly three months. The Americans lost 33,000 men killed and wounded during this battle.
Pvt. Modrell went missing in action on October 2, 1944 in Bleialf, Germany where his unit was attacking against the Siegfried Line.
In the mid-1950s his remains were discovered by workmen installing a new power line.
His grave is at Twin Oaks Memorial Gardens in Albany, Oregon. After his death, his wife remarried and died in 1999.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
To mark having over 100,000 visits to my project to honor the fallen of WW2 on their 100th birthdate, I created this video to share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
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