Men & Women In Service
Private William Joseph Bern, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Bern, 314 W. Sixth Street, has been awarded the Purple Heart medal for wounds suffered in action in the South Pacific. Private Bern enlisted in the Marine Corps last November and has been overseas several months. His parents recently received a letter signed by Admiral W. F. Halsey, commander of American forces in the South Pacific, announcing that the award was made, “for injuries received as a result of enemy action July 19, 1943, on Russell Island.”
Source: Sioux City Journal, August 27, 1943 (photo included)
