Edward J. Aurdahl

Edward Aurdahl was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota; he worked on the family turkey farm and as a stock clerk for Williams Hardware before enlisting in the Marine Corps in late 1944. He went through boot camp at Parris Island, and  had just completed his advanced training at Camp Lejeune when the Marines landed on Iwo Jima – coincidentally, the date was his eighteenth birthday. The casualties from that battle placed a huge demand on the replacement system; Private Aurdahl was attached to the 58th Replacement Draft and sent to Hawaii, where he joined Company A of the 24th Marines in the summer of 1945.

Aurdahl served as a rifleman with Able Company, and was practicing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. After his battalion disbanded, he became a guard with Company D, 9th MP Battalion in California. He was promoted to Private First Class and sent overseas to Okinawa to serve as an MP with the new Naval Operating Base there for the next twelve months.

In April 1947, Aurdahl was returned to the United States for discharge at the separation center at Great Lakes, Illinois. He was promoted to corporal immediately before his honorable discharge. The following year, he married Gladys Marie Marcott and moved to Coos Bay, Oregon.

Although not in uniform, Edward Aurdahl was still in the Marine Corps Reserve; in 1950, he was recalled to serve in the Korean War. He qualified as a tank/amphibious vehicle repairman, and served at Masan with the maintenance company of 1st Ordinance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Following this tour, he was discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1952.

Aurdahl returned to Coos Bay, where he embarked on a 25-year career at a local saw mill. When the mill closed, he took a position at North Bend Medical Center until his retirement. He and Gladys raised three sons, and saw their family grow to include grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The former Sergeant Aurdahl passed away on September 29, 2016. He is buried in Sunset Memorial Park, Coos Bay, Oregon.