DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN?

By Norma Dittman Photos from the past often invoke memories of one kind or another. For Leo Voss, Fulda, a photo from 1965 that was taken at the Service Bus Station, Slayton, brought about a desire to find out the name of one of the seven men who were drafted out of Murray County at that time. Voss is asking that if someone knows the name of the unidentified man that they contact the Murray County Wheel Herald at 507-836-8726.

The photo was taken on November 17, 1965. The place (as mentioned above) was the Bus Station in Slayton. There was a specific place for those who had enlisted, or been drafted into, the armed forces for the United States of America to wait for a bus ride to Sioux Falls.

Voss was 19 years of age at that time. He had held a discussion with his dad regarding going into service and had expressed that of the branches available he would like to go into the Marines. His dad was very adamant that his son not be a Marine, and he lost no time or words in telling his son the harsh word of NO.

Upon arriving at the Service Bus Station in Sioux Falls, a Marine Corp officer approached the men from Murray County. He told them that the Corp was in need of nine guys to be Marines. “When no one volunteered, that officer told us to line up and every third man was going into the Marine Corp,” Voss explained. “Guess what number I was in the lineup? I was one of the “third man” in that line-up. That officer then told us that there were nine of us headed to the Marines, and our taxi left in five minutes for the Sioux Falls airport. No matter what dad had said, I was about to become a Marine.”

Of those seven men from Murray County, Voss is very sure that he was the only one who was directed to the Marine Corp. “I believe that each one of the other six guys went to the Army,” Voss commented. “I know where some of them are. I would like to know more about them.”

From Sioux Falls, Voss was sent to the Marine Corp Receiving Depot at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. Twenty weeks of boot camp included intensive training. Voss’ training included specialized training in heavy artillery. He was designated as the Fire Direction Center Coordinator. From there, he was trained at the Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Warfare School. “Then we went into combat training. Once that was completed, I came home for a two-week leave. After leave, it was back to Camp Pendleton. We loaded up on a ship to Hawaii, and then on to Okinawa, Japan.”

Voss’ service assignment then placed him at the Manilla Conference in the Philippines to aid in protecting President Johnson. When that duty was complete, orders were to return to Okinawa, and then to Fuji for more training in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Warfare Management. Upon completion of that training, Voss boarded another ship that was destined for Vietnam. Most of Voss’ time in Vietnam was an assignment at the demilitarized zone. “I was able to look one direction and see Laos and in the other direction was North Vietnam.

Voss was honorably discharged from the Marines in November of 1967. He returned home and resumed his employment at Campbell’s Soup Company in Worthington. He worked for many years at Swift in Worthington, as well. Currently, Voss is a janitor at Fulda Elementary School.

Voss’ ongoing hobby has been working on Polaris snowmobiles. He owns several and has rebuilt many – winning many awards at snowmobile competitions and shows. Recently, he rebuilt a snowmobile that, when he received it, was completely dismantled. With a smile, he said, “It runs so smoothly, now.”

Voss shared the information about his service time, and a part of his life, with the thought foremost in his mind of finding the identification of the unidentified man in a photo that he has treasured for the past 60 years.

“The men pictured here from left to right are Glen Miller, me, Rick Freitley, Tom Wisdorf, Larry Dagger, the unknown guy, and Leo Voss of Avoca.,” he stated, listing the names. “Yes, there were two of us with the same name. We lived just a few miles apart and never knew each other existed until we met that day in 1965. I know the unidentified soldier is from Murray County. If someone knows who he is, please let us know.”