Decorated veteran remembers World War II
It was decades before Sylvester "Don" Singlestad was able to talk about his wartime experiences.
Remembering WWII On giving up smoking after being fired upon while lighting a cigarette and taking cover behind a rock, Don Singlestad wrote: "Getting nicked behind that rock did have one beneficial result: I quit smoking on the spot."
On heroism: "During battles in terrible conditions when muck is always underfoot and rain and chill seem unending, and you're being shot at to boot, you see certain men suck it up and rise like cream to the top. Such men are the real heroes. Though many never got much recognition or medals, they were tough and reliable, and more important, could lead men and weren't afraid to put their own lives on the line."
On wartime service: "At the time and indeed in the heat of any battle, nobody thinks about being a hero. You just think of doing your job and staying alive."
Sylvester "Don" Singlestad in his memoir "The Fighting Fool - A Decorated Veteran Remembers World War II."
Long before American troops fought and died on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marking the Allied invasion of France during World War II, Singlestad had already been part of campaigns in North Africa and Italy.
D-Day in southern Italy was in Salerno on Sept. 9, 1943. Singlestad was assigned to the Fifth Army and was in the third wave of troops ashore.
"The first waves went through holy hell as German tanks and infantry savagely bombarded the beachhead," Singlestad later wrote about that day. "We managed progress only after 105 mm howitzers were brought to the front and took out many enemy Panzers."
Singlestad, a small-town Minnesota boy, became a man who skillfully worked behind enemy lines. At 93, his voice is still choked with emotion as he recalled the loss of friends and experiences far from home, from the fabled Casablanca to the streets of Rome.
Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
When he first shipped out for World War II, Singlestad had a premonition he wouldn't make it home alive. He spent nearly four years on the front lines, becoming one of the most decorated non-commissioned officers of the Army's Red Bulls 34th Infantry Division during World War II. In 2006, he was named to the Court of Honor at Camp Ripley.
Singlestad spent time with Winston Churchill, had a private audience with Pope Pius XII, witnessed the demise of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, was wounded several times, spent a short time as a prisoner of war and had such severe physical damage from a frozen mountain campaign that doctors threatened to remove his limbs.
Singlestad recently shared his experiences with the Military History Club at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. He was born in 1917 in Emmons on the southern Minnesota border near Albert Lea. No one had telephones. Horses provided the main means of transportation. Blocks of ice served as refrigeration.
"I was born before electricity was available to every home and business, and 11 months before America entered World War I," Singlestad wrote in a memoir of his life.
titled, "The Fighting Fool - A Decorated Veteran Remembers World War II." The former technical sergeant wrote: "That was supposed to be the war to end all wars and I'm sure my folks believed it and never figured that by the time this lad should have been working his own farm, he'd be back battling the Germans again."
Singlestad knew personal loss early on when his idolized older brother died as a child from a ruptured appendix. His father, who owned a meat market, was a role model for perseverance, innovation and hard work.
Singlestad fondly remembered the cabin his dad built on Barrel Lake and the cabins of neighbors who were friends of his father's - Dr. Charlie Mayo and George A. Hormel. He recalled Hormel, who was behind the meat packing company in Austin that created Spam, driving in a team of horses and telling his father he needed to get his money out of the bank at the onset of the Great Depression.
Singlestad said his father wasn't worried and noted the banker was a friend. The bank closed two days later and the friend left town during the night. And eventually, because he owed about $400, Singlestad said his father lost the family home he built - one of the first in the area with indoor plumbing and gas lamps - and his store. The family moved to Iowa for a time before settling on a farm near Waseca. Singlestad had to drop out of school at age 12 to work on the farm. His mother, a teacher by training, provided an hour of home schooling a day. Gasoline cost 9 cents per gallon.
Before World War II was declared Singlestad enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard with Company F, 135th Infantry, which was mobilized for the war effort in 1941. He trained with British commandos in Ireland and was one of the group that trained the original Army Rangers.
Singlestad often worked well behind enemy lines, working with partisans to blow up German ammunition dumps. One such trip took him about seven miles behind enemy lines to blow up five railroad cars and an ammo dump. He didn't make it back to his unit for five days. Singlestad said his captain had marked him off as dead.
An affinity for language, including Arabic, helped when Singlestad was in North Africa. He was wounded on the noted bloody battle for Hill 609, part of the push against the Germans in North Africa. But most of his decorations came from Italy. Singlestad took part in the invasion of Salerno, and fought at the renowned battle at Monte Cassino as Allied troops worked to seize Rome.
Singlestad received the Distinguished Service Cross following a battle where his squad was cut off and pitted against a German platoon. In the fierce fight, the Army noted Singlestad fought his way free by moving to the enemy and through them. In the hand-to-hand combat, Singlestad suffered a broken jaw and a bullet wound to his neck. He kept fighting after he ran out of ammunition, using his rifle as a club and taking valuable information back to his commanding officer.
For his efforts in Italy, Singlestad was recognized for his role to preserve the city of Rome and he received the Italian Military Medal of Valor and Italian War Merit Cross for his effort with partisans behind enemy lines. He gained a private audience and blessing with Pope Pius XII.
In being named to the Court of Honor at Camp Ripley, Singlestad was noted as one of five people and just three Americans recognized during World War II with the Italian medal, which is an honor equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor. Singlestad said he wore the gold medal with a blue ribbon on Memorial Day but got so many salutes he felt strange and kept it in his pocket for his CLC talk before bringing it out.
Singlestad's other honors included the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. In 2009, Singlestad traveled back to northern Italy representing the 34th Infantry Division to commemorate a highway honoring the Red Bull Division's contribution to the war effort in Italy.
During the war, Singlestad estimates he said last rites to about 50 men from his own unit among others. When he got back from the war, Singlestad said adjustment wasn't easy. He credits spending time working in the wilds of Montana for three months before returning to city life.
Shirley Collins was one of those who attended the military club's meeting with Singlestad.
"I thought it was wonderful," she said of Singlestad's talk. "I really appreciated his emotion. He wasn't afraid to show his raw emotion after all these years."
Singlestad now lives in Park Rapids. He said it took a long time before he was comfortable talking about his experiences but he thinks it's important younger generations know what happened. He's talked to a number of groups at various colleges. The students often ask him how he was able to come out of the war.
Singlestad said: "There is one thing I believe in and still do - it's prayer. I never went into battle unless I asked for help."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.