We always enjoy taking a step back in Valley Home history when winter doldrums seem to arrive in our community. Let’s take a giant step back into 1944, serving during World War II in the month of December to be specific, and take glimpse of what some of our young male residents were doing during that time period. We found some of our Valley Home young men involved in the War action, both during the western and European action. Sgt. Paul Wieber, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Wieber and a graduate of Oakdale High School had already served two years in the military and had seen action at Kiska, was later transferred to Hawaii, then to the Marshall Islands.

Corporal Carl Hoffman was home on leave that February from Dayton, Ohio, where he was currently stationed. He would later be stationed overseas where he served as a German language interpreter with army intelligence corps, during the War.
That month also found Cpl. Wesley Michener, who was currently stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana, arrived home to our community to spend a 14 day furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence. Cpl. Michener was in the process of completing a year of military service, and this was to be his second trip home. He was a graduate of Oakdale High School in the class of 1940 and took his basic training at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. Wesley’s brother, Pvt. Howard, also serving in the army, was stationed at Camp Shelby, Miss. and also visited home at a later date.