Pvt. Carl Alfred Peterson
Reliance, Lyman County, South Dakota
Killed in Action in the Southwest Pacific
Carl Alfred Peterson was born September 3, 1911, southwest
of Reliance, South
Dakota. His mother and
father were Mr. and Mrs. Carl Arthur
Peterson. He had four sisters: Minnie, Eunice, Lois,
and Joyce; and six
brothers: Verle, Lyle, Walter,
Clare, Ronald, and Roland.
Carl attended school in
Reliance where he
was in the graduating class
of 1929. Carl's family
often hosted the neighborhood Fourth of July picnic. The boys were
active in baseball games with the Monson and Hodgin families. Before
Carl enlisted, he worked
for his grandfather, Fred
Fletcher, and for other farmers.
Carl
enlisted in November of 1942. He
was placed in an infantry division.
He spent about three months
in Camp Wolters, Texas, and
then a month in Pennsylvania. In
April of 1943, Carl was sent overseas.
On
August 31, 1943, Carl's parents
received a letter from the War
Department confirming that he died
July 18, 1943. The LST - 342 troop
ship he was on was torpedoed at
1:30 am. Part of the passengers survived
and were rescued, but he and many others were lost in
the Solomon Islands area. The search of the north shore of
Guadalcanal failed to
find his remains.
Memorial services were held in the
Reliance Methodist church
with Reverend Anns
officiating.
Members of his
high school class attended in a group. His parents received
letters from their other sons in the service: Verle, Lyle and Walter, at the time of the memorial
service.
Carl,
the first casualty from Lyman
County after Pearl Harbor,
received a Purple Heart for losing
his life in service. Johnson-Peterson
Post 179 was named
after Carl.
Henry Boe, American
Legion Post Commander, presided
at the memorial in Reliance, giving
the Legion Gold Star
citation honoring the memory of
the son who gave his life for his
country, and presenting his mother with the Gold Star, which
became her most valuable
possession.
This
entry is respectfully submitted by
Laura Urban and Britta Severyn, 11th
grade, Lyman High School,
Presho, South Dakota, February 25,2002.
Mrs. Leola Peterson, sister-in-law,
submitted information for
this entry.