Before U.S. entry into World War II, the 11th Infantry Regiment was activated for service in April 1941 at Fort McClellan, Alabama. In 1942 the Regiment shipped to Iceland for 15 months and then to England. They arrived on the Normandy coast on July 10, 1944 and joined the 5th Infantry Division with the Patton’s Third Army. The fought in Operation Cobra in France. They fought at Metz in the fall of 1944 and then the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45. In March of 1945 they fought at Oppenheim. When Victory in Europe was reached on May 8, 1945, the 11th Regiment was in Czechoslovakia.

Marion Truman Kellesvig was born on Jan. 21, 1914 in York Township, Green County, Wisconsin to Olaus and Guri (Gladem) Kellsevig.

From the 1920, 1930 and 1940 U.S. Census, the Kellesvig family lived in Perry Township in Dane County. The household included father Olaus, mother Julia, and children Leota, William H., Marion T., Orville J., Orpha, and Inez. Father Olaus was a farmer of a dairy farm working on his own account.

On Oct. 16, 1940, Marion Truman Kellesvig registered for the WWII Draft. He was born in York Township on Jan. 21, 1914. His next of kin was his father Olaus Sever Kellevig. They both lived in Mount Horeb, Dane County.

On Nov. 7, 1941 Marion T. Kellesvig enlisted for service in WWII at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois. He had a grammar school education and his civilian occupation was “farm hands, general farms.”

From the Feb. 24, 1942 Wisconsin State Journal article titled “21 Army Men of Madison Area Shifted,” the article stated “Seven Madison men and 14 from nearby communities have been transferred to Ft. Custer, Mich., having completed 13 weeks training at Camp Croft, S. C.

The 21 solders are members of Co. B, 32nd battalion, a rifle unit…” Included in the list was Marion T. Kellesvig, Rt. 3, Mt. Horeb.

From the Oct. 4, 1944 Wisconsin State Journal “Kellesvig Rites to Be Held Sunday,” the news from Blanchardville was “Memorial services for Pfc. Marion T. Kellesvig, 30, Blachardville, who was killed in action Sept. 8 in southern France, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Old York Lutheran church. The Rev. I. A. Lavik will officiate.

Pfc. Kellesvig was the son of O. S. Kellesvig, who lives 7 miles northeast of Blanchardville. He entered service in November, 1941, and in March, 1942, was sent to Iceland, where he remained for 19 months. He spent a short time in England and Ireland before he was sent to France.

Survivors include his father; three sisters, Mrs. Donald Byrge, Gary, Ind,; Mrs. Herman Lehnherr, Blanchardville, and Inez, at home, and two brothers, Orville and William, near Blanchardville.”

Pfc. Marion T. Kellesvig was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, in Hamm, Canton de Luxembourg, Luxembourg. He received the Purple Heart, awarded posthumously.

At the Old York Lutheran Cemetery, in York, Green County, there is a memorial plaque for PFC Marion Kellesvig, which was dedicated on May 31, 2021 in Mt. Horeb. There is a cenotaph stone there for Pfc. Kellesvig, Co. G, 11th Infantry, born Jan. 21, 1914, Killed in France, Sept. 8, 1944.

From the National WWII Memorial, Marion T. Kellesvig was listed on the WWII Honor Roll for Dane County Wisconsin. He was honored by Mr. Harold R. Knudtson, a cousin, who wrote on his memorial page, “Killed while crossing a stream in France.”

He is listed in the Blanchardville “Gold Star Boys Book.”

Thank you, Private First Class Marion T. Kellesvig, for your service to and ultimate sacrifice for this country. We honor you and remember you.