Bio: Peterson, Orlyn Eugene (1923 – 1996)

Contact: Susan N. Hochreiter
Email: susannovak@aol.com

Surnames: Peterson

----Source: Susan Hochreiter Research

ORLYN EUGENE PETERSON (Pete Peterson)

Date of Birth:   November 17, 1923 in Curtiss, Wisconsin; fourth son of Henry and Bertha Peterson; brother to Armin, Evelyn, Franklin, Ramon,  Kathryn, and Lorrin.

Deceased:  July 11, 1996 in San Francisco, CA.

Military History:

Orlyn served in the U.S. Army from February 23, 1943 to October 4, 1944 where he received the rank of Private First Class and ended his service with an Honorable Discharge.   His basic training was at Fort McClellan, Alabama with an Infantry unit.  In June 1943 he was transferred to Camp Shenango, PA and on July 12 was sent to Europe war theatre.  As a member of the 29th Division, he took part in the Invasion of Normandy, landing on Omaha Beach.  He was wounded; captured by the Germans and taken as a POW; recaptured by U.S. Forces; sent to a hospital in England to recover; and finally sent to a VA hospital in the U.S.  His dog tag number was 36736103-T43-A-P.

Personal:

Prior to joining the Army, Orlyn was employed at the RCA Studio in Chicago.  During this time he finished his high school diploma.  Recovering from his injuries in World War II, he worked for Arthur Murray Studios in New York City and Syracuse, New York.  Around 1949 he went to San Francisco where he held several positions selling imports and jewelry.  He was an accomplished artist and enjoyed playing honky-tonk and ragtime piano.  To travel, he frequently escorted tours and visited many exciting places all over the world.  He also enjoyed skiing and at one time raised show dogs.