Lessons learned in a country schoolhouse carried Dennis Boldt through WWII’s most significant battles and still guide him as he marks a century of life.
Formative years in the communities of Delft, Mt. Lake and Windom gave way to an early exit from Bingham Lake High School when drafted in 1943. There was no way to know the Battle of the Bulge and D-Day awaited, and Boldt bears witness 80 years later to the impossibility of forgetting.
“Uncle Sam had a long finger, and he pointed it at me,” said Boldt.
Shortly after his Christmas Day birthday, notice by mail declared his draft number was picked. A request for deferment was granted to allow Boldt to complete his junior year but when summer came, he was gone.
A change in location was not out of character for Boldt as his father worked for several rural elevators and the family followed each job transfer.
For more on this story, please see the Feb. 12 edition of the Citizen.
