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Joe Bredeson in 1940
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“Surviving WWII
as a Paratrooper” at Library
The Greenville Public Library is offering a special program on Saturday
December 5th at 1:00 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room. Joe
Bredeson of Greenville will recount his experiences as a WWII
paratrooper who landed in Normandy France on D-Day June 6th,
1944. Joe turned 95 this November 20th but remembers the details
like it was yesterday.
Joe was the manager of the Swift Fertilizer Plant on Ohio Street (now
Conagra) until 1985. He & his young family came to Greenville in
1961 after he worked for the company in several different
locations. Joe is originally from Wisconsin and had started at
the U of Wisconsin in 1939 before deciding to enlist in 1940.
He trained with British commandos for nearly four years before
transferring to the 82nd US Rangers then to the 101st Airborne.
Of the 143 men in his unit who jumped on D-Day only ten survived.
Due to bad weather and wind they were carried off course. When he
woke up he was in a cow barn with cows eating hay above him. A
farmer and his wife had carried him there in the dark and would bring
him food and water in buckets so the Germans wouldn’t guess.
Finally the 7th Corps liberated the area and Joe fought with them as
they moved on to free Paris then Dachau.
Joe went through rehab in Paris after the war and met his French wife
Denise whom he married in 1945. They were married 62 years when
she passed away in 2007. They had two children, Maxine and Jack,
then grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Joe & Denise resided in France while he worked for the Civil
Service. In 1947 they came to the US and he began his career in
the chemical division with Swift. Joe was awarded the Silver
Cross and Purple Heart for his service.
The couple returned to Normandy in 1986 which prompted Joe to start
compiling his memoirs in three big notebooks of stories and
photos. At the present time Rose Benanzer takes care of Joe in
his home as she did with Denise. Don’t miss this personal account
of courage and survival during an important time in world
history. RSVP’s appreciated by calling 548-3915.
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