Norwegian government honors Wilton Rasmussen, a 100 year old Minnesotan who spent the best years of his life blowing up Germans in the middle of Norway, as part of the organization that became the CIA:
The 100-year-old Fridley veteran recalled stories from his daring service Sunday when the ambassador of Norway paid him a special visit to award him two medals of honor — a recognition Rasmusson never expected.
When he was drafted in 1942, a military official came to him with a request that would define the course of his life: “Do you want to volunteer for a dangerous overseas mission?”
“I said, ‘yeah,’ ” Rasmusson said in a thick Norwegian accent.
He was part of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor to the CIA, in a Norwegian operational unit known at NORSO II. Rasmusson’s fluency in the language was an obvious benefit for the mission that would take him from his hometown of Sunburg, Minn., for 3½ years to England, Scotland and Norway.
The whole story is worth a read. And my biggest regret is not finding the opportunity to interview a lot more of the Greatest Generation on the air while I had the chance.
Cool story, Mitch. Don’t feel too bad about not getting WWII veterans on your show. Like most combat veterans, most of them didn’t like to talk about their experiences. Those of us that were privileged enough to hear their stories, should pass those on. I’ve had four such experiences and was humbled every time.