Everyday Patriot

Colonel Orin Doughty Haugen was born on August 18, 1907, in Wyndmere, North Dakota.  He would graduate from the US Military Academy at Westpoint in 1920 and was assigned to the infantry. He was known to be an avid horseman and was a regular player in area polo matches.  He was also an active hunter, including fox hunting. In 1940, as the preparation for World War II began, Colonel Orin "Hard Rock" Haugen volunteered for training for the newly created paratrooper infantry training and would become a commander of the 501st Infantry.  His training methods and discipline would come to define the role of a paratrooper in the US Army. During World War II, his paratroopers would make a name for themselves in the Leyte and Luzon campaigns. Colonel Orin Hard Rock Haugen would be hit by mortar fire on February 22, 1945, during the Battle of Manilla, while his unit attempted to free the prisoners from the Los Banos prison camp.  They would succeed on February 23. He rests at

Major Katherine Jeanne Tolen Harris was born on April 13, 1919, in Langdon, North Dakota.  She graduated from St. Catherine's Hospital School of Nursing in 1939 and enlisted on May 9, 1941. She was photographed with several other flight nurses for Look Magazine's article "Invasion Heroine: The Flying Nurse." Major Tolen Harris successfully completed many air evacuations throughout her career, spanning more than ten years, through World War II and into the Korean War before leaving the service on May 4, 1953, to devote time to her family. Major Katherine Jeanne Tolen Harris died on April 25, 1989, and rests in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Choctaw, Mississippi. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffan