About three weeks ago, our American Legion color guard unit buried one of our own. Although I only met Ed a little over a year before, I am proud to have been acknowledged by him as a friend. Ed had been battling cancer and was fighting through chemotherapy when he contracted pneumonia in late November. Unfortunately he never fully recovered and passed on Jan 30. His smile and his presence will be missed by all of us. Rest easy my friend. Below is the obituary for Ed that appeared in the Chicago Sun Times. WWII hero survived capture: Awarded Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Medal in 4-year tour Author(s): Lisa Donovan The Chicago Sun-Times Date: February 7, 2006 Page: 61 Section: News It was in the later years that he would talk about marching in the frigid temperatures along with other soldiers captured by the Germans, and digging through the snow for potatoes -- sustenance he needed to survive and make it home to his sweetheart. That was in the forests of the Ardennes in Belgium. It was December 1944 and as a young U.S. Army soldier Edward W. Dorn was in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge -- the biggest, bloodiest fight in which Americans participated in World War II, according to his daughter Michelle Maratea and an account he gave to the Daily Southtown. "He was a prisoner for nine months. He said he was in the 500-mile march and a lot of men were walking and dying. If men fell, then the other men would have to carry them," Maratea said. All told, Mr. Dorn served in the Army's famed 106th Infantry Division for four years and earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Medal for heroism. "If anybody could do it, my father could do it. He was that type of person. He said what got him through the war is that he wanted to be by my mom," his daughter said. This was among the collection of stories Mr. Dorn's daughter, granddaughter and others were recalling in recent days about a remarkable man. Mr. Dorn, who most recently resided in Evergreen Park, died Jan. 30 after battling cancer. He was 86. He grew up on the South Side, in Back of the Yards, and like so many young men coming up in the Great Depression, he enlisted in the Army. Mr. Dorn married his childhood sweetheart and neighbor, Margaret, and together they raised their daughter. While he worked a variety of jobs, his post with Union Carbide was the longest. He retired from the company after 25 years of service. His wife died in 2001. In recent years Mr. Dorn found himself calling bingo games at the local American Legion hall, and cooking up what he dubbed his famous hot dogs. He had also met a woman about a year-and-a-half ago, and the two seemed to cherish each other's company -- and they laughed a lot. "My dad knew how to have a good time," Maratea said. In addition to his daughter, Mr. Dorn is survived by his granddaughter, Cheryl Vaughn. Services were Friday.
May light perpetual shine upon you Ed. Rest in peace. Glad you got the privilege of meeting him and getting to know him.
It is sad so many are passing away. I guess the youngest vets are in their late 70's now. Lots have stories to tell but will not accept the internet or bother to learn it and tell their stories. At least we have two on the forums.
it is very sad, i have one friend who is in his early 80s, and hes a great guy, but unfortunatly pretty reluctant to talk about the war unless in a good mood but its great you had the privlege to meet a vet, as "numbers" are sadly becoming more scarce...
