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www.WisVets.com/BoardAward Board of Veterans Affairs | Board Achievement Award
WISCONSIN BOARD OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, James O. Peterson was born in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin on March 4, 1922 and in his junior year at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, he enlisted in the United States Army on August 28, 1942 and was activated for service at Fort Dodge, Iowa in March of 1943. He completed basic training at Camp Callan, California with specialized training in anti-aircraft weapons; and WHEREAS, he completed the Army Special Training Program at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana and Camp Campbell, Kentucky and was selected for Officer Candidate School. He completed OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia and was commissioned a 2LT on January 6, 1945. He served as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Scotland, England and France until his transfer to Munich, Germany as a Military Police Platoon Leader in the 512th MP Battalion. He was promoted to 1LT on September 1, 1945 and was assigned as a Company Commander in the 793rd MP Battalion of General Patton’s Third Army in Bad Tolz, Germany where his unit provided security to General Patton’s residence and Third Army Headquarters, and he regularly accompanied General Patton on honor guard inspections. He moved his reinforced unit of 365 MPs to Nuremberg, where the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials were being held. His racially integrated unit provided security for half of Nuremberg and provided outer perimeter security and internal guard support for the prison within which the trial defendants were being held, including the notorious war criminals Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess and Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering. His unit provided “honor duty” for dignitaries during Patton’s funeral in Heidelberg and burial in Luxembourg. His military decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal; and WHEREAS, using the G.I. Bill, he completed work on his Bachelor’s Degree in History and Economics at Loras in 1947, and subsequently earned a Master’s Degree in History from UW-LaCrosse leading to a 20 year career in parochial education. During that career he taught Economics, Sociology and History and served as the assistant football coach and head basketball and baseball coach at Racine St. Catherine’s High School. After helping his family for three years by managing its automobile dealership in Soldiers Grove, he returned to education as a History and Economics teacher at Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. At Campion he served as Athletic Director for 16 years and he coached all sports, with his teams winning numerous conference championships. He served on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors from 1962 to 1970 and was the County Board Chair from 1968 to 1970; and WHEREAS, he was appointed by Governor Patrick Lucey to the position of Administrator of the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles and served in that capacity from 1971 until his retirement in 1983. While at the DMV, he implemented tougher used automobile dealership operating standards, served as the Commander of the Wisconsin State Highway Patrol, served as a member of the Wisconsin Police Minimum Standards Board, and served a one-year term as the President of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. He was nationally recognized for his successful initiatives to improve school bus safety, to include improved construction standards and the addition of bus-top strobe lights; and WHEREAS, over the past 40 years, he has served the St. Bernard Catholic Parish of Middleton in a variety of lay pastoral capacities, and since his retirement, has acted as a Mass Server on a daily basis. He is a 4th Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus, and he and his wife, Mary Ruth, are the parents of eight children; and WHEREAS, he is a life member of the American Legion and is past Commander of the William Schoville Post 220 in Soldiers Grove. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and belongs to William Simon Post 8216 in Middleton. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Marvin J. Freedman, Chair of the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs, proclaim JAMES O. PETERSON as the recipient of the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs Veteran Lifetime Achievement Award on this 19th day of February 2010. MARVIN J. FREEDMAN, Board Chair
Upcoming Awards
Nomination for the Award There are six (6) Veteran Lifetime Achievement Awards annually.
A Board of Veterans Affairs subcommittee consisting of three Board members, appointed by the Board Chair, selects the recipients. The selection criteria focus on the nominee’s lifetime achievements in the military, in veterans’ affairs, and as a citizen in service to his/her hometown, the State of Wisconsin and the United States of America. The award is an engraved plaque, supported by a proclamation signed by the Board Chair. Nominations are accepted from any Wisconsin resident and the Board especially encourages submissions from Wisconsin veterans, VSOs, CVSOs and other veterans groups. The nominations may be submitted at any time during the year for any of the six annual awards. The forms must be submitted in writing and the narrative explaining why the veteran is being nominated for the award may not exceed 500 words in length. Completed nomination forms must be received by the 15th of the month preceding the month of the Board meeting at which the presentation is to be made (For example, a receipt deadline of May 15th would apply for a June Board meeting presentation). Nominations that are not selected for a Board of Veterans Affairs Veteran Lifetime Achievement Award may be retained for future award consideration at the discretion of the award selection subcommittee. Nomination forms are available online, by calling toll-free, at 1-800-WIS-VETS (947-8387), or by mail at: Board of Veterans Affairs Veteran Lifetime Achievement Award, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, P.O. Box 7843, Madison, WI 53707-7843. Link to PDF Application Form File
Four of the annual Board of Veterans Affairs Veteran Lifetime Achievement Awards will come from each of the following four Wisconsin regions, consisting of the designated counties:
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Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs 30 W. Mifflin Street • P.O. Box 7843 • Madison, WI 53707-7843 (608) 266-1311 or toll-free 1-800-WIS-VETS (947-8387) Legal Notices and Disclaimers Email: WDVA Email: Webmaster |
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