More detail on this person: Lt. Col. Dwain L. Redalen The funeral for Lt. Col. Dwain L. Redalen, USMC (Ret.), will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in La Crescent, with the Rev. Michael Woods officiating. Burial will be in Lanesboro Lutheran Cemetery. Lt. Col. Redalen, 86, died Wednesday (Jan. 7, 2009) at the Bethany-St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse, Wis. He was born May 8, 1922, in rural Lanesboro, and graduated from Lanesboro High School in 1940. He enlisted in the naval aviation cadet program in 1942, and in 1943 was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps and designated as a Naval Pilot. During World War II he served in the Pacific area. He was also involved in considerable military action during the Korean War, and served a war-time tour in Vietnam in 1965 and 1966. He was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry in action, as well as six other personal decorations for his actions in combat zones. Lt. Col. Redalen served approximately 27 years of continuous active service as a pilot in the Marine Corps, retiring in 1969. After his military retirement, he worked in the real estate business. He held a real estate broker's license and was a state-certified real estate instructor. In 1947 he married Jacqueline Burleigh; she preceded him in death on Nov. 4, 1989. He is survived by a daughter, Chrisann Thavenot of Minneapolis; and a son, James (Kathy) of Sun Prairie, Wis.; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, three brothers, six sisters and a granddaughter. Friends may call from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home, 412 S. 3rd St., in La Crescent, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service Saturday at the church. SILVER STAR CITATION: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Dwain L. Redalen (MCSN: 0-31256), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Pilot of an unarmed Helicopter in Marine Observation Squadron Six (VMO-6), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 13 June 1951. Fully aware of the hazards imposed by an extreme flight range and a limited fuel supply, Captain Redalen unhesitatingly volunteered to proceed eighty miles behind enemy lines to effect the rescue of a downed pilot. Reaching the objective area to find his mission further impeded by the presence of dense foliage, he began a methodical search and, after twenty minutes, located the missing man. Despite continuous fire from nearby enemy positions, he remained undeterred when his first rescue attempt failed and, coolly returning for a second attempt, succeeded in hoisting the pilot from a tree top into the plane. Critically low on fuel after this daring action, he turned his aircraft toward the east coast and, sighting a friendly ship, executed his first helicopter landing on a moving vessel, arriving with barely enough fuel remaining for five minutes of flight. By his courageous initiative, unrelenting determination and selfless efforts on behalf of another, Captain Redalen upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Burial information: Lanesboro Cemetery, Lanesboro, MN
This information was last updated 04/13/2020
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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