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Saturday, June 6 marked the 71st anniversary of D-Day, the American landing on the beaches of Normandy. Shown above are brothers Herman (left) and Clem Jahnigen. The boys were the sons of Arthur and Clara Jahnigen of the Cedar Creek community near Osgood. Herman was a sergeant in the 508th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division and landed at Normandy. He was wounded on June 9, 1944 and was Ripley County's most decorated veteran. Some of his awards included the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Silver Star Medal, as well as a battlefield commission on June 27, 1945. Clem was a staff sergeant with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regement of the 101st Airborne Division and also participated in the D-Day invasion. Among his several awards were the Silver Star Medal, Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Clem died at the age of 63 on November 28, 1983 and Herman died at the age of 87 on May 23, 2005. Both are buried in the Cliff Hill Cemetery at Versailles.
This article was was written and published by:
Mike Stratton
