There are more than 12,000 DAV chapters in the United States. They provide support and advocacy for veterans and their families, helping them access benefits and services.

New Ulm Chapter 15 DAV Senior Vice Commander Dan Meyer said Mike Finstad of New Ulm was the Chapter 15 DAV Commander before Wojahn took the post for the second time.

“Paul is a phenomenal person. When people think of somebody that old, they don’t think of somebody walking around, fishing, living life as actively as him,” said Meyer. “When we asked Paul to be DAV commander again, he said yes, he’s done it before and he can do it again as long as he gets a little help.”

He doesn’t talk much about it now, but Wojahn served as a U.S. Marine infantryman in the Pacific during World War II. He did four beach landings and saw combat in New Guinea, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu and Okinawa, including explosions and machine gun fire resulting in permanent hearing loss.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch New Ulm Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 15 Commander Paul Wojahn lifts a bag of donated clothing into the back of a semi trailer at the outside the DAV building, 1522 S. Valley St. Wednesday. A DAV video team interviewed Wojahn, 104, the oldest active DAV Chapter Commander in the nation Wednesday. The interview will be shown soon on the Disabled American Veterans Department of Minnesota website.

The Battle of Peleliu has been described as “the bitterest battle of World War II for the Marines,” by the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

“We were told before we landed on Peleliu that the island was too small for all of us and the Japanese. It was only 2 miles wide and 5 miles long,” said Wojahn.

D-Day on Peleliu, Sept. 15, 1944, included 868 American ships, 129 of which were part of an assault force.

U.S. Navy ships fired nearly 6,000 tons of shells, Navy and Marine aircraft dropped more than 800 tons of bombs. In their month of the island, the Marines expended nearly 16 million rounds of ammunition including 16,000 hand grenades. Many of the Japanese defenders hid in caves when the island was bombed.

Brown County Veterans Service Officer Greg Peterson was at the interview and shared stories Wojahn told him years ago about the Peleliu beach landing.

The Marines landed on the beach and were pinned down to the ground by gunfire right there. They asked the commanding officer what the orders where and he was told dig a hole and start praying, said Peterson.

Paul Wojahn wasn’t the only war hero in the family. Peterson said Paul told him his brother Elmo was on the USS Hornet when Gen. Doolittle’s B-25s took off from the aircraft carrier and bombed Tokyo.

“The Hornet was sunk by Japanese torpedoes and Elmo Wojahn went down with the ship but survived in the water as Japanese planes were firing at them before the survivors were picked up by a U.S. Navy destroyer,” Peterson said.

Paul Wojahn’s favorite memory was celebrating Christmas with his brother and family in 1942.

Discharged from the Marines Dec. 23, 1945, he returned home and settled down.

Wojahn said a song his mother taught him,” God Will Take Care of You,” helped him cope with combat.

After three years, four months of wartime service, Wojahn came home. He farmed before working as a Swift County conservation officer in Benson for 21 years before moving to New Ulm.

He was a youth firearms instructor before retiring in 1983. Then he began volunteering with the New Ulm DAV group. He filled nearly every position at one time including veterans van driver.

Wojahn is a former New Ulm Concord Singer. He still collects used clothing for the DAV and has been with the organization for 47 years.

“I don’t think I’m anything special. I enjoy eating corn, potatoes and all kinds of vegetables,” he said. “I have a strong faith. Someone was watching out for me. The good Lord kept me going one day at a time. I do what I can do. I tell anyone who is joining the military, just do your best.” Wojahn said.

The interview will be shown soon on the Disabled American Veterans Department of Minnesota website.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch New Ulm Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 15 Commander Paul Wojahn lifts a bag of donated clothing into the back of a semi trailer at the outside the DAV building, 1522 S. Valley St. Wednesday. A DAV video team interviewed Wojahn, 104, the oldest active DAV Chapter Commander in the nation Wednesday. The interview will be shown soon on the Disabled American Veterans Department of Minnesota website.