Tribute pays honor to soldiers' valor
Donald Zahn was 22 when he set foot on the grounds of Camp Toccoa, Georgia.
Zahn, who had enlisted in the Army paratroopers in 1942, had arrived for training — one of the original "Toccoa Men." A member of the 101st Airborne's H Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, training included running up and down Currahee Mountain — "3 miles up and 3 miles down" and included a 132-mile march to Fort Benning for jump training followed by a year in England.
On June 6, 1944, Zahn and his fellow paratroopers parachuted into France behind enemy lines prior to the Allied beach attack. The goal — to seize two bridges over the Douve River at Brevands.
Zahn volunteered to cross the bridge to scout enemy positions.
"He was the first to volunteer to cross the bridge as a scout and spent 30 minutes alone on the enemy shore," said his daughter, Barbara Ridley. "Armed with only a Tommy gun he was able to locate German troops and gun placements in the nearby woods."
Eventually he was joined by three others when they came under fire. The Americans returned fire before recrossing the bridge under the lower bridge supports to avoid further enemy fire, Ridley said.
Zahn was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest valor award, for his extraordinary heroism, on May 9, 1945, in a ceremony at Berchtesgaden by Major General Maxwell Taylor.
Additional combat jumps, Operation Market Garden and Bastogne, would follow as would a promotion to lieutenant of C Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He would receive a Bronze Star for heroic service and two Purple Hearts.
In May 1945, Zahn would become the officer in charge of a platoon assigned to guard the Berghof, a Bavarian mansion in the Bavarian Alps near the town of Berchtesgaden where Adolf Hitler would spend much of his time during World War II.
After the war, Zahn served in the Army Reserves, retiring after 20 years as a major.
Zahn, whose experiences were chronicled in World War II historian Mark Bando's books, passed away in 2015 at the age of 94 in Sandpoint.
It is soldiers like Donald Zahn that we at the Bonner County Daily Bee and the Bonners Ferry Herald want to honor as part of our special Veterans Day tribute.
Our goal is to pay special tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen, paying special honor to those who have earned this country's highest honors.
To honor our veterans, we are asking for the public's help in honoring these men and women by sharing their photos, stories and service of themselves or family members who earned the Purple Heart, Silver Star, the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Congressional Medal of Honor.
In addition, this keepsake publication will include information on local service and military groups, veterans services and resources available to veterans and their families.
The publication will include photos of our veterans — all are invited to send a service photo of those who served in their family, as well as information on the branch of service, years of service, and location of service.
There will be overviews of each branch of the military, contacts of those involved.
Please send your photos and information to news@bonnercountydailybee.com.
