Harold K. Hagen

The interview provides information and personal observations about growing up in Minn. and Wyo.; graduated from Jackson High School in 1942; offered an opportunity to go to West Point, but turned it down and joined 10th Mtn. Division with 3 letters of recommendation; came to Camp Hale as a member of the 86th Regiment, "L" Company; discusses life at Camp Hale focusing on Ski and rock climbing instruction; brief discussion of Camp Swift; discusses trip across Atlantic carrying specialized equipment; tells various stories about time after arrival in Italy on patrol and being invited to a home and found out it was a fascist group; meeting up with some Brazilians and how they took their weapons; experience in a restaurant outside the Walled City; discusses living conditions in old abandoned houses; time clearing the mountains when Riva Ridge was not protected by the Germans so the Americans could climb into a strategic position; wounded on the mountain and when he sought aid at an AID station he was told they couldn't help since it was a 85th Regiment station; spent 9 months in hospitals first in Leghorn, then after trip back to the states in S.C. and then Vancouver; discharged after time in hospital and returned to Jackson, Wyo.; tells stories about his family; obtains PhD from University of Washington; tells of 50 year career at Colorado State University and the many interesting assignments he had supporting projects for several government agencies, the World Bank, the Peace Corps and others contributed significantly to the salmon industry in Chile; showed pictures of his family and the hospital ship; when visiting the 10th Mountain Memorial in Leadville he saw s\his name listed as KIA (killed-in-action).