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The sacrifice of a young Marine from Ogden takes center stage as we explore the life and service of Private First Class Neil Frank Dudman. Born in 1923 as the youngest of eleven children, Neil's early years were marked by hardship when his father died suddenly in 1930, leaving his mother to raise their large family during the Great Depression.

After graduating from Ogden High School in 1941, Neil answered his country's call by enlisting in the Marine Corps in September 1942 as part of the 3rd Mormon Battalion—a special unit of young LDS men from Utah. His courage was evident from the start as he trained as a Marine Raider (similar to today's Special Forces) and volunteered for the perilous role of combat runner, delivering crucial messages between units while exposed to enemy fire.

Neil's wartime journey took him across the Pacific as part of America's island-hopping strategy. He fought bravely in the Battle of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands in early 1944, where American forces captured their first pre-war Japanese territory. Just months later, on June 19, 1944, PFC Dudman made the ultimate sacrifice during the brutal Battle of Saipan—a strategic operation that would bring American bombers within range of the Japanese mainland but cost thousands of American, Japanese, and civilian lives.

His story embodies the courage and sacrifice of Weber County's Greatest Generation—ordinary young men who performed extraordinary acts of bravery when their country needed them most. Originally buried in the Pacific, Neil's remains were later returned to Ogden Cemetery, where his headstone simply but powerfully states: "Gave his life in combat with the US Marines." Join us as we honor his memory and ensure that the sacrifices of hometown heroes like Neil Dudman are never forgotten.

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We follow 19-year-old Private James Howard Smith from Liberty, Utah to the second wave landing on Utah Beach during the D-Day invasion. Born in Arkansas but settled in Utah by 1934, Smith registered for the draft the day after turning 18 and was in uniform just months later. His brief but valiant service with the 90th Infantry Division's 357th Regiment ended on June 19, 1944, amid the brutal hedgerow fighting that characterized the Normandy campaign. The regiment's own journal described it as "one of the worst baptisms of fire ever undergone by an American infantry unit." Smith's remains wouldn't return home until April 1949, nearly five years after his sacrifice, when he received final military honors at Ogden City Cemetery. His story represents thousands of similar narratives that would be lost without deliberate preservation.

Discover these powerful stories yourself at webercountysgreatestgeneration.com where you'll find books, podcasts, and blog posts dedicated to ensuring Weber County's wartime contributions are never forgotten. Join us next week as we cross the globe to the Pacific Theater to honor Marine PFC Neil F. Dudman, who fell during the Battle of Saipan.

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