Virgil John Tangborn

Virgil John Tangborn (May 23, 1920 - June 14, 1944) PFC, U.S. Army, and Silver Star recipient for gallantry, was mortally wounded by enemy shellfire during the Invasion of Normandy on June 14, 1944 at the small village of Amfreville in Normandy, France. He was rescuing a wounded soldier trapped in a burning truck containing exploding ammunition. The action took place during ensuing explosions within a burning and heavily shelled artillery ammunition dump. He is the brother of Wendell Tangborn, American glaciologist.

Virgil was from a small farm near Nary, Minnesota, where he lived from 1930 until 1943. He attended grade school and high school at Nary through the 11th grade, the highest level offered there. Lacking an automobile and placing a priority upon necessary farm work, he was unable to travel the 10 miles from Nary to Bemidji High School, which offered 12th grade education. But Virgil threw himself into a quest to educate himself by reading books that he borrowed from the state library in St. Paul. A box of those books would arrive by mail every two weeks and were immediately devoured. The writers he chose were formidable, especially for a young man with a limited education. John Dewey, the imminent philosopher and educator was his idol. Dewey believed that education was more than just a preparation for life, but was life itself. Virgil fully agreed.

Tangborn was drafted into the US Army on March 30, 1943, and sent to Camp Barkley, Texas for training. He auditioned for the French horn in the 90th Division band and was accepted as a band member. His unit's ship departed for England in January, 1944.

The official citation for action meriting gallantry and the Silver Star Medal follows:

Pfc Virgil J. Tangborn 37172938, Inf, United States Army. On June 14, 1944 the field in which an artillery ammunition dump was located was heavily shelled. The ammunition dump was set on fire and during the ensuing explosions, Pfc Tangborn, seeing a wounded soldier trapped in a burning truck which was filled with exploding ammunition, hurried to the truck accompanied by two other enlisted men to effect a rescue of the wounded man. At this point Pfc Tangborn was mortally wounded by enemy shellfire. Entered service from Minnesota.

Virgil maintained a journal dating from December, 1940. In it he recorded his thoughts and his perspectives on the world and books that he was reading. A sampling from the journal, now in possession of his brother Wendell, follows:

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