Roscoe R. Matteson

Roscoe R. Matteson

Army

ROSCOE
R.
MATTESON

Sep 5, 1921 - Sep 5, 2020
BIRTHPLACE: Phillipsburg, KS

SOLDIER DETAILS

DIVISION:
Army
,
53rd Artillery
THEATER OF OPERATION:
Pacific
SERVED: Aug 1, 1942 -
Dec 13, 1945
HONORED BY: Roscoe Matteson and Eisenhower Foundation

BIOGRAPHY

I attended basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. I also spent time in the California desert, San Louis Obispo, CA, Hawaii, New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, San Francisco, and was then discharged in Denver, CO. After which, I returned to Phillipsburg, KS.' Rosoe Matteson passed away on his 99th birthday, September 5, 2020. The following military service information was provided in his obituary: Roscoe served in the South Pacific during World War II with the Service Battery 53rd Field Artillery Battalion 6th Division. Roscoe reported to basic training in Fort Riley in 1942 and finalized his training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was eventually stationed in the California Desert where there was a sand storm on Christmas day. From California he traveled seven days on the USS Republic before boarding the USS Monterey for another 30 days to New Guinea. This ship held 3,000 troops and was 600 feet long. Roscoe remembered New Guinea was full of mosquitos and mud, where it sometimes rained up to 100 inches a month. The soldiers had to put their tent floors on posts to keep them dry and out of the mud. He was later stationed in the Philippines, where he drove a truck delivering supplies. He served with Site Seeing Six until he returned home on December 13, 1945. “Home Alive in 45.”