Edmon Leonard Sarten
Private First Class, U.S. Army

Edmon Leonard Sarten had completed grammar school and then worked as a farmer and hired hand in the grain fields before enlisting in the U.S. Army at Tulsa, OK, on 26 August 1942.

Following the completion of basic training, Edmon was assigned to the 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. On 23 October 1942, the 30th Infantry Regiment and the rest of the 3rd Infantry Division embarked heavy-laden troop transports for North Africa. During the trip across, the 30th Infantry and a small detachment of Marines trained the other infantry divisions on how to conduct proper amphibious tactics and procedures.

Operation Torch: The Invasion of French North Africa

On the morning of 8 November 1942, the 3rd Infantry Division in the Western Forces under Major General George S. Patton, Jr., invaded the French North African beaches at Fedela. The 30th Infantry came on shore and quickly secured the left flank of the Division on 8 November and silenced Fort Blondin in the process. The Fort had been firing on the naval forces lying off the Moroccan coast. By 11 November, the 30th Infantry and the 3rd Infantry Division had secured Casablanca.

As the rest of the 3rd Infantry Division moved off to the West following the contingency of the II Corps and the 7th Army under Patton, the 3rd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment stayed behind as the personal guard detail for English Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during what was to become the Casablanca Conference in January 1943. The remainder of the 30th Infantry Regiment would guard the Spanish-Moroccan border against German attacks. The 30th Infantry also established motor, rail and air patrols over the area while Delta and Item Companies of the 30th Infantry were sent off to the 5th Army Invasion Training Center and the Mountain Training Center School as instructors from January-March 1943. However, as the reserve for the II Corps under Gen. Patton, the 3rd Infantry Division got a new commander, Major General Lucian K. Truscott.

Under Truscott the 3rd Infantry Division would receive a new doctrine under which to conduct their operations, called the "Truscott Trot." Only the best and finest soldiers would be chosen for Truscott's 3rd Infantry Division. Should any man not meet up to Trusott's doctrine, he would be replaced with a better man from another division. By the end of the North African campaign, the 30th Infantry Regiment would have a new commander; become part of the new VI Corps with the 2nd Armored Division; and lose some of its best trained soldiers to reinforce some of the other units in theater that were suffering due to heavy losses of experienced soldiers. Only Able Company of the 1st Battalion, and Item Company of the 3rd Battalion, would be left as they were when they entered the war.

However, shortly after the 3rd Infantry Division arrived in Bizerte, Tunisia, the 30th Infantry Regiment caught up and began retraining the 7th and 15th Infantry Regiments in the art of amphibious tactics. The 30th Infantry Regiment would have less than four months to train up the other regiments and battalions of the division before their invasion into Sicily.

Operation Husky: The Invasion of Sicily

On 10 July 1943, as a part of the "Joss" Force invading Sicily during "Operation Husky," the 30th Infantry landed on "Blue" beach between the Sicilian cities of Licata and Gela. Within three hours of landing the 30th Infantry and the contingency of the "Joss" Force had captured all of their D+3 objectives. With a small 1st Ranger Battalion force in support, Agrigento was taken quickly within those three hours. Following that, Task Force Fargo, an armored force, captured Gela, along with 553 prisoners, destroyed three 75mm artillery emplacements, and linked up with Lieutenant General George S. Patton's troops. Shortly after Agrigento and Gela fell, the 30th Infantry moved off at ‘quick step’ toward Palermo. After Racalmuto, 3rd Battalion, 30th Infantry, made the record-breaking (still held today) march of 54 miles in just 33 hours.

Ten days later, on 20 July 1943, 30th Infantry captured San Stefano Quisquina in its first major action in Sicily and, in the process, captured 750 prisoners. On 22 July 1943, Palermo would fall to the "Joss" Force under LTG George S. Patton and the 3rd Infantry Division. The 30th Infantry Regiment would reassemble at Trabia, south-southeast of Palermo on the "Coast Road" to Messina. As they assembled, the 3rd Infantry Division would leave the 2nd Armored Division to mop up those forces cut off in western Sicily. The 30th Infantry would take the lead and begin its march toward Messina. On 30 July, the 30th Infantry was to relieve the 45th Infantry Division at Caronia. However, at the time, the 157th Infantry had run into stubborn German resistance. Early in the morning of 31 July, all three battalions of the 30th Infantry were to concentrate on and around the city limits of Caronia. The 3rd Battalion was to move to the right of the 2nd Battalion, which was to shoulder the city from the west; in its advance, the 1st Battalion was to be on the extreme right flank and to advance opposite the city and cut off the road that lead out of Caronia. In the first part of the advance, contact with the 179th Infantry of the 45th Infantry Division was achieved.

Due to poor terrain, the 2nd Battalion hadn't made it as far as the 3rd Battalion, and 2nd Battalion was supposed to be the main frontal attacking force. However, the 3rd Battalion had achieved nineteen miles in their advance so the task was turned over to 3rd Battalion. With Kilo Company in the advance guard position, 3rd Battalion made its attack. As the advance elements neared the city they were greeted with heavy artillery, mortar, machine-gun, and small arms fire. Eight men were killed instantly when the Germans initially opened up on the advanced guard element. Lima Company advanced around Kilko Company through a high-density minefield and entered the City of Caronia at midday. After four hours of steady marching, 1st Battalion finally made contact with elements of the 2nd Battalion and, in the process, captured three prisoners. With orders dropped by a scout plane, MG Truscott ordered 1st Battalion to continue its advance to the east toward Highway 113 where Lima Company was later contacted. In its advance to the east, the 1st Battalion captured 39 more prisoners.

With the 1st Battalion to the east of Caronia, it received its first rations in 56 hours: twelve boxes of K Rations. The exhausted 1st Battalion was relieved 15 minutes later by the 15th Infantry and the 1st Battalion was sent back to the Caronia area. On 8 August 1943, the 2nd Battalion attempted to conduct an amphibious landing behind the German 29th Panzer Grenadier Division at San Agata. The 1st and 3rd Battalions were to advance, help cut off, and capture the majority of the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division. However, due to the poor terrain, the 2nd Battalion could not stop the entire contingency of the division. Three days later, on 11 August , the 2nd Battalion attempted again to conduct another "end run" to cut off the remnants of the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division. Terrain again proved to be a problem however and, by 0130 on 12 August, Brolo was declared secure. While many prisoners were taken by the 2nd Battalion, and a few by the 1st and 3rd Battalions, the larger contingency of the 29 Panzer Grenadier Division would fall back to the City of Messina and be evacuated to the Italian mainland shortly thereafter. On the morning of 17 August, 7th Infantry was now carrying the load of the advance for the 3rd Infantry Division and its capture of the City of Messina. The 30th Infantry was placed in a bivouac on the northeastern-most tip of Sicily. During later preliminary mop-up efforts in the 1st and 3rd Battalion sectors, they found oil and fuel dumps and captured another 130 prisoners.

Outside the City of Castena, 1st Battalion found an underground ammunition dump. Sicily had fallen to the Allies and, during the 30th Infantry's advance on the Island, had fought over 210 miles of some of the roughest terrain in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Now 30th Infantry would have their newest and biggest challenge yet; the Invasion of Italy.

Operation Avalanche: The Invasion of Southern Italy

On 9 September 1943, the British 8th Army landed on the Southern heel of Italy and started the move toward Rome. Seven days later, on 16 September, the British X Corps, with the US II Corps of the American 5th Army (consisting of the US 34th Infantry, 36th Infantry, and 82nd Airborne Divisions), Italy was ready to capitulate and join the Allies in the fight. However, the defense in and around the landing beaches at Salerno near Naples was heavily defended. The beachhead was bitterly fought for between the Allied and Axis units, almost to a stalemate. However, on 18 September, the US VI Corps of the American 5th Army landed three more divisions, the 3rd Infantry, 45th Infantry, and 1st Armored Divisions, further to the south near Paestum and Battipaglia. By 20 September, VI Corps had made more headway than II Corps in the area. These three divisions became the lead divisions. The 3rd Infantry Division's, 30th Infantry captured Acerno with an advance of fixed bayonets by 22 September. In the process, the Hermann Goring Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion narrowly escaped total destruction. During their retreat, the bridges to the north of Acerno were blown and the US 10th Engineers came forward and constructed foot bridges for the Infantry to continue the advance. Hill by hill the 30th Infantry advanced toward Rome.

Before the advance to Rome was completed, Private First Class Edmon Leonard Sarten was Killed in Action on 2 October 1943. However, the narrative above gives a good insight into Edmon's service and experiences as a combat soldier with his unit.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Silver Star Medal
Purple Heart
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Stars
World War II Victory Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Burial

Private First Class Edmon Leonard Sarten is buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Provincia di Roma, Lazio, Italy, in Plot J, Row 4, Grave 63.

Family Remembrances

Edmon's brother, Erman, told family members who never had the opportunity to meet Edmon, that he always seemed happy and upbeat....always joking around and goofing off. Erman said that he really missed him a lot and that life wronged the world when it took him away. Erman always talked of Edmon with admiration and love in his voice. He said he could not think of any time Edmon ever actually done anything that people would have considered bad; could not remember a time when he had actually done anything wrong. Edmon was always a happy person that liked to just be a big kid.... just like most guys at his age.