Donald VanRoosen

Donald C. Van Roosen entered the U.S. Army in April, 1943, received basic Infantry training at Camp Wheeler, GA. and joined the 29th Infantry Division in England as a Private in January, 1944.

He landed in Normandy on D-Day at Easy Red Sector, Omaha Beach and, through successive battlefield promotions, achieved the rank of Squad Leader (Sgt) in July and Section Leader (Staff Sergeant) in August. He was a prisoner of War for 10 days during the final assault on the City of Brest in Brittany. He then received a Battlefield Commission in Maastricht, Holland in October, 1944 and was promoted to 1st Lt. in April.

Don’s combat decorations included the Silver Star, Bronze Star w/2 clusters, Purple Heart w/3 clusters, Presidential Unit Citation, French Croix de Guerre w/palm, French Fourragere, Combat Infantryman Badge, European Theater Ribbon w/4 campaign stars and Invasion Arrowhead. He continued his service in the Army Reserve for a total of 23 years military service including 12 years in Special Forces as Battalion Commander and Group Operations Officer. He retired in 1970 at Lt. Colonel.

Don graduated from Harvard College in 1949 with a Major in English and a Minor in Biochemistry. He worked in Chemical Engineering with companies that manufactured high pressure pumps, processing equipment and materials handling systems. He also did International Marketing consulting for companies in CAD/CAM rising to the position of Vice President.

After initial retirement, Don did consulting work on the international scene where he was involved in setting up international sales organizations, licensing, and manufacturing in Europe and the Far East.

Don’s volunteer work, among others, included 50+ years with the Boy Scouts of America rising through successive positions of increasing responsibility from Scoutmaster to Regional Vice President. He was recipient of the Silver Beaver and The Silver Antelope (Scouting’s second highest award) in 1985.

Don has lectured at West Point, Northeastern University and the Heritage Plantation on Combat Leadership. He was invited by the U.S. Army, Europe in Heidelberg, to speak about D-Day at the Land Combat Exposition in September, 2002 and led an historical tour to Holland/Germany for the 29th Division Association in October, 2002.

For three years, Don chaired Symposia on D-Day for the 29th Division Association with a host of distinguished speakers. He is the author of five oral histories on action in Normandy and Northern Europe and served as tour “expert” for trips to Normandy in 2003, twice in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and 2007 for The National Geographic and Smithsonian Institute.

Don was married to Marcia Hunnefield Vantine in 1987, now deceased, the second marriage for both. He has three children: Christine, Laurie Clarke, and Hugh, a U.S. Army Brigadier General.

Interviews

Don VanRoosen talks with Jim McGillan about his experiences on D-Day on this video.

Articles:

One Man’s War – Chapter 1 – The Winds of War

One Man’s War – Chapter 2 – Basic Training in the United States

One Man’s War – Chapter 3 – Preparation for D-Day

One Man’s War – Chapter 4 – D-Day at Omaha Beach – June 6, 1944

One Man’s War – Chapter 5 – The Days Afterwards

One Man’s War – Chapter 6 – Holland and Germany – To The End of the War