Enlisted June 6, 1945

Dee was born May 20, 1926, in Gunnison Utah. Before the war he worked at Peterson Chevrolet and at the Sugar Factory.  He received letters from his older brother teasing him because of his crippled hand, and how they would never let someone like him in the service.  He enlisted on June 6, 1945, in Manti, Utah.  He then went to Fort Douglas for his physical. The whole time he kept his hand closed to the doctors.  He knew if they seen his palm they would never let him in. When he was one year old and learning to walk, he fell on a wood burning stove and burnt his hands very badly.  They did a skin graft on his palm.  Because of the scaring and graft, he could not open his hand all the way.

From Fort Douglas he was sent to Fort Ord, California for basic training.  It was really hard because of his hand.  He ripped the skin graft off his hand and had to be sent to Diplo Hospital.  He spent three months getting new skin grafts.  After his hand healed he started basic training all over again. He was assigned to the infantry then after his hand had to be re-grafted he went into the mechanic shop 

He was never able to be sent over seas.  He was sent to Camp Roberts, California to work in the mechanics shops.  He was there for 18 months. During that time he learned to hate fish as he would see them come into the docks and how they were taken care of.  He never would eat tuna. On weekends he worked on a large chicken farm, just outside of Camp Roberts.  He made a long-lasting friendship with the
owner.  On Sundays they would ask him to dinner, whenever he could go.  He truly enjoyed these home-cooked meals. 

His commanding officer told him he could go on a large ship and take German prisoners home or be discharged.  He chose to go home to Gunnison. He was so glad to go home that he hitchhiked from California to Gunnison.