MANKATO, MINN - A World War Two veteran shared his story with Mankato Thursday evening.

The Mankato Area Life Long Learners hosted a speech given by the veteran with the support of his family.

Lee Nordgren was in the service for 30 years and served in the Pacific while fighting as a navy pilot.

He earned his navy cross medal as a wing-man for a fighter pilot fighting in enemy territory at the Pacific equivalent of Pearl Harbor.
 
"I'm very happy to have been a dedicated American," said Nordgren. "I was proud of being a carrier–base fighter pilot. We gained a little respect that way."
 
Nordgren is 93 years old and ran a business in Mankato for 49 of those years following the war.


----KEYC News 12