[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING SELMER LELAND

  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Selmer T. Leland, a 
decorated World War I veteran and longtime resident of Kalispell, MT.
  Unfortunately Selmer is no longer with us, so I will be presenting 
his son, Orland Leland, with the medals he earned for his heroic 
service during World War I.
  Orland, on behalf of myself, my fellow Montanans, and my fellow 
Americans, I would like to acknowledge your father's remarkable 
sacrifice and service to this Nation and thank you for your unwavering 
commitment to keeping his legacy alive.
  Selmer was born on April 30, 1894, in Abercrombie, ND, to Isak and 
Sanna Leland.
  He grew up alongside his seven siblings on their family farm in North 
Dakota. When Selmer was 8, the family moved to Canada.
  Later, when he grew old enough, Selmer ventured out on his own to 
Montana, becoming a farmer in Big Sandy, before enlisting in the army 
at the age of 23.
  It was in October of 1917 when Selmer joined the American 
Expeditionary Forces in France as a private of Company G, 2nd 
Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Division.
  Selmer was shipped off, and by May of 1918, he had earned his first 
Purple Heart, after enduring an onslaught of mustard gas in weeks 
leading up to the Battle of Cantigny.
  The attack cost him a lung and resulted in lifelong respiratory 
issues.
  Just 10 weeks later, Selmer took a bullet to the shoulder in the 
Second Battle of Marne, earning him a bronze oakleaf cluster to adorn 
his Purple Heart.
  He also sustained shrapnel wounds to his chest and, as his son Orland 
proudly tells it, he died, more than 60 years later, with that bullet 
still in his arm.
  Despite these two devastating injuries, Selmer persevered, spending 
another year overseas, even after the war had ended, as a member of the 
American occupation forces in Germany.
  When he finally returned to the States, in September of 1919, his 
company was invited to Washington, DC, to meet President Woodrow 
Wilson, so he could thank them personally for their service.
  Eventually, Selmer moved back to his family's homestead in Canada to 
farm again. This is where he met the love of his life, Clara.
  Clara was a Kalispell girl, born and raised, who was visiting family 
up in Canada when she met Selmer.
  The two fell in love, and, in February of 1924, they returned to 
Kalispell to get married.
  By December, they had their first son, Robert Leland, who followed in 
his father's footsteps by joining the Army during WWII and fighting in 
the Battle of the Bulge.
  Robert eventually had five kids: Marvin, Melvin, Shirley, Mark, and 
Robert, Jr., who went on to serve in Vietnam.
  Both Robert and Robert, Jr., have since passed on, but their 
generations of service won't soon be forgotten.
  After spending some time in the Pacific Northwest, the family 
eventually settled down in Kalispell, where Selmer spent his career as 
a sawmill worker until retiring at the age of 65, but his work was far 
from done.
  After retiring from the sawmill, Selmer became a logger, heading to 
work every day in the forests well into his seventies.
  Twenty years after the birth of their first son, Clara and Selmer, 
now 50, welcomed their second son, Orland, who I have the distinct 
pleasure of being with today.
  Both Orland and his wife, Janet, were born and raised in Kalispell 
and still reside here today.
  Orland, who was a firefighter for 30 years, and Janet, who is the 
volunteer director at the Kalispell Regional Medical Center, have both 
continued this family's legacy of dedicated public service.
  They also have five children--Dianna, Kevin, Tammy, Sam, and Curt--
some of whom are here with us today.
  Thank you all for being here to celebrate Selmer's life, legacy, and 
history.
  I have the profound honor of presenting Selmer's son Orland Leland 
with his father's WWI medals: Purple Heart with one bronze oakleaf 
cluster; World War I Victory Medal with Montdidier Noyon, Aisne-Marne, 
St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Battle Clasps and France Service Clasp; 
and World War I Victory Button--Silver.
  Orland, these medals serve as a small token of our country's 
appreciation for your father's heroic service and profound sacrifice.
  He is truly an American hero, and we have the utmost gratitude for 
his service.

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