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SEEK * STRIKE * DESTROY

Christoffersen, Harold K. (650th)

Harold K. Christoffersen 1Harold K. Christoffersen

Biography: Harold Kay Christoffersen, “Hack”, was born on October 29, 1923, in Hyde Park, Cache County, Utah. He was one of twelve children born to George Christian Christoffersen and Lizzy Kirby. He attended Hyde Park schools and graduated from the North Cache High School and LDS (Latter-day Saints) Seminary. His draft card, completed June 30, 1942, indicates the was employed by D. L. Knudsen of Logan, UT.

Service Time: Hack entered the Army on March 1, 1943, at Salt Lake City, UT. He completed basic training at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, and was assigned to the 650th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The unit continued training at the Tank Destroyer Training Center at Camp Hood, and Camp Bowie, both in Texas.

On November 13th, the unit left Camp Bowie heading for the long-awaited Louisiana Maneuvers. On the 15th, they arrived in Seiper, LA for a two-week period of maintenance. By December, they were well into the maneuvers but continuous rains had turned the countryside into a mud bog and by Christmas, all track-laying vehicles were grounded. Most of the unit moved back to Seiper but some men remained behind in the field to work at removing the remaining M-10 tank destroyers from the mud.

On December 31st, Corporal Harold K. Christoffersen was accidentally crushed by his own destroyer while working to free it from the mud. He died before reaching the hospital at Fort Polk, LA.

The Salt Lake Tribune – January 2, 1944

Harold K. Christoffersen 2He was buried in the Hyde Park Cemetery in Hyde Park, Utah. We would like to thank Harold for making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.  We would also like to thank Find-a-Grave member Jay Follett for use of the photos in this tribute.