A belated story about a hero
By BIL DUNCAN After I had written a column about a Library of Congress project to collect the stories of World War II veterans, Orvis Ford of Roseburg told me I didn’t have to go far to find one of those stories – just across the road from my home in the Riversdale section of Roseburg. He said my neighbor, Lynn Raymond Borg was a survivor of three beachheads in the first fierce fight for a toehold against the Facist forces in Europe. He indicated Borg had plenty of stories to tell about his combat experience. I had met Borg on several occasions as a neighbor, but honestly knew nothing about his World War II experiences. One day after Orvis’ tip, I saw Borg astride his riding mower mowing the large acreage in front of his home that is set back off Garden Valley Road. It seemed like a good opportunity for an interview. Borg saw me coming and shut down the mower, but stayed seated as I approached. I told him my mission and he got that wry smile he was so famous for, then said: “I appreciate your consideration and I indeed think it is an honor, but in truth I didn’t do any more or less than thousands of other soldiers who went to war. I am just an average guy and there are much more worthy subjects than me.” Just an average guy, eh? This North Dakota farm boy enlisted in the Army in 1942, just months after the day of infamy at Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division and after training stateside, his Division was sent to the Mediterranean to make amphibious landings, first in Sicily on July 10, 1943. According to a memoir Lynn wrote, his unit met light resistance. But that was not the last. On the next beachhead at Salerno on the mainland of Italy it was a different story. The 45th came up against the German 29th Panzergrenadiers in a fierce fire fight. The Division had great difficulty moving across the rivers and through mountainous terrain before Borg’s unit was relieved and moved to a rest area. Those two combat experiences would in themselves make Borg more than just an average GI doing what he says any of us would do. But the war was not over for Borg. His unit would become part of the next invasion at Anzio, another bloody beachhead. His Division was in a see-saw battle for inches of territory, but bravely stood its ground during repeated German counter attacks. I regret I was not a persistent enough reporter on that day I went across the road. I am telling this story about a brave, unassuming man posthumously. Borg died Sept. 19th. He was 90 years old and to my shame, his story should have been told while he was alive. His funeral was Saturday where a crowded church paid tribute to one of America’s heroes who considered himself doing no more than what thousands of others did during those terrible days of World War II. Two members of the Oregon National Guard, in an impressive ceremony, presented the casket flag to Lillian, his wife of 60 plus years. In the church entryway there was a table featuring the tools of his trade, as a master cabinet maker, and displaying his World War II army uniform, battle ribbons attached hanging alongside a carpenter’s apron. His son, Dan, told briefly about his dad’s war experiences, but did not dwelling on that phase of his life, but rather told of Borg’s accomplishments as a husband, father, grandfather and Dan’s very personal friend. He paid special tribute to his dad whom he said gave him an example of living for others. “He loved my mother,” he said fighting back tears. His friends, one by one, told how this average guy who did what anyone would do, touched their lives. Of all these celebrations of Borg’s life, perhaps his two grandsons, Nathan and Adam Borg, told it best in their reflections of their grandfather who impressed upon them how to live their lives for others. Borg did just that and I regret it took me this long to say that. (Bill Duncan can be reached by writing to P.O. Box 812, Roseburg, OR 97470)
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