Battle of Guadalcanal

Ted was drafted into the 164th Infantry, Company K, and quickly found himself in the middle of the Battle for Guadalcanal. The Army was called in to back up the Marines and it was the first and only time that Army soldiers shared the same fox holes as Marines. At first, the Marines were not happy about it, but after the fight, they dubbed the 164th, the "164th Marines."

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Company K consisted of boys from western North Dakota. One was Herman Diede. He was a machine gunner. This drawing by Ted was from a photograph taken moments before he was killed. Beside the picture is Diede's marker on Guadalcana.

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Like many soldiers, Ted contracted malaria and would suffer bouts the rest of his life. Ted returned to North Dakota without a family. His grandfather had passed away and his mother and sisters were trapped in Germany. His brother was fighting in Europe. Ted followed the only love he had left, art, and went to New York