On the recordMay 17, 2016
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.…
