2LT Edward Loustalot was one of the first Americans to see active combet on the European continent.  He and 48 other men from the 1st Ranger Battalion were embedded with the Canadian commandos who took part in the disasterous Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942.  When The British capitain leading the assault of his unit was killed, Loustalot took command and scaled a steep cliff with his men.  He was wounded three times in this assault and was ultimately cut down in his effort to reach the machine gun nest at the top of the cliff.  He was the first American soldier to be killed on the continent of Europe in WWII.