Michael L. Roeder was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Roeder of St. Joseph, Minnesota.  He was married to Dorothy and the couple had children.  He entered the service on 1 July 1942, and was shipped to Europe in November 1942.  He served with the 47th Infantry Regiment of the 9 Division.  Michael was taken prisoner in North Africa 6 April 1943.  From there, he was transported to Italy and ultimately sent to a POW camp in Germany.  In November 1944, he contracted malaria.  He died in a hospital in Belgium on 8 May 1945, one week after the British liberated him from the POW camp.

Information from the St. Cloud Times of 23 March 1944 p4, of 17 May 1945 p1, and of 16 June 1945 p3, all courtesy of Erwin Derhaag.