Linda Ramos, Regent of the Santa Margarita Chapter, honored Dr. Orv Mestad at their Annual Awards meeting.

Linda Ramos, Regent of the Santa Margarita Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, honored Dr. Orv Mestad at their Annual Awards meeting. Dr. Mestad, a WWII veteran entered the service at age 19 and was quickly promoted to “Buck Sergeant” and placed in command of Army squadron 546AAA, a highly mobile unit of 14 men, charged with protecting tanks from low flying aircraft. They were also responsible for protecting General Patton’s field headquarters near the front on a regular basis. Dr. Mestad was credited with giving orders to shoot down a plane that was on a mission to kill Generals Patton and Eisenhower while the leaders were making plans in Patton’s field headquarters.

As the war came to an end, his command were the first American soldiers to discover and liberate a concentration camp. Two days later, Life magazine created a photographic historic moment with Patton, Eisenhower and the soldiers, the first evidence presented to Americans at home of the horrors that Hitler had created during his reign.

At the end of the war, Dr. Mestad attended USC, graduating with honors from dental school. He had a dental practice for thirty-one years and was honored as Glendora’s Citizen of the Year–only one of many accolades he has received over the years.

Wanda Prosser, Corresponding Secretary
Santa Margarita Chapter, Oceanside