Elgin WWII vet to be remembered
The family of Norval Nelson, a World War II veteran from Elgin who died earlier this month, will hold a memorial service in his honor this weekend.
State and local elected officials, as well as representatives from the Navy are due to attend the ceremony at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Willow Lake Estates Clubhouse, 161 River Road, Elgin.
Family friend Michael Natale said Sunday would have been Nelson's 93rd birthday. The Navy is expected to present Nelson's eldest daughter with the burial flag, Natale said.
Nelson was a member of the Underwater Demolition Team in World War II, a special group of men that was tasked with clearing obstacles along highly fortified coastlines in Europe and in the Pacific. In an interview with the Daily Herald in May, Nelson described how the “Frogmen” were essential to the D-Day invasion, clearing wide paths along the shore of Omaha Beach in France.