James Megellas (Image courtesy of Wisconsin Veterans Museum)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — The artifacts of a highly-decorated WWII veteran from Fond du Lac, will permanently be displayed at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison.
On Sept. 17, the museum will open a new display featuring objects of James Megellas, a Fond du Lac native who is considered the most-highly decorated officer in the 82nd Airborne.
A 1942 ROTC graduate of Ripon College, Megellas became a paratrooper in World War II, earning two Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and the Distinguished Service Cross while seeing action in Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany. His exploits in Holland during Operation Market Garden were perhaps most famous.
That critical turning point in the war was depicted in the 1977 Hollywood feature film, “A Bridge Too Far,” with John Ratzenburger (of “Cheers” fame) playing a character based on Megellas.
In addition to Operation Market Garden, Megellas also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he earned his first Silver Star. His second came just a month later, when he single-handedly knocked out a German Panzer tank that threatened his unit during a snowbound offensive near Herresbach, Belgium. His involvement in the European Theater began in Italy, where he earned two Purple Hearts during the invasion of Anzio.
Upon his return to the U.S., Megellas served as president of the Fond du Lac city council before running for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1956 and Congress in 1958 and 1960. A close friend of President John F. Kennedy, he was appointed a mission director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a division of the State Department. During the Vietnam War, he served as deputy for civilian operation and revolutionary development support with the U.S. Military Command before returning to USAID. After his retirement from the State Department in 1979, he spent nine years as an economics and international affairs professor at the Florida Institute of Technology.
“To military historians, ‘Maggie’ Megellas is a larger-than-life character, the epitome of a tough-as-nails soldier, well aware of his contributions,” said Wisconsin Veterans Museum Curator Kevin Hampton. “However, when I met him a few years ago, I was struck by his humility. He always emphasized his fellow soldiers, insisting that any recognition directed toward him be shared with those who served with him.”
Megellas died at the age of 103 in 2020.He had been living in Texas.
A Fond du Lac post office bears his name.
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