Russell Sattazhan, U.S. Army, World War II
Wed Feb 04 2026
Russell Sattazhan was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and forced the U.S. into World War II. in 1944, he was drafted and was placed in an infantry replacement unit. Replacements were needed so badly that training was cut short and Sattazhan's unit was sent to Europe and folded into the Army's 1st Infantry Division in January 1945. Two months later, Sattazhan's war would be over after suffering a severe wound from a German attack.
In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Sattazhan tells us what it was like being rushed into combat, dealing with the brutal winter in early 1945 and pushing the Nazis further and further intoo Germany.
He also takes us to the day he was badly wounded in his right hand and part of his wrist after being hit by German fire, the unusual circumstances that helped to save his life, realizing that he needed an amputation, and his road to recovery.
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Russell Sattazhan was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and forced the U.S. into World War II. in 1944, he was drafted and was placed in an infantry replacement unit. Replacements were needed so badly that training was cut short and Sattazhan's unit was sent to Europe and folded into the Army's 1st Infantry Division in January 1945. Two months later, Sattazhan's war would be over after suffering a severe wound from a German attack. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Sattazhan tells us what it was like being rushed into combat, dealing with the brutal winter in early 1945 and pushing the Nazis further and further intoo Germany. He also takes us to the day he was badly wounded in his right hand and part of his wrist after being hit by German fire, the unusual circumstances that helped to save his life, realizing that he needed an amputation, and his road to recovery.