Marvin "Marv" Nerbovig was a young man cooking in his Brainerd, Minnesota diner, "Marv's Marvelous Meals" slinging hash and flipping pancakes for the early-morning factory workers. He found the need to enlist in the army in June 1942.
He went through basic training and then joined Battery B of the 353rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, part of the legendary 3rd Infantry Division, and was preparing to embark on a journey that would take him from the fields of Virginia to the battle-scarred beaches of North Africa and beyond.
He didn't know where he was going, not exactly, but one thing was certain, wherever war took them, the men would need to eat, and he'd be there, ladle in hand, ready to serve.
Marvin "Marv" Nerbovig participated in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany, as denoted by his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver battle star (denoting five campaigns), and four bronze battle stars each denoting another 4 campaigns. Marv participated as a cook in the same 9 campaigns as Audie Murphy.