During World War II young men were drafted right out of high school to serve in the Armed Forces. I remember seeing empty chairs on the stage at graduation, with a star or flag hung over the back. Dag Herman was one of those young men, from Ottoville. His senior year was interrupted (1944-45) by the United States Army. He was trained  for  six  weeks  and then found himself on the front lines in France and Germany. He arrived in time for  the  “Battle  of  the Bulge.” His life changed from sitting in the classroom and playing basketball to a fierce battle of the war in just six weeks. He remarked to Millie Ruen, during an interview, that it was “really something.”
Dag had been a member of a very successful high school basketball team but the War took him and he played no basketball during his senior year. More disaster struck his Ottoville team. Dag was on the front lines when he got the word that his classmate and fellow basketball player, Carl Rellinger, was killed in a train-auto accident in Delphos at the Fifth St. crossing. In those days there was no   law   restricting   our  activities during lunch hour. A group of students left school at Ottoville and drove to Delphos. Many of us remember that fateful day. Carl Rellinger was killed in the accident. The other boys in the car, including Carl’s twin brother, were not hurt. Dag was devastated when he got the news. The Ottoville basketball season was canceled.
One Sunday, Dag was able to attend Mass in France. He saw a soldier he thought looked familiar. Looking closer he realized it was an Ottoville schoolmate. The soldier was William Turnwald, Jr. A few days later Dag learned that Turnwald was killed during the Battle of the Bulge. During that horrible winter in Germany, Dag had his feet partially frozen. He beared an affliction from this for the rest of his life. His feet always hurt. December of 1944 and January of 1945 were some of the coldest months on record in Germany and the American soldiers suffered terribly from the cold. Dag was a cannonade, who put the shells into the cannon. He was shot in the back in 1945 and that ended his fighting. He was taken by ambulance from the Black Forest to a field hospital. From there he was flown to Paris, France. After six weeks stay in Paris, he was sent to South Hampton, England. A month later he sailed to New York on the U.S.S. Mansellia.
Dag married Margie Eggeman in 1950. They had three children: Patricia Elliot, of near Glandorf; William, who lives in Medina; and Jean Ann Gemmer, in Van Wert.
Dag told Millie of their family dog who brought them great joy. He was trained to come into the house, lay on the rug and flip over on his back. There he would lay with all four feet up in the air until someone came a long with a cloth to clean his paws. He recalled his father coming from Detroit for a visit. His father is buried in Detroit and his mother is buried in Oakwood. After serving in the Army Dag worked for the highway department for five years. Then he bought a milk distributing business in Van Wert.
Dag loved sports and loved to laugh. Bill Maag, who ran a local meat market, decided to sponsor a fast pitch softball team. He recruited Dag and that was the start of a long and illustrious career for Dag as a fast-pitch pitcher. He played on the team that Bill  Maag managed and was asked to play on teams in Van Wert, Delphos and Lima. He played every night until his wife, Marge, put her foot down and told him he had to keep some nights for his family.
Dag was outstanding as a fast pitch softball pitcher. His greatest thrill came when he pitched against the Professional Fort Wayne Pistons, who played in a pro fast-pitch league. Their pitcher was Dizzy Kirkendall. On that night in Findlay Dag beat Dizzy and it was the thrill of a lifetime for him.
Dag’s softball career came to an end at age 42 when he developed pain in his shoulder. He had a problem with varicose veins in that arm, so he had to give up pitching. A co-worker of Marg’s suggested he take up golf and that was all it took. He played golf until after he turned 82. He was well-known at the Delphos Country Club.
Back when Dag played softball, they played on a rented field. The owner of the field decided to sell it off in lots so a new place for softball had to be found. Dag talked to the Lions Club to get them interested in making a  park down by the river. He, along with some other people cut down a few trees and they got the ball rolling, and the Ottoville park became a reality. At one time, the Ottoville softball team played ball at the Miller Tile Mill. Dag told a tale about Rooster Sanders, an Ottoville legend, who had a lot of enthusiasm for softball and was known for his head first slides. Rooster was playing shortstop when someone hit a foul ball. He said Rooster was so determined to catch that ball that he ran into foul territory and went into one of his head first dives and slid right under a car. He was unable to get out from under the car, so Dag, his teammates and some fans lifted the car and pulled him free. Dag never lost his love for the game, so he served as a coach and umpire.
Dag passed away on Aug. 30, 2007. His wife, Marge, preceded him in death the previous May. They were survived by their three children, along with several grandchildren and  great-grandchildren. Also surviving were a sister, brother and his mother-in-law. Funerals for Dag and his wife were held at the Immaculate Conception Church in Ottoville, with burial in the church cemetery.