Honor Flight Northland 1

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World War II Stories from Flight 1

Honor Flight Northland

Edited by Patra Sevastiades

Published by Veterans’ Memorial Hall

A program of The St. Louis County Historical Society

Duluth, MN -‐ 2011 -‐

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Introduction _______________________________________________________ Honor Flight Northland was designed to bring World War II veterans from the Northland to the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., at no cost to the veterans. Veterans submitted applications, events were held to raise funds, and planners painstakingly worked out all the details. On May 14, 2011, before dawn, one hundred three veterans walked into the Duluth Airport. Nametags, coffee, and doughnuts were distributed. The plane lifted off at 6:30 am. At Reagan National Airport, their plane taxied up to the gate, and veterans were welcomed by a water salute from two fire trucks. Veterans disembarked and stepped into the terminal. There, these Northland heroes were greeted by crowds of people applauding, hugging them, and shaking their hands. They were thanked for their service so many years ago. For many, this was the most memorable moment of all. The veterans then boarded buses in order to visit several monuments: the World War II memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Women in Military Service Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans’ Memorial. Everyone returned to the Northland full of memories. At the Duluth Airport, they were met by the cheers and embraces of friends and family and the salute of the Duluth Honor Guard. Following are the individual stories of these veterans, the men and women who participated in the first flight of Honor Flight Northland. Veterans’ Memorial Hall collected and edited them. Many veterans were too modest, or prevented by their wartime promises, to express the whole of their stories. Still, it is a collection of what could be expressed at the time; there is probably much more to tell. In publishing this volume, we honor their service.

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Walter Emil Andren ______________________________________________

Mr. Andren served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from

November 14, 1939, until May 5, 1945. He was assigned to the 77th Division. His rank was Staff Sergeant.

Mr. Andren was born in 1922, the son of Axel and Christine (Gustafson) Andren.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form

Leonard C. Archambeau _________________________________________

Mr. Archambeau served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from August 26, 1942, until October 20, 1945. He was assigned to the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. His rank was Technician 4th Grade. Mr. Archambeau was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Cyril and Alvina Archambeau. He was decorated with two Presidential Unit Citations, one French Decoration, and the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran recollections (see below); original entry on VHM website (see below)

“Left Proctor by Greyhound bus for Fort Snelling. I was at Fort Snelling about a week getting shots and a taste of Army life. “Was then shipped out to Fort Knox for my basic training of 13 weeks. From there I was transferred to Camp Campbell for about three weeks and then to Camp Kilmore, New Jersey, for about a week, and then to New York for overseas travel by ship to Oran, Africa, to a tent city, then on to my unit, which was 601 Tank Destroyer Battalion. “I was a loader on a ¾ Dodge truck with a 37mm [gun], and we had march[ing] orders every night. And when we stopped for the night, the first thing you did was [dig] a foxhole. I don’t know to this day if we were going forward or backward. “[At a] later date, we got half-‐tracks with the 75mm [guns], which proved to be not

much better. We got into a tank battle at El Guettar and lost our whole company. We went back and regrouped and we got the M10 tank destroyer with the 3” naval gun. “We then were scheduled for the invasion of southern Italy. Again our loss-‐es were quite heavy. We were in southern Italy for about 4 months until we reached Rome. We were pulled back to Naples and regrouped for another landing on Anzio. “We made a beachhead, but it was a long, hard fight. Every night the Germans would bomb us, and the general told us, ‘The ship that brought you here has left, so it’s up to us to fight or swim.’ “This was another long, hard battle. About three months later, we joined with our troops from the south. “Again we were pulled back to Naples to regroup and waterproof our tanks for another landing at St. Tropez, France, with the 3rd Infantry Division. We rolled through southern France with not too much trouble until we got to the border of Germany. “Another great battle until we reached Nuremberg. When we got the town secured we held up for a couple of weeks before the next big encounter, which was crossing the Rhine River, taking a 30-‐ton tank on a pontoon bridge. It was like going down a mountain: the pontoon sank at least 3 or 4 feet. “The next place was the Siegfried Line of concrete formation and pillboxes with the German 88, and they sure knew how to use them. “Our next big city was in Salzburg, Austria.

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“On May 8, the war ended. This is no way the whole story, but it will give you some idea of the travel in three years and two months.”

Original entry on VMH website:

Leonard C. Archambeau was inducted into the Army in August 1942. He was a technician fourth class and a tank driver with the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion, serving in Tunisia and Algeria in North Africa. In his words: "We had 37mm on a ¾-‐ton Dodge in Africa. It was no match for the German 88. Later, we got halftracks with the old French 75mm. which we called 'Purple Heart boxes.' At El Guettar in Tunisia we met the Germans and lost

heavily. We went back to regroup and got the new M-‐10 tank with the 3” Naval gun, a fine piece of equipment. The next move was to Sicily and then to Salerno, and again we had many casualties." At Anzio, Italy: "From February 4th to the 24th of May, was all we could do to hold the line. Then we made the break to Rome. Above Rome we were pulled back to regroup and made another landing at St. Tropez, France. From there it was on to the Siegfried Line with a lot of fighting and casualties. The next was crossing the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge. We ended up in Salzburg, Austria, when the war ended." He was separated on October 20, 1945.

Joe Balach __________________________________________________________

Mr. Balach served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from November 1942 until 1945. He was assigned to the 344th Bomb Group in the Mediterranean. Mr. Balach was a B-‐26 “Marauder” pilot. He was in Europe from January 1944 until February 14, 1945. He participated in the D-‐Day invasion of Normandy, the ultimately failed attempt to take a bridge at Arnhem, the Netherlands, and the Battle of the Bulge, among others. Mr. Balach’s brother, George, was a 1st Lieutenant in the 99th Infantry. When he was on furlough, he located Joe Balach at the Army Air Forces base 20 miles northeast of Paris sometime after the Battle of the Bulge. Joe Balach’s rank was Lieutenant.

He was decorated with the Air Medal with a Silver Oak Leaf cluster. After World War II, Mr. Balach joined the Reserves. He served in the Reserves until 1981. Mr. Balach was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Miles and Mary Balach. He graduated from high school in 1940.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran account (see below)

Pilot – B-‐26 Marauders. Europe January 1944 until February 14, 1945. D-‐Day, a Bridge Too Far (Arnhem), Bulge, and 53 others. Older brother, George, 1st Lt., 99th Infan-‐try. After Bulge, furlough to Paris, corral-‐ed 9th Army Air Forces patches, finally found 344th members and came to our base 20 miles northeast of Paris.

Steve J. Balach _____________________________________________________

Steve Balach served in World War II. He served in both the European and Pacific Theaters. Mr. Balach joined the Minnesota Naval Reserve on June 15, 1940. He trained at

the Navy Reserve center at Park Point, Duluth, Minnesota, and served on the USS Paducah. His unit was sent to the Navy Pier in Chicago in November 1940. They reached the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, on December 7, 1940.

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They were stationed in New York for 6-‐7 months and performed shore patrol duty. Then they were assigned to Little Creek Base in Norfolk, Virginia. They were there when Pearl Harbor was bombed. After December 7, 1941, Mr. Balach helped train Navy personnel for manning the guns aboard Merchant Marine ships; they trained on Chesapeake Bay on board the Paducah. He did this until late 1942. Then he went to Syracuse, New York, where the General Electric factory had built new turbo electric steam destroyer escorts. He was assigned to serve as chief on the USS Liddle.

His unit brought troops to Swansea, Wales, to Gibraltar, and to Bizerte, Tunisia. He was then assigned to service in the Pacific Theater. He was involved in inva-‐sions of the Philippines and the Battle of Ormoc Bay. He helped transport Austra-‐lian troops in the South Pacific. His ship was hit by a kamikaze in December 1944. After the war, Mr. Balach served in the Naval reserve for six years. Mr. Balach was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1923.

Source: Interview with Mr. Balach; Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form

Robert Blake Ballou _____________________________________________

Mr. Ballou served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 until 1946. Mr. Ballou grew up in Duluth and graduated from Central High School in 1941. He studied music for one year at Duluth State Teachers College before enlisting in the Army in October 1942. He continued to study for another year until he was called up in June 1943. He was initially assigned to the U.S. Army Air Forces. In July 1943, he took basic training in Lincoln, Nebraska, where

he stayed and was part of the Star Unit. In November 1943, he was transferred to an Army engineering program at Los Angeles City College, part of the Army Specialized Training Program (November 1943 -‐March 1944). He was sent to Camp Roberts, California, and became part of the 89th Infantry Division, which was sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina, in June 1944, for further training. Mr. Ballou was also an Army musician; he played clarinet and sang vocals. In January 2, 1945, Mr. Ballou was sent overseas to Europe as part of the 89th Infantry Division. There he served as a member of the military police. He was in Germany when the Germans surrendered. He and his unit sat waiting on the banks of the Elbe River for a Russian unit to meet up with them. As they sat waiting, some of the American servicemen were given furloughs, and Mr. Ballou was one of them. As a result, he was in Paris on May 8, 1945, VE-‐Day, when the war in Europe ended with the German sur-‐render. As an amateur photographer, he recorded scenes of French citizens mingling with American troops; the crowds that filled the Champs-‐Élysée; and celebrations of the end of the war. He recorded ceremonies that day at the Arc

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de Triomphe along with the famed Eiffel Tower. Mr. Ballou later visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and photo-‐graphed the cathedral in Rouen, France, which survived the war. After the war, Mr. Ballou was a member of the Occupation Army in Germany. He served as an Army musician, playing clarinet with the 89th Division Band and singing in the vocal quartet. Following his discharge, Mr. Ballou returned to Duluth and helped the government of St. Louis County, Min-‐nesota, establish and run its print shop

and microfilm operations. He later worked in the purchasing department. Ballou was, like many GIs, a collector of artifacts he came across during the later days of the war. His finds included postcards, photos, and French and Ger-‐man currency. Mr. Ballou was born on a farm in Mower County, Minnesota, in 1923, the son of Sidney and Josephine Ballou.

Source: VMH staff interview with Mr. Ballou

Theodore James Barker _________________________________________

Mr. Barker served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from March 13, 1943, until March 9, 1946. He was assigned to the 4165th Quartermaster Depot Company. His rank was Sergeant. He was decorated with the Asiatic-‐Pacific Theater Service Medal, the Amer-‐ican Theater Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Theater Service Medal. Mr. Barker was born in 1923, in Eveleth, Minnesota, the son of Ralph and Harriet Barker.

Source: Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran's account (see below)

Drafted in 1943. Trained at Camp Gordon, Georgia, until December 5, 1944. Left New York harbor on Queen Mary December 10, 1944, and arrived in Scotland on December 16, 1944. Spent time in France, Germany, and Belgium. July 19, 1945, left France on the Gen. Hershey, through the Panama Canal, to Manila, Philippines, arriving August 29, 1945. Spent 6 months there; arrived Oakland, California, March 3, 1946. Took train to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where I got my honorable discharge, then returned to my home in Duluth, Minnesota.

Leonard J. Bauman _______________________________________________

Mr. Bauman served in World War II. He was inducted into the Army on Sept-‐ember 8, 1944. He was a Staff Sergeant and an Infantryman and Ordnance supply NCO with the 94th Reconnaissance Troop, 94th Infantry Division, serving in the Saar-‐Moselle Triangle and in Czechoslovakia and Germany. His unit's primary assign-‐ment was to make sure no German troops got through between the main U.S. forces. He was pulled out of the front and sent to Dusseldorf, Germany, for mop-‐up and occupation service. After VE day, he was sent to Pilzen [Pizen], Czechoslovakia, until Russian forces took over there. He

then moved to Augsburg, Germany, where the 94th was deactivated, and he was then assigned to 1st Infantry Division, 701st Ordnance (LM) Company. He was discharged on July 26, 1946. Mr. Bauman received the Good Conduct Medal, the European-‐African-‐Middle East Campaign Service Medal with two bronze battle stars, the Army of Occupation Service Medal (Germany), the World War II Victory Medal, and two overseas service bars.

Source: Interview with Veterans’ Memorial Hall staff

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Harold Charles Becker ___________________________________________

Mr. Becker served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from April 20, 1943, until December 6, 1945. He was assigned to the 355th Engineer. Mr. Becker was decorated with the Victory Medal, the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with Silver Battle Star, 4 overseas service bars

(Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe), and the Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Becker was born in 1924 in Saxon, Wisconsin, the son of Carl and Nelda Becker.

Source: Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form

Roy A. Berg ________________________________________________________

Mr. Berg served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from July 21, 1943, until March 23, 1946. He went to the Naval Training Station in Farragut, Idaho. He received torpedo training for sixteen weeks and attended advanced torpedo school for eight weeks and aerial torpedo school for seven weeks.

He was assigned to the USS Dobbin (AD-3). His rank was Torpedoman 2nd Class. Mr. Berg was born in 1925 in Proctor, Minnesota, the son of Olai L. and Betty Berg.


Richard Wesley Beron ___________________________________________

Mr. Beron served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from August 14, 1946, until April 1, 1948. He was assigned to the Service Maintenance Squadron of Marine Air Group 33. His rank was Private 1st Class, and he was an expert rifleman. Mr. Beron was born in 1929 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Raymond and Gilberté Beron.

Mr. Beron was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal.


A young kid who liked airplanes and built models had a chance to join Marine Air. I was 16 years—moved my age up one year. Not much of a story.

Chester Bianco ____________________________________________________

Mr. Bianco served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 until April 23, 1946. He was assigned to the 65th (“Battle-‐Axe”) Infantry Division. His rank was Corporal. Mr. Bianco was born in 1925 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Joe and Annetta Bianco.

Source: Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; “65th Infantry Division” article

from Wikipedia provided by veteran (see summary, which follows)

The 65th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, on January 21, 1945. It then went to Camp Lucky Strike, where it trained until March 1. In March, it advanced to relieve the 26th Infantry Division. It defended the Saar River from Orscholz to Wadgassen, then crossed the Saar at Dillingen to capture Saarlauten. It proceeded to capture Neunkirchen, then crossed the Rhine River at Oppenheim. In

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April, the 65th took Langensalz, Struth, and Neumarkt. In late April, it crossed the Danube and pressed on to seize Regensburg and then Passau. It crossed

the Inn River in early May and occupied Linz, Austria. On May 9, the 65th met up with Russian Allied troops at Erlauf.

Hilmar Bjugstad __________________________________________________

Mr. Bjugstad served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from October 27, 1942, until December 17, 1945. He was assigned to Fleet Air Wing Eleven. His rank was Aviation Machinist Mate 3rd Class.

Mr. Bjugstad was born in Barron, Wisconsin.

Source: Telephone interview with Veterans’ Memorial Hall staff

Fleet Air Wing Eleven insignia

Robert Bloomer ___________________________________________________

Mr. Bloomer served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from May 9, 1944, until February 12, 1946. His rank was Private 1st Class. Mr. Bloomer was decorated with the Combat Badge, 2 Purple Hearts, and a Dis-‐tinguished Unit Citation for action in the Colmar Pocket. Mr. Bloomer was born in Duluth, Min-‐nesota.


Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany, the line between Russian and British territory

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Lyle Leonard Bonkrud __________________________________________

Mr. Bonkrud served in World War II in the European Theater. He joined the Minnesota Army National Guard in January 1941. A month later, on February 10, 1941, his unit was activated for federal service. He became part of the Army 34th Infantry (“Red Bull”) Division. This was the first American army unit sent to the European Theater during World War II. On January 15, 1942, Mr. Bonkrud boarded a boat for Northern Ireland where he was trained. The 34th Division was then stationed in North Africa in November 1942, during Operation Torch. Mr. Bonkrud served as driver for his Division Commander during the entirety of the African campaign. Once, in Tunisia, the division commander and Mr. Bonkrud drove General Patton to a spot so that he could watch the battle on Hill 609 unfold. After the fighting in Tunisia had ended, Mr. Bonkrud was assigned to be General George Marshall’s driver. In September 1943 his unit invaded Italy, landing at Salerno and later hitting the beach at Anzio. He was with the 34th Division when it nearly captured Monte Casino. He served as driver for his Division Com-‐mander for the entirety of the Italian campaign. Mr. Bonkrud was discharged in October 1945. His rank was Technical Sergeant. He was decorated with the Division Commen-‐dation. Mr. Bonkrud was born in Wisconsin in 1920, the son of Dave and Thelma Bonkrud.

Source: Veterans’ Hall Memorial History Form; veteran’s reminiscences (see below); “Driving History”: An Interview with Lyle Bonkrud by David Beatty

Things were kind of slow in the winter of 1940, but the draft was on and Lyle Bonkrud had a suspicion that his number was going to come up soon. Lyle was working in Minnesota, so he decided to

beat the draft and, following his cousin’s lead, enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard in January 1941. Lyle is second-‐generation Norwegian, as were many of the men in his outfit, so it was more like an extension of the Sons of Norway fellowship than the Army. But then President Roosevelt mobilized his unit on 10 February 1941, and it became part of the 34th Infantry Division, known as the “Red Bulls” after the red longhorn steer shoulder patch insignia designed in 1917 Texas during operations against Pancho Villa. Lyle deployed to Louisiana where the Red Bulls took part in the famous Louisiana maneuvers. One day in Louisiana a call came in from Division headquarters to Lyle’s company requesting a cross-‐country driver. Lyle’s commander knew he could drive and was one of the older (i.e., more grown-‐up) kids, so volunteered him, and Lyle became the driver for the 34th’s Chief of Staff, Colonel (later, General) Norman E. Hendrickson. While [Lyle was] driving Hendrickson through Alexandria, a child bolted out in front of the command car, and Hendrickson rather needlessly yelled at Lyle to watch out—in Norwegian—which Lyle spoke fairly well! Lyle got the job permanently. The Red Bulls performed quite well in the Louisiana maneuvers, serving under the overall command of General George Patton. On December 7, 1941, the “day that will live in infamy,” Lyle had driven the division commander, Major General Russell Hartle, to a reception in Leesville in Hartle’s new private vehicle, a Packard Clipper. When word came in of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hartle ordered Lyle to drive the 50 miles back to division HQ at Camp Claiborne as fast as the new car would go. General Hartle kept shouting, “Faster, sergeant, faster!” Lyle was only a buck private, but he still hit 90 miles per hour across Louisiana.

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Lyle’s outfit was immediately ordered to Europe as a show of support for Amer-‐ica’s new ally, Great Britain, and thus became the first U.S. Army unit sent overseas in World War II. Lyle embarked with elements of his division on 14 January 1942 and sailed from Brooklyn for Northern Ireland the very next day. Lyle’s conveyance across the stormy winter waters of the North Atlantic was the “luxury” cruise ship RMS Strathmore. The P&O liner had been converted to a troop carrier in 1940 and held over 4,500 men—although designed to carry only 1,100 passengers and 500 crew—so there was not much luxury! Lyle recalls that the food was horrible, and most of the troops were seasick the entire crossing—so much so that it was hazardous to walk on decks slick with vomit. Part of the 133rd Infantry Regiment constituted many of the troops on board. Lyle and the 34th landed in Belfast on 26 January 1942 and were met by a delegation of British military brass and civilian officials, including the Governor General and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. The 34th went to [Northern] Ireland with the old WWI style tin helmets, leggings, and British-‐made Enfield rifles, and were equipped once there with inferior British artillery. Duty largely involved training and “showing the flag” for the Brits. Lyle saw General Hartle in a jeep once with the Queen of England going up to a hilltop observation post to watch a firepower demonstration, and the general had his arm around the Queen—no doubt to steady her on the rough ride up the hill! Duty in Northern Ireland was not all work—Lyle saw a fair amount of the countryside and enjoyed the local beer and friendly natives. Lyle recalls going to Scotland with elements of the 34th for field training, and taking the train from Paisley to Edinburgh for a day. Lyle reports that many British families would invite American soldiers over for Sunday dinner—and that the Americans would

raid the mess tent for treats to bring. The Brits were particularly fond of Spam . . . which the Yanks were glad to get rid of! The 34th was training in [Northern] Ireland for a raid on the Cherbourg peninsula a la Dieppe, but that operation fortunately never took place. Major General Charles Ryder took over as the division Commanding General in May 1942, and Lyle became his driver. Lyle recalls when Ryder created the first battalion of U.S. Army Rangers from within the ranks of the 34th Division during training in Northern Ireland. Lyle had a lot of cousins in Norway during the war. One had been in the Norwegian army, and most were in the underground, resisting the German occupation. Lyle knew about an all-‐Norwegian speaking unit (not part of the 34th) that was training to go into Norway but was eventually sent to France, where they were mistaken for Germans in American uniforms, because they were in the habit of talking to each other in Norwegian! Fortunately for all con-‐cerned, the error was discovered before any mishap occurred. Lyle went into North Africa in November 1942 during Operation Torch, still driving for General Ryder. During the battle for Hill 609 in Tunisia, General George Patton came up and wanted to watch some of the action, so Lyle and General Ryder accompanied old “blood and guts” forward. Coming down the hill was a dirty, disheveled, unkempt and unshaven GI, and Patton stopped him. “Let me see your rifle, soldier,” said Patton. Unabashed, the trooper handed over his M1 rifle. “Soldier, do you know that this rifle is so dirty that it would probably blow up in your face if you fired it?” asked Patton. “General, I don’t think so,” said the GI. “I just killed two Germans with it.” “Good lad,” said Patton with a smile, and patted the soldier on the back and sent him on his way!

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The first airplanes Lyle saw in North Africa were beautiful—pretty silver planes way up in the sky—then they came down and strafed him! Turns out they were German and not so pretty after all! After the fighting in Tunisia had ended, General George Marshall came over and Lyle was assigned to be his driver. Lyle recalls that Marshall patted him on the leg and asked, “Sergeant, what do you do with your money?” Seems Marshall was on a kick encouraging the troops to send their pay home. Later (and just for fun), Lyle flew in an RAF Lancaster on an anti-‐sub patrol. He was impressed at how low they would fly. Lyle [and his unit] invaded Italy in September 1943, landing at Salerno, and later hit the beach at Anzio with the 34th. The Anzio beachhead had a metal-‐planked airfield with British RAF Spitfires based on it that served as a magnet for German artillery. The Germans brought in a big railroad gun that would shell the entire beachhead, but concentrated on the rear areas—the front line troops (like Lyle) took pleasure in seeing the 5th Army headquarters routinely shelled! Unfor-‐tunately, the shelling was deadly—Lyle recalls a couple of times when a field hospital was hit and several female nurses were killed. He thinks that the fight at Anzio would have gone much better with Patton in charge. Lyle was with the 34th when they nearly captured Monte Casino—the division took 80% casualties in their infantry battalions during that fighting. He drove Gen. Ryder into Casino during the fighting and was surprised at the absence of anything living above ground—all the vegetation had been blown up, and all the troops were in underground bunkers—just like in WWI. Ryder had a knack for avoiding shelling—he would tell Lyle to “wait” until the first shells landed—then “drive fast!” before the next barrage impacted. Lyle says Ryder learned that in WWI. He was with Ryder one day when an 88 shell landed right in front of the

jeep—and failed to explode, luckily for Lyle and Ryder. Brigadier General Bond, the 34th Division Deputy Commander for Operations, was not so lucky—he was killed in Italy, and his body was recovered by the Germans—Lyle reports that they buried him with full military honors and erected a cross on his grave. Italian women did the laundry for the division commander and his staff (and were paid for the work by the individual soldiers). One time Lyle had to take some troops across a pontoon bridge over the Rapido or Volturno River (he forgets which) to pick up the laundry, and the Germans began shelling as they approached the river. The passengers all jumped out and wouldn’t get back in, so Lyle calmly drove across the bridge, picked up the laundry, and came back, only to discover that the bridge had been knocked out. He was late getting the laundry back to HQ. After Rome fell, Lyle enjoyed eating real meat in a real ristorante—and did not complain even when he found out it was horse meat. Beat the heck out of Spam. He hated Spam. He also hated steak and kidney pudding, as well as mutton—both of which he was fed when attached to the British Army. Once, when stuck in the Anzio beachhead, they received a delivery of real eggs. Before the cooks could prepare them, the German Luftwaffe came over and dropped fragmentary bombs on them and broke every one. The remnants were not even fit to be scrambled. To augment their sparse diet at Anzio, Lyle and his buddies would go out at night and shoot stray cows, delivering the carcasses to the mess tent in time for breakfast. Lyle stayed as the CG’s driver all the way up into the Alps. After the war, he drove the new CG, General Charles L. Bolte, from northern Italy to Paris to catch a flight to London for a conference. Bolte told Lyle to “get to know Paris” while waiting for him to return, so Lyle spent a few days doing just that. He had a great time in

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Paris—with his own vehicle and plenty of cash. After the war, Lyle was disappointed that the U.S. did not back de Gaulle to head France—thinks he was the best man for the job. Gen. Bolte wanted Lyle to stay on with him after the war as his driver, but Lyle was happy to return to civilian life. Bolte went on to be a 4-‐star general and kept in touch with Lyle over the years. Lyle boarded an old troop transport in Leghorn (Livorno) in the summer of 1945 on his way home. The ship was anchored in the Bay of Naples when the A-‐bomb was dropped on Hiroshima—Lyle was not at all surprised by the event. While shore leave was granted in Naples, Lyle found it to be a “horrible place”—full of crime, corruption, prostitutes, and thieves. A bunch of the boys on the ship (“We called it a boat, but the Navy hated that—which is why we did it”) decided to go swimming in the bay. Well, it was quite a dive off the ship into the water, and Lyle

was determined not to let the kids show him up, so off he went. He tried to do a proper dive, but ended up doing a belly flop. The force knocked him out for a few seconds and left horrible red blotches on his stomach and chest. When he came to, he found himself floating amidst the raw sewage from the city of Naples. The rest of the 34th Division returned to the U.S., and the unit was deactivated back into the National Guard on 3 November 1945. The 34th saw more days of front line combat than any other U.S. outfit in the war—517—and had the highest casualty rate of any U.S. Army division—and Lyle Bonkrud was with them every step of the way. Lyle mustered out with twice the “points” needed to be discharged. He went on to careers in finance and insurance, and is now a hale and hearty retiree. But he still recalls his time in the Army during World War II where he was . . . driving history!

Arnold F. Bredow _________________________________________________

Mr. Bredow served in World War II in the European Theater (Central Europe, spe-‐cifically). He served in the U.S. Army in the infantry. He served from January 8, 1942 until December 15, 1945. His rank was Private 1st Class. He was decorated with the Overseas Service Bar, Good Conduct Medal, Victory

Medal, American Theater Ribbon, Euro-‐pean-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon, World War II Bronze Battle Star, and Service Stripe. Mr. Bredow was born in 1920, the son of Albert and Alma Bredow.


Nicholas M. Burggraff ____________________________________________

Mr. Burggraff served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from April 25, 1945, until June 29, 1946. He was assigned to Battery B, 152nd Airborne Anti-‐Aircraft Battalion. His rank was Staff Sergeant. He was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic-‐Pacific Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Mr. Burggraff was born in 1927 in Little Falls, Minnesota, the son of Jake and Helen Burggraff.


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James A. Burman _________________________________________________

Mr. Burman served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from March 15, 1946, until September 13, 1947. He was assigned to Battery C, 284th Anti-‐Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons (AAA AW) Battalion, and was in Manila from October 4, 1946, until May 22, 1947. His rank was T-‐5.

He was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal. Mr. Burman was born in 1927 in Ogilvie, Minnesota, the son of William and Elsie Burman.


William “Bill” A. Carlson _________________________________________

Mr. Carlson served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy. He first enlisted at the Naval Reserve Center in Duluth, Minnesota, on January 15, 1940. He was assigned to the 49th Organized Division, 10th Battalion of the U.S. Naval Reserve, where he took on the duties of a gun trainer in a 4” 50-‐caliber gun mount. He was called to active duty on November 3, 1940. He boarded the USS Paducah and proceeded to the East Coast, where he attended diesel school (at Mechanical Industries Technical Institute in Long Island City, New York, 1941) and armed guard gunnery school. In late 1941, Mr. Carlson shipped out as a gun crewmember aboard the M.S. City of New York. During this tour he made a round trip to South and East Africa.

On March 29, 1942, the M.S. City of New York was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-‐boat off of Cape Hatteras, Virginia. Mr. Carlson and the other sur-‐vivors spent 36 hours in a lifeboat. They were rescued after Mr. Carlson saw a dark shape on the horizon and used a flashlight to signal SOS—the only letters he knew in Morse code. He received a Letter of Com-‐mendation from the Chief of Naval Personnel for remaining at his station until the ship’s gunwales were awash. Mr. Carlson then served aboard the SC 1062, PC 548, PC 565, and PC 1200. In 1944, he was transferred to the Amphi-‐bious Force in the Pacific theater, where he was assigned to the LSM 461. He served aboard this ship during several operations, including Okinawa. In May 1945, Mr. Carlson was promoted to Chief Petty Officer. He was discharged from the Navy on November 1, 1945. Mr. Carlson reenlisted in the Naval Reserve in Duluth in 1946 and was affiliated with various units in that Naval Reserve Center until 1982, with the exception of the period 1950-‐58. He was promoted to Senior Chief in 1964 and to Master Chief in 1967. He retired from the Naval Reserve on July 4, 1982.

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Gordon Caza _______________________________________________________

Mr. Caza served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 15th Provisional Truck Company.

Mr. Caza is a survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota.

Lorraine Champeaux (Larson) _________________________________

Ms. Champeaux served in World War II. She served in the U.S. Air Force from March 1994 until December 7, 1945. She was assigned to the Walker Army Airfield, Victoria, Kansas, where she worked in the Celestial Navigation Trainer Department. Her rank was Corporal. Ms. Champeaux was born in 1923 in Cloquet, Minnesota, the daughter of Ed and Leah Champeaux.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (see below) From basic training in Des Moines, Ia., I was sent to Walker Army Airfield, Fort Hays, Victoria, Kansas. I was assigned to the Celestial Navigation trainer section for on-‐the-‐job training. Lots of bookwork to study and learning the set-‐up of these trainers. They were like silos (4) with a cockpit set up near the ceiling and a mesh

dome with all the stars in it. Navigators were given a mission to “fly” in the trainer. We had to set up the equipment and monitor the mission to be sure he was on track. Very interesting! At our field, a B-‐29 and crew would arrive and be gone over before going to the Philippines. Crew would each be given a physical, and pilots and navigators each had to fly missions in the ground trainers—CMT and LINK—rest of crew were check on their jobs. The plane was completely gone over by our mechanics and in about 1 week, all was done and they flew off to South Seas and another plane and crew would come in and whole procedure would start again. Toward last months of 1945, radar was put in the planes, so our trainers were now obsolete. I’ve never regretted my 2 years of service—learned a lot—met lots of nice people.

Eugene Ole Collins ________________________________________________

Mr. Collins served in the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 until 1955. He was assigned to the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division, which served in Korea. His rank was Staff Sergeant.

Mr. Collins was born in 1932 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Collins. He graduated from high school in 1952.


Eugene Lester Coyer _____________________________________________

Mr. Coyer served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from spring 1945 until fall 1947. He was assigned to participate in the V-‐5 Pilot Training Program. (The program was developed to develop Naval personnel, providing

students with a college education and emphasizing a Naval aviation core curriculum.) He was assigned to Naval Air Station Livermore, California, and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Coyer

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adds, “I thank the Navy for all they taught me.” His rank was Midshipman. Mr. Coyer was born in Albert Lea, Min-‐nesota, in 1927, the son of Lester and

Orilla Coyer. He graduated from high school in 1945.


Arthur Cusick _____________________________________________________

Mr. Cusick served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy from Nov-‐ember 1942 until March 1946. He was trained at Torpedoman School at the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island, and then at the Naval Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut. He was assigned to Fleet Records and did a stint with Commander in Chief in the Pacific (CINCPAC). He also served in the post

office of a hospital on a Naval base in California. His rank was Mailman 3rd Class. Mr. Cusick was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Source: Telephone interview with Veterans’ Memorial Hall staff; “Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island” (see http: //diodon349 .com/torpedoman/tm_stuff/naval_torpedo_ station_newport_rhode_island.htm}

Waclaw Dombrowski ____________________________________________

Mr. Dombrowski served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from March 15, 1943, until December 6, 1945. He was assigned to Company C, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He was wounded in action on D-‐Day, June 6, 1944, in southern France. His rank was Private 1st Class. Mr. Dombrowski was decorated with the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart with cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Euro-‐pean-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Service Medal with four battle stars and a bronze arrowhead, Fourre de Guerre, Unit Cita-‐tion with two clusters, World War II Medal, and the Medal of Occupation. Mr. Dombrowski was born in 1923 in Chisholm, Minnesota, the son of John D. Dombrowski and Maryann Rutkowski.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form completed by veteran; original entry on VMH website (see below)

Waclaw Dombrowski of Chisholm was in-‐ducted into the Army on March 15, 1943. He was a private first class and a rifleman with Company A, 37th Engineer Combat Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, serving in

North Africa, Italy, southern France, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was wounded in action on D-‐Day in southern

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France on June 6 and Aug. 24, 1944. He returned to duty at the Siegfried Line in Germany and fought through to Salzburg, Austria. He was on occupation duty until he was shipped to the U.S. Mr. Dombrowski received the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Ser-‐

vice Arrowhead, Combat Infantryman Badge, Distinguished Unit Citation, Euro-‐pean-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Campaign Service Medal and three overseas service bars. He was discharged on December 6, 1945.

George Dotlich ____________________________________________________

Mr. Dotlich served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy. He was as-‐signed to the USS Zane (DMS-14). His rank was Seaman 1st Class.

Mr. Dotlich was born on August 6, 1923, the son of Mike and Sophie Dotlich, in Bo-‐vey, Minnesota.


Mirko Dotlich _____________________________________________________

Mr. Dotlich served in World War II in the Atlantic and the Pacific. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from July 18, 1942, until January 10, 1946. Mr. Dotlich was assigned to the

1714th Signal Service Company. He served in the Atlantic, in Trinidad, as part of the defense of Allied shipping from German U-‐boat attacks. He served in the Pacific, in the Ryukyu Islands, including on Okinawa. Mr. Dotlich was stationed overseas and made his way home by taking one bus, five trains, three airplanes, and four boats. His rank was Private 1st Class. Mr. Dotlich was born in 1920 in Bovey, Minnesota, the son of Sophie and Mike Dotlich.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (see below)

Never stationed in States. Transportation: bus (1), train (5), air (3), boat (4). Home-‐bound had to have 100 points to get 1st boat out of Okinawa. I had 97 with 1 Battle Star, so was on the next one. Cities: Minneapolis – Cheyenne – New Orleans – Port of Spain – Miami – Sacramento – Salt Lake City – San Francisco – Honolulu – Naha – Seattle – Camp McCoy – St. Paul.

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Hans W. Eng _______________________________________________________

Mr. Eng served in World War II in the South Pacific. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from February 7, 1944, until February 14, 1947. He was assigned to the 4th Air Wing, Marine Aircraft Group 33. His rank was Corporal.

Mr. Eng was born in 1925 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Milton and Dora Eng.


Leland C. Engen __________________________________________________

Mr. Engen served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from approximately November 1942 until February 1946. He served with the 10th and 20th Armored Division Headquarters in Europe and the United States. His rank was Private 1st Class. He served as an orderly for General Kenneth Alt-‐house, General Robert Grove, and Major General Orlando Ward.

He was one of the liberators of the Dachau Concentration Camp in Dachau, Germany, and he participated in the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Engen was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Engen was born in 1919, the son of Paula Alvina Larson Engen and Clarence Erik Engen, in Austin, Minnesota.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran’s History Form

Vincent Earl Flesness ____________________________________________

Mr. Flesness served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from Feb-‐ruary 1942 until November 1945. He was trained as a Medical Technician and was then assigned to the 41st Hospital Train, a mobile medical unit. He landed in Casablanca, Morocco, in January 1943, where the 41st Hospital Train transported the sick and injured from field hospitals to general hospitals or onto hospital ships. In November 1943, his unit was sent to Naples, Italy. They followed the armies north once the railroad tracks were repaired. At war’s end, they transported German POWs back to Germany. Mr. Flesness’s rank was Corporal. Mr. Flesness was born in 1920 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Olaf and Ethal Flesness.


Inducted February 1942. After training as a Medical Technician, I was assigned to the 41st Hospital Train. We landed in Casablanca, Morocco, in January 1943. We transported patients from field hospitals to general hospitals or onto hospital ships. November 1943 we landed in Naples, Italy, and followed the armies north as soon as the tracks could be repaired. When the war ended, we transported German prisoners back to Germany. I was discharged about Nov-‐ember 1st, 1945.

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Lloyd Gerard ______________________________________________________

Mr. Gerard served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from August 1, 1944, until February 7, 1946. He was assigned to the 36th Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, 1st Army.

Mr. Gerard was born in 1919 in Buffalo, Minnesota, the son of Ray and Mary Gerard.


Louis Edward Gerard ____________________________________________

Mr. Gerard served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in the Air Training Command at several dif-‐ferent bases stateside. He served from July 6, 1943, until February 19, 1946. His rank was Sergeant. Mr. Gerard received college and 10 hours flight training of Piper Cubs in Missoula, Montana. He had basic training in Lincoln Army Air Field in Nebraska, and advanced training in Santa Ana Army Air Base, California. He was assigned to aircraft mechanics at Amarillo, Texas. He attended the B-‐17 Boeing Factory School in Burbank, California, and later served at the Las Vegas Army Gunnery School, Nevada, the home of the “Flying Horned Toads.” He did air crewing training in Sioux City, Iowa. When Mr. Gerard attended the B-‐17 Boeing Factory School, he qualified as an Aerial Engineer and Top Turret Gunner in the Boeing B-‐17 “Flying Fortress.” He was

assigned to a crew of ten and was ready for overseas duty when the war ended. Mr. Gerard was born in 1923, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Louis P. and Eva L. Gerard. He graduated from Willow River High School.


College training and 10 hours duel flying Piper Cubs, Missoula, Montana. Basic training, Lincoln, Nebraska. Santa Ana, California, classification. Aircraft mecha-‐nics, Amarillo, Texas. B-‐17 Boeing Factory School, Burbank California. Served at the Aerial Gunnery School, Las Vegas, Nevada—“Flying Horned Toads.” Air crew training, Sioux City, Iowa. Qualified as an Aerial Engineer and Top Turret Gunner in the Boeing B-‐17 Flying Fortress and assigned to a crew of ten. Ready for overseas duty when the war ended.

Robert Givens _____________________________________________________

Mr. Givens served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces beginning in 1942. He attended boot camp in Miami Beach, Florida. He was sent to Arlington, Texas, for aerial gun-‐nery school for six weeks; he went to Amarillo, Texas, for airplane mechanic school for sixteen weeks. Next, we was sent to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was assigned to a ten-‐man crew on a B-‐17

Flying Fortress. He was a top turret gunner. His rank was Staff Sergeant. The crew was sent to Moses Lake, Washington, which had an available 10,000-‐ft runway. They earned 60 hours of practice time in the air, then were sent to Ephrata, Washington, for a second phase of training. The third phase was in Sioux City, Iowa, where they practiced night flying. The crew passed an air test and was then sent to Grand Island,

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Nebraska, where they picked up a new B-‐17G. They calibrated the instruments and then flew to Prestwick, Scotland, by way of Goose Bay, Labrador, and Meeks Field, Iceland. There, their plane was modified. They went by train to an airbase in England. They were assigned to the 8th Air Force, 452nd Bomb Group, 730th Bomb Squadron there. Their designated plane was a B-‐17F, and their job was to fly bombing missions over Europe. Mr. Givens and his crew completed five missions over France and Germany. On April 12, 1944, on their sixth mission, a technical problem brought their plane

down over the North Sea. Six men perished; Mr. Givens was one of four who survived. The men were found and picked up by a British rescue crew. Mr. Givens spent the next eight months recovering in a hospital. Mr. Givens was again on active duty from 1945 until 1948. Later, from 1950 until 1951, he served in the Korean War. Mr. Givens was born in 1924 in Eveleth, Minnesota, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Gordon Givens.


Joseph P. Gomer __________________________________________________

Mr. Gomer served in World War II. He served in North Africa, Italy, and Ger-‐many. Mr. Gomer served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen. He began training at the Tus-‐kegee Army Air Field in July 1942, and in May 1943 he received his wings. He was assigned to the segregated 332nd Fighter Group in Italy and joined the 301st Fighter Squadron. The Tuskegee Airmen pilots were known as the "Red Tail Angels" because of the distinctive markings on the tales of their airplanes. Their mission was to escort bombers as they made raids on German positions. Many of the white pilots they protected did not know that their defenders were African Americans. Mr. Gomer completed 68 successful missions during the war. After the war, Mr. Gomer stayed in the U.S. Air Force. He was still serving there when President Harry Truman desegre-‐gated the U.S. military. When he retired, his rank was Major. In 2000, Mr. Gomer was recognized by the NAACP. He was selected as a "history maker" by the HistoryMakers Project (Chicago) in 2002. A native of Iowa Falls, Iowa, he was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in 2004. Finally, in 2007, he was awarded the Congressional

Gold Medal, the highest honor that the U.S. Congress can bestow.

Mr. Gomer was born in Iowa Falls on June 20, 1920, and graduated from Iowa Falls High School in 1938. He now lives in Duluth, Minnesota.

Sources: "Us Neighbors," Duluth News-‐Tribune, November 5, 1997; "Local News," Duluth News Tribune, March 10, 2007; see also www.thehistorymakers.cosm

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Floyd R. Grover __________________________________________________

Mr. Grover served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from May 29, 1945, until August 15, 1946. He was as-‐signed to the Naval Air Station Hydraulic Shop at the Naval Air Station at Glenview, Illinois. His rank was Seaman 1st Class.

Mr. Grover was born in 1927 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Floyd, Sr., and Dora Grover.


Norman John Gutz _______________________________________________

Mr. Gutz served during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy from December 8, 1943, until May 21, 1946. He attended boot camp at Farragut, Iowa, and was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center to study mechanics. He was assigned to the USS Wilkes Barre, which served as an aircraft carrier escort. His ship was attacked by kamikazes on numerous occasions and participated in the invasion of Okinawa. It was also present at the signing of the surrender by Japan. Mr. Gutz’s rank was Water Tender 2nd Class. Mr. Gutz was born in 1925 in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, the son of Gustave and Emma Gutz.


World War II was no different than any previous war. It involved most every one between the ages of eighteen and thirty-‐five. The draft started before any of the fighting. It prompted the U.S. to prepare for the inevitable. I was only fourteen when daily reports of invasions were coming over the radio. The young men were being forced to decide their future. Patriotism drove many to enlist in the service. Some were even going to Canada to volunteer in the Royal Army. Many waited until they were called in the draft. The draft compelled all eighteen and over to register, and all were

placed in categories from A-‐1 to 4-‐F. Some petitioned the draft board for a deferrable occupation such as farming, while others simply refused to serve due to religious convictions. They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. I experienced the war firsthand as a seaman serving on a light cruiser engag-‐ing the Japanese Navy in the Asiatic theater of war. I feel I was fortunate to get through it with no physical or psycho-‐logical scars. Back in the days when I was growing up, most people were stereo-‐typed as either a city dweller or a country bumpkin. Although our family wasn’t engaged in farming, we did live in a remote area of the country. I attended a one-‐room school a mile from home. Even as first graders, we had to walk to and from the schoolhouse. I completed the eighth grade in 1939, but was unable to attend high school as it was over 5 miles into town, and the district did not provide transportation. Like many young lads at that time, I became a wage earner. Some lads worked on the family farm in preparation for some day taking over. At the age of fourteen, I began a career as a farmhand, working for a monthly salary of $10.00 plus room and board, a job that was seasonal from planting to harvest. During the winter months, I stayed at home hunting and trapping. I was sixteen when Pearl Harbor was bombed. The U.S. was now at war.

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Wanting to enter the service before I was eighteen required a parent’s consent, which Mother was not about to give, as a recent convert to Jehovah’s Witnesses. She tried her best to persuade my brother and I to conscientiously object to serving on religious grounds. Jobs in town were plentiful due to the number of men leaving for the armed forces. I decided to abandon the farm. I found employment in one of the meat packing plants (Swift’s). In September of 1943, I registered for the draft, and by December I had my physical and was inducted into the Navy. I spent boot training in Farragut, Idaho. From there I was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center for mechanical training. It was hard for me to get through a machine shop course due to the small amount of math I had at school. After completing the course, I was selected as part of a group that would be trained in marine engineering. We were sent to Newport, Rhode Island, to learn to operate steam boilers. Upon completing the course, I was assigned to the USS Wilkes Barre (CL 103), which was being built in Camden, New Jersey. After completion of the hull, it was moved to Philadelphia Naval Yard. Here it would be outfitted for armament and radar. We moved aboard to get indoctrinated to shipboard life. We operated the boilers even thought it was moored to the dock. Later, we weighed anchor for a shake-‐down cruise to Trinidad in the Caribbean, putting the ship and crew through the paces, simulating battle conditions. Then returned to the Philadelphia Naval Yard to complete outfitting and correcting problems. In November of 1944, we set out to pass through the Panama Canal and to Pearl Harbor, where we received orders to proceed to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, where we were to join the 3rd Fleet as an aircraft carrier escort. Our first taste of combat came as a surprise, as the same day we arrived and

sat at anchor watching an above-‐deck movie. General quarters blared as the fleet was attacked by suicide planes. We were unprepared for combat, as we had two of our four boilers down or in repair. A ship is most vulnerable to attack when it’s not moving. But handicapped as we were, the ship surged ahead to produce smoke for a screen to hide the carriers. As soon as the attack started, it was over, as the planes were shot down. Our ship per-‐formed well as part of a task force whose mission it was to engage the enemy in naval combat and support land troops in their invasion of Japanese-‐held territory. Our particular assignment was to pro-‐tect the aircraft carrier from submarines, dive bombers, etc. As soon as one encounter or invasion was secured, we were already engaged in the next. The invasion of Okinawa was one of our last and hardest fought battles. Japan knew that if they could not keep control of that island, their mainland would be vulnerable to attack. Suicide attacks were almost constant, inflicting damage to both sides. Our ship accounted for the demise of seven kamikazes. In one skirmish, they came at us so thick, it was impossible to shoot them all down. Three of them man-‐aged to break through the anti-‐aircraft fire and scored hits on the carrier Bunker Hill. A blazing inferno erupted as the planes on deck loaded with bombs and ammunition fueled the fire. Our ship moved alongside to pump water on the flames. As the carrier listed, we were trapped under her gun mounts. We ended up with all the railings on the starboard side torn off and a 12-‐foot hole in our bow. Hundreds of burnt and wounded seamen were transferred to our ship. The following morning we held funeral services for twelve men, who were buried at sea. There was no hospital ship in the area at that time, so the injured seamen had to remain aboard. The convoy was to undertake a bombardment raid on the mainland of Japan, and only vessels that

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could travel over 30 knots could parti-‐cipate. Our captain secured permission to partake in the raid. We steamed into Tokyo Bay at full speed, with guns destroying harbor installations. It was more of a demoralizing maneuver than anything, such as the Doolittle Raid. The war was coming to an end, as the atom bomb was dropped. Our ship, the

USS Wilkes Barre, was present with the fleet in Tokyo Bay as the surrender was signed. Our ship remained active after the surrender, as we were designated the flagship of the demilitarizing force, patrolling the Orient. After two-‐and-‐one-‐half years of service in the Naval Reserve, I returned to civilian life.

Chester E. Haataja ________________________________________________

Mr. Haataja served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy from July 1944 until June 1946. His rank was Fireman 1st Class. Mr. Haataja went through boot camp in Farragut, Idaho, and took amphibious training in San Diego, California. He volunteered for sea duty and was assigned to the S.S. Afoundria on Treasure Island. His unit transported troops and supplies to Okinawa. He was next assigned to the USS Manley DD 74 and prepared for the invasion of the home island of Japan. After Japan surrendered in August 1945, they traveled to Phila-‐delphia, where their ship was dismantled. He was next assigned to the USS Niagara APA 87, which headed for the Philippines to transport troops back to the United States; by the time they arrived, the troops had already been picked up. He was next assigned to the USS Badoeng Straits CVE 116 and made his way back to San Diego, California. Mr. Haataja was born in 1925 in Becker County, Minnesota, the son of William and Maria Haataja.


I had turned 16 years old 5 days before Pearl Harbor was invaded. It was a Sun-‐day, we had a battery radio so it was only turned on to listen to the news and a few other programs, it was late afternoon before we got the news. I was thinking that why couldn’t they have waited a few

more years so I would have been able to help fight the invaders. I had never been farther away from home than the county seat so really wanted to see the world. Two years went by, I turned 18, registered for the draft and before long they called me in. I was able to have my choice between the Army and the Navy, took the Navy, went to boot camp in Farragut, Idaho, took amphibious training in San Diego, Ca., and from there volun-‐teered for sea duty. Was sent to Treasure Island where we were assigned to take charge of landing boats on the S.S. Afoundria. Landed troops and supplies on Okinawa and at times we wondered if we would live long enough to make it back to the good old USA. My next trip was on the USS Manley DD 74, we had duty around Hawaii, cata-‐pulting drones (target aircraft) to get the fleet ready for the push into Japan, we were fortunate they (the Japs) did surrender in August so this final chapter didn’t have to take place. It would have been a bloody mess so the surrender did save a lot of American lives. Our ship was old so we headed for Philadelphia by way of Panama to have the ship decom-‐missioned and sold for scrap. Was reassigned to the USS Niagara APA 87, before Christmas of 45 we headed for the Philippines to pick up some troops to bring back, took us 28 days to get there and all the boys had already been brought back, so we enjoyed the continuous rain for a few weeks and finally came back to

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Pearl Harbor where they started getting the ship ready for the Bikini Atomic bomb test. I declined volunteering for it so worked my way back to San Diego, Ca., on the USS Badoeng Straits (CVE 116), 4 hours on and 4 off for 5 or 6 days in the fire room, needless to say we were tired out when we got back. The Navy was getting short on men so they made do the best they could. So for a farm boy who had never been anywhere it was quite an experience. Back home they didn’t even have electricity, we got REA after I came home from the Navy. This program put the nation to work after the war industries closed up. I walked 2 miles each way to

school and back and sometimes had to use skis because they never plowed the roads on the East end of the county until April. High school was five miles away, no school buses, and the family could not afford to board me in town so I had to be satisfied with 8th grade. I do know the value of a dollar and how hard it was to make a living in the 1930s. Farmers went to town with the horses, cream cans on the sleigh, and if you bought fruit it was frozen by the time you got back to the farm. Nobody considered themselves poor and being that we lived on a farm there was always something to eat.

Darrell Wesley Harwood ________________________________________

Mr. Harwood served in World War II in the South Pacific. He served in the U.S. Navy from Sept-‐ember 22, 1942, until January 19, 1946. He was assigned to Fleet Air Wing One. His rank was Aviation Radioman 2nd Class. Mr. Harwood was born in 1922, the son of John and Hilda Harwood, in Jordan Township, Fillmore City, Minnesota. He graduated from Big Fork (Minnesota) High School in 1940.


“After attending several service schools and having had flight training at Jacksonville Naval Air Station in patrol bombers (P.B.Y.’s), I was shipped overseas on September 23, 1943. I was attached to Fleet Air Wing One and places I was at were Hawaii, New Hebrides, Guadalcanal, Tulagi [Solomon Islands], Florida Islands [Solomon Islands], and Fiji Islands. Arrived back in the States on March 13, 1945.”

Erling Hegg ________________________________________________________

Mr. Hegg served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was assigned to an Essex class aircraft carrier, Marine Detachment. He was inducted on June 30, 1944, and was discharged on March 1, 1946. His rank was Private 1st Class. He was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Hegg was born in 1924 in Orleans, Minnesota, son of Andrew and Anna Hegg.


“During World War II, I was the last of four brothers and three sisters to be at home to help out on the farm. Because of this, I had what was called a 2-‐C defer-‐ment. Two of my brothers served all through the war, one in the Air Force and one in the Army. “Although I had a deferment, I wanted to enlist. May dad understood, so I cancelled my deferment and enlisted in the

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Marines. I have never regretted my de-‐cision. I did very little compared to many who served so much longer and in far more dangerous missions, but I’m proud to have been able to serve time in the Marines.

“Both of my brothers served the full time of the war—and one received the Medal of Honor! They are both gone now, and I am proud of them, and proud to have been able to serve my own time in service for our country.”

George S. Herrington _____________________________________________

Mr. Herrington served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from July 13, 1942, until February 3, 1945. He was assigned to SC-512. His rank was Ship’s Cook 1st Class. Mr. Herrington was born in 1924 in Agricola, Mississippi, the son of Ada and

Rufus Herrington. He graduated from Alba High School, Bayou La Batre, Alabama.


While aboard SC-‐512, the skipper came and asked me, as the cook, to make him some eggs Benedict for breakfast. I told him no way was that going to happen. “I am the ship’s cook, not the officers’ cook.” I thought I was going to be in a whole lot of trouble, but no more was ever said or brought up again. All went well after that.

Orville J. Hicks ____________________________________________________

Mr. Hicks served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from March 31, 1943, until November 17, 1945. He was assigned to the 8th Air Force, 2nd Air Division, 389th Bomb Group, 564th Squadron, Hethel, England. His rank was Staff Sergeant. He was decorated with the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf, the American Theater Medal, the Distinguished Unit Badge, the

European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Theater Medal with 3 Bronze Stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the S.S. Carbine Badge. Mr. Hicks was born in 1923 in Pepin, Wisconsin, the son of Clyde and Alcie Hicks.


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Warren Leslie High _______________________________________________

Mr. High served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from December 23, 1942, until November 27,

1945. He was assigned to the 818th Signal Port Service Company, 7th Port, 92nd Chemical Mortar Battalion. He was a Technician 5th Grade, a radio operator and repairman. His service took him to Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. Mr. High was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal, European-‐African-‐Middle East Campaign Service Medal with one bronze battle star, American Campaign Service Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Leslie and Adele High.


Lyle Hocking _______________________________________________________

Mr. Hocking served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from January 1943 until December 15, 1945. He had basic training in San Diego, California, and advanced training at Boat Basin, Oceanside, California. He was then sent to New Zealand and was trained on Fiji Island. Subsequently, he saw combat at the Battle of Tarawa (November 20–23, 1943), where he was wounded. He was evacuated to Pearl Harbor naval hospital. Subsequently, he was sent to Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. His rank was Corporal. Mr. Hocking was decorated with the Purple Heart.

Mr. Hocking was born in 1924 in Jackson, Minnesota, the son of Dewey and Mona Hocking.


Enter camp – January 1943 – training at San Diego, California. Further training at Boat Basin, Oceanside, California. Over-‐seas to New Zealand – training on Fiji Island. Combat at Tarawa – wounded – hospital and naval hospital of Pearl Harbor – on to Saipan, then to Tinian on to Okinawa. War ended – thank goodness. Home in December, 1945.

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Wayne Hoffman ___________________________________________________

Mr. Hoffman served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from November 1937 until June 1941 on the USS Paducah. He was recalled in 1943. He

attended gunner’s mate school and then was assigned to the LST 244 in the Pacific. He participated in the invasions of Guam and Okinawa. He was discharged in 1945. His rank was Seaman 1st Class. He was decorated with the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Asiatic-‐Pacific Medal with 2 Battle Stars, the American Defense Medal, the Navy Good Conduct Medal, and the Naval Reserve Medal. Mr. Hoffman was born in 1919 in Proctor, Minnesota, the son of Carl and Emma Hoffman.


Charles “Chuck” Hubbard _______________________________________

Mr. Hubbard served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Marine Air Corps from early December 1943 until early December 1945. He served as a flight mechanic. Mr. Hubbard went to boot camp in San Diego, California. He attended Radio School at Texas A&M, College Station, Texas. Mr. Hubbard was then assigned to Headquarters, Squadron Marine Fleet Air West Coast. He participated in the X-‐Ray Project (“Bat Bomb”) at Marine Air Station, El Centro, California. The idea for this project was submitted to the White House in January, 1942, and later approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It involved the use of bomb-‐shaped casings that contained Mexican free-‐tailed bats, each carrying an incendiary device containing napalm with a timer. The casings were to be dropped by a bomber at dawn over Japanese cities known for having industrial capacity; the casings would open, releasing the bats, which would then disperse, seeking

places to roost in Japanese eaves and attics. Built-‐in timers would ignite the incendiaries and would start fires, burn-‐ing the extremely flammable wooden Japanese buildings. But in February of 1944, the project was cancelled. In the Pacific Theater, Mr. Hubbard was assigned to the 1st Marine Air Wing, Marine Air Group 25 VMR-‐152. They flew wounded out of Palau, transported per-‐sonnel, and bombed Japanese airstrips. He was a Staff Sergeant and was deco-‐rated with the Air Medal. Mr. Hubbard was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Charles and Fern Hubbard.

Sources: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (see below); "Bat Bombs Away!" (http:// defensetech.org/2005/06/01/bat-bombs-away); "The Bat Bombers," Air Force Magazine, October 1990, Vol. 73, No. 10; Bat Bomb: World War II's Other Secret Weapon by Jack Couffer, University of Texas Press, 1992.

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“Wanted to be Marine flyer, but too short. Regular Marines recorded me taller than I was, so enlisted me December 1942. Boot camp San Diego. Radio School, Texas A&M. Hd. Marine Fleet Air West Coast, X-‐Ray Project (Bat Bomb). “Overseas 1st Marine Air Wing, Marine Air Group 25 VMR-‐152 (DC3 transports). Flew as flight mechanic over 400 hours. Flew wounded out of Palau. 1st Wing flew

ground support for U.S. army in Phil-‐ippines. We flew ground personnel from [illegible] to new air bases. Flew night fighters to [illegible]. Stayed three nights, bombed strip by Nips 1st night, flew to Australia, flew back to Hawaii to pick up new plane, spent September ‘45 at Admiralty Islands, played baseball.”

Robert G. Huston _________________________________________________

Mr. Huston served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from September 11, 1944, until June 27, 1946. He entered the Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and was sent to Camp J. T. Robinson, Arkansas, for basic infantry training. In January 1945, he embarked for Europe from New York on the Queen Elizabeth. In early February of that year he joined the 2nd Platoon, 114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division. He served as a Rifleman-‐Bazooka Gunner and Scout. His rank was Private 1st Class. He was wounded in the left knee in Alsace-‐Lorraine, France, and sutured by medics in the field. He continued in combat through Bavaria, Germany, and into Austria, where he was on V-‐E Day. He was eighteen years old. Mr. Huston returned to the United States on July 20, 1945, on the Queen Elizabeth and was assigned to Company I, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Div-‐ision. He was promoted to Squad Leader and later, Platoon Sergeant. Mr. Huston was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Campaign Service Medal with 2 battle stars, Army of Occupation Service Medal (Germany), American Campaign Service Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Mr. Huston was born in 1926 at home in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Robert James and Emma Miller Huston.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall original entry (see below); telephone interview with Veterans’ Memorial Hall staff

Robert G. Huston entered the Army on Sept. 11, 1944, at Fort Snelling, Mn. He was assigned to Camp J. T. Robinson, Ark., for basic infantry training. In January 1945, he embarked for Europe from New York on the Queen Elizabeth. In early February 1945 he joined the 2nd platoon, 114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Inf. Division. As a Pfc. he served as Rifleman-‐Bazooker gunner and Scout. In Alsace-‐Lorraine, France, he was wounded in the left knee and sutured by medics in the field. He continued in combat through Germany, Bavaria and into Austria on VE Day while still only 18 years of age. He returned to the USA on July 20, 1945, via Queen Elizabeth. He was assigned to Company I, 23rd Inf. Reg., 2nd Inf. Division. Promoted to Squad Leader then Platoon Sgt. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, E.T.O. Campaign Service Medal with 2 battle stars, Army of Occupation Service Medal (Germany), American Campaign Service Medal and the WW II Victory Medal. He was given an Honorable Discharge as Sergeant on June 27th 1946.

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James Redman Hutchinson _____________________________________

Mr. Hutchinson served in World War II in the South Pacific, specifically, in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. He served in the U.S. Army from December 14, 1942, until January 16, 1946. He was assigned to the 3294th Signal Base Depot Company. His rank was Corporal. He was decorated with the Philippine Liberation Medal with 1 star and the

Asiatic-‐Pacific Theater Service Medal with 2 stars. Mr. Hutchinson was born in 1923 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the son of Archibald and Esther L. (Redman) Hutchinson.


Niilo August Isaacson ____________________________________________

Mr. Isaacson served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from May 11, 1943, until November 9, 1945. He was assigned to the 398th Bomb Group. Two times he narrowly escaped death. Once, on January 1, 1945, one of the plane’s engines caught on fire and the pilot made an emergency landing on the North Sea, 120 miles from land. Three of

the crew were lost; Mr. Isaacson and five others survived, largely due to the courage of 2nd Lt. Leonard Tebbs, who managed to release a stuck life raft. On March 18, 1945, their plane was shot over Berlin. One of their engines was disabled. They knew they could not fly back to England in their condition. Instead, they flew east without any maps, hoping to avoid German-‐controlled territory, hoping instead to reach Russia or Poland. They knew the Russians were advancing on Germany from the east. They succeeded in landing at a Russian-‐controlled air base near Kutno, Poland, south of Warsaw. His rank was Technical Sergeant. Mr. Isaacson was decorated with the European Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Air Force Medal. Mr. Isaacson was born in 1923 in Kettle River, Minnesota, the son of Isaac and Jenny Isaacson. Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; article (see below; reprinted with permission of the Arrowhead Leader) “Niilo Isaacson Narrowly Missed Death Twice During World War II”

When Niilo (pronounced Nee-‐lo) Isaacson left the home farm near Kettle River in 1943, he didn’t realize what the next two years would hold for him. By Mother’s Day two years later the war in Europe

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was over, and Niilo had survived two life-‐threatening experiences. Niilo’s brothers, Walter, Waino, and his twin brother Hugo, had left the farm earlier. “Walter was drafted soon after the war started,” said Niilo in an interview in his home near Kettle River last Tuesday. “He was sent to New Guinea and became a stevedore—he unloaded ships.” “Waino went next. He volunteered and was assigned to the infantry. He got wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He heard a projectile coming, ducked, and he heard it hit a tree. Shrapnel hit him in the belly and he spent a long time in the hospital recovering. “My twin brother, Hugo, started in the infantry as an ammunition carrier, but he had flat feet,” said Niilo. “He couldn’t handle walking in the mountains. He got transferred to the medical corps and was stationed on an island in the South Pacific.” Niilo was drafted and left home on May 11, 1943, to join the Air Force. Arnie was the last of the brothers to join the war effort. However, he never got into the fighting. Niilo explained that while he was in basic training, he was swinging on a rope over water and the rope broke. His ankle was severely injured. From then on he had a stainless steel ankle. “He got a medical discharge,” said Niilo. The youngest brother, Reino, did not have to leave home. “They had a rule that they wouldn’t take all of the boys in a family, they would leave one,” he said. Niilo served his time in Europe as an engineer gunner on a B-‐17 bomber flying from England and bombing various targets in Germany. He and the other members of his crew arrived in England in their bomber 59 years ago this month, unknowing what they were to face in the next four months. Trouble began on their first mission in 1944. “We flew our first mission to Stutt-‐gart on Dec. 9 and one of the engines went out due to a mechanical failure,” said Niilo. “We made it back, but couldn’t stay

with the other planes, we didn’t have enough power.” Trouble hit again on a mission on Dec. 24. “We bombed Koblenz, and flak hit a control cable,” said Niilo. “We went into a nosedive. The navigator was also hit. But we were able to fly back on automatic pilot. We got back in the afternoon of Christmas Day. We missed Christmas dinner.” The plane was repaired, and more bombing missions followed. It was Jan. 1, 1945, when the crew had the first of their two harrowing experiences. “One of the engines caught on fire and we had to make an emergency landing I the North Sea,” said Niilo. “We lost three of the crew.” In a written report, crew member Second Lieutenant William F. Jordan of Tarrytown, New York, told the story: “The day’s mission to Magdeburg, Germany, on Jan. 1, started in a routine fashion, but while flying over the North Sea around 7 or 8 a.m., the crew, piloted by First Lieutenant Howard M. Pinner, Candler, North Carolina, found itself in real trouble. “A fire started in one of our engines while we were flying with the formation at 5,000 feet. The pilot tried to feather the engine but it was no use. Flames stretched at least 20 feet beyond the wing. We used the fire extinguishers but the fire continued to flare. Then Lt. Pinner attempted to put the flame out by diving at excessive speed. That also proved useless. “At this stage the pilot alerted all members of the crew, and everyone prepared for ditching. Each man calmly waited at his position to leave the plane as soon as it struck the water. According to reports from other bombers that were fling above, Lt. Pinner made a magnificent approach over the rough water and set the bomber down as level as possible. “The plane, now 120 miles from land, hit the waves and broke in two just behind the ball turret. Within 10 seconds the

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64,000-‐pound bomber, with three tons of bombs aboard, sank. During these few seconds the men accomplished wonders: I remember pushing one of the enlisted men out of the radio hatch escape door. The water then poured in over me and I thought it was the end. Somehow, by help of the good Lord, I shot right up from about 20 feet under. When I came up, I found myself next to the plane’s fin. Immediately, I swam away because I didn’t want to be sucked down with it. “From his position, co-‐pilot Second Lieutenant Leonard P. Tebbs, Cheyenne, Wyoming, noticed that the dinghy on his side of the plane had not been released. With complete disregard of being swept down by the path of the front section of the bomber, he turned back and manually set the life raft free. If it wasn’t for the heroic deed performed by the co-‐pilot, all members undoubtedly would have drowned within a few minutes. “The tail gunner, Staff Sergeant Glen H. Cline of Albany, New York, and engineer gunner, Technical Sergeant Niilo A. Isaacson, Kettle River, Minnesota, were able to get out at the point where the plane broke. However, Staff Sergeant John E. Furrow, Jr., Roanoke, Virginia, the waist gunner, and Second Lieutenant Warren L. King, Sequim, Washington, the navigator, were not so fortunate and drowned immediately after the plane hit the water. “Six of the crew finally climbed into the dinghy. At this time the tail gunner was only about 50 yards from the life raft. For nearly 30 minutes the crew members used every effort to paddle toward Sgt. Cline, but due to the rough sea they were unable to get to him before he was lost. “The emergency radio, called a Gibson Girl, must have popped out of the radio room because we found it floating nearby. We paddled after it and unpacked the equipment. The radio operator sent out our position. For at least an hour and a half the wet, cold and sick survivors continued to send out their position by radio. Finally three

P-‐47 Thunderbolts made an appearance and approached the dinghy at about 500 feet. “We all cried for joy when we saw these three friendly planes circle us. The planes flew so low over us on their second pass we could see the pilot waving at us. This was enough assurance to know that we were in safe hands. “The Thunderbolts continued to fly over us, and more came to relieve them. Two Lindholm rescue dinghies were dropped within a few yards of the stranded men. They paddled to them and Sgt. Huey climbed into one and Lt. Tebbs climbed into the other. Food, water, cigarettes and protective clothing were available in those two rescue rafts and the men took advantage of all of the items. “Just before dark we saw two big British bombers heading our way. Each plane carried a Flying Dutchman lifeboat under its fuselage. One bomber dropped the rescue boat about 75 yards away, but all the chutes on the boat failed to open and it crashed into the water, sounding like a 500-‐pound bomb. It sank. The other bomber then dropped its boat, and this time there were no mistakes. There was plenty of room for all of us. “These lifeboats were equipped with every possible necessity, including two engines, a compass, foodstuffs and cloth-‐ing. The engineer gunner, after reading the instructions, was able to start the engines and head for England.” That engineer gunner was Niilo. “We found out that there was a problem with the compass,” he said. “We had been heading for Germany. We got that to work right and changed our course for England.” Jordan went on to tell more about the ordeal: “Before long we saw a ship heading our way. It turned out to be a British air-‐sea rescue launch, and it came alongside to take us on board. When we got on deck, one of its members greeted us with a “Happy New Year, yanks!” What a

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greeting that was! We’ll never appreciate a New Year’s present like that one. “The rescuers took care of us six airmen in tip-‐top fashion. The bacon and eggs served the survivors were better than any $10 steak at the Waldorf!” Later the crew was assigned to another plane and made more bombing runs over Germany. There was one incident in February where they ran out of gas and had to land in Brussels, Belgium, but they refueled and got back to England, and completed more bombing runs on into March. It was March 18 when the crew had their second harrowing experience. “We were shot at over Berlin,” said Niilo. “Our plane had been hit, but we still had two engines and glided to an airstrip and landed.” Pilot Lt. Pinner wrote his version of the story: “We bombed a target 20 miles north of Berlin—an ordnance plant at Orani-‐enburg. On the bomb run we had a lot of flak. An unexploded missile went through the gas tank of the number two engine. It made a hole so large that all of the fuel ran out of that tank. This created a fire on the wing. The flow of fuel and the wind from the engine caused the fire to wash off of the wing. We feathered the engine because it could get no fuel. “With only two good engines, we knew that to try to get back to our base in England was out. We would have been shot down by German fighters or more flak. The decision was made to continue to fly toward Poland and Russia. “We flew east with no maps. At that time the Russian armies were driving toward Berlin and advancing rapidly. If we flew too far north or too far south or not far enough, we would land in German-‐controlled territory. We followed a double-‐track railroad until we spotted an airfield. “It was almost sundown when we circled the field. Our wheels and flaps were down, indicating that we were

planning to land. Red flares were shot towards us. This meant for us not to land, but it was quite late in the day, and this was the only place that looked like it might be suitable to land. The runway did look short. “We decided to land. As soon as the wheels touched the runway, I locked the brakes. I looked down and saw cinders and stones flying in all directions. It was then that I knew that this was not a hard-‐surfaced runway. I then released the brakes because we were about to nose over from the wheels sinking in the mud. “I then gave the then three engines full power and held the tail down until the plane slowed. We had plowed the whole runway. The plane stopped with the wheels in the mud and dirt up to the axles. The ball turret on the underside of the plane was touching the ground. “When the plane stopped, we got out with our hands held high waving some leaflets that had been given to us at the morning briefing. We were told that the leaflets were in Russian and said, “Take us to the American Consul” or something like that. “Before landing, there was not one person to be seen on the airfield. When the plane stopped, suddenly Russians were coming in large numbers from all directions. They first spoke to us in German to be sure that we were not Germans. A man soon stepped forward who spoke English fluently. We then learned that we had landed at a Russian fighter base near Kutno, Poland, a town south of Warsaw. “We stayed for five days while they made sure that we had no military secrets. Then they asked us if we could fly the plane out. It had more than 80 holes that could be easily seen. The tail wheel was flat. Only three engines were operating. If the runway had been hard surfaced and if the tail wheel had been repaired, we could have flown it out. “We were transferred 30 miles or so in a truck to another Russian air base. At this

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base we met five American crews who had had experiences similar to ours. “An American C-‐47 with a Russian and American crew spotted a B-‐24 or B-‐17 as they were flying over this base. When they landed, they found six crews who had not been reported or accounted for there. They were out looking for any Americans that might have been forced to land in Poland. They made plans to take us to an American base. “All of our crew and most of the other crews climbed aboard this plane. It was fully loaded. In a few hours we landed at the shuttle base in Poltava, Russia. “At this base we were interrogated and given American food. They also notified our base in England that we were safe. After one night we began the journey to England. “We stayed one night in Tehran, Iran, one night in Cairo, Egypt, one in Berri, Italy, then on to Paris, France, and finally some 15 days from the time our mission started, we arrived back in England.” Niilo added: “When we were flying over the desert, we saw a camel caravan coming in and we saw pyramids close to Cairo. In Italy, the pilot flew around Mount Vesuvius and we could see the smoke coming out. I saw 15 different countries and I walked in all of them.” Niilo said that they still had a few missions to go to make the required 25, and flew their last mission on April 21.

According to American History, A Survey, on April 30, with Soviet forces on the outskirts of Berlin, Adolf Hitler killed himself in his bunker in the capitol. And on May 8, 1945, the remaining German forces surrendered themselves uncon-‐ditionally. That became known as V-‐E Day. The war against Japan continued until September. To Niilo and the other soldiers stationed in England, the surrender in Europe was the news they had been waiting to hear. “On Mother’s Day I sent a telegram home to Mother,” he said. Niilo was one of 10,000 soldiers crammed into bunks on the Ile de France, the ship brought them back to America. “I saw the Statue of Liberty when we got to New York,” he said. Niilo spent time at Edwards Air Force Base in California and at Chanute Field in Illinois before he was discharged. Once Niilo got home he found that his brothers had all survived. “The whole family came back, safe if not sound.“ There are three left: Walter, Hugo, and Niilo. And there are only three left of the crew that had shared so much together. “I saw the pilot, Howard, Pinner, years ago,” said Niilo. “He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The co-‐pilot, Leonard Tebbs, is still living. He lives in Sarasota, Florida. Us three are the only ones left of the crew.”

Wayne “Whitey” G. Johnson _____________________________________

Mr. Johnson served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from December 8, 1941, until November 26, 1946. He was one of the famous fighter pilots in the group known as the “Flying Tigers.” Mr. Johnson was assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group, the Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force. Mr. Johnson was born in 1921 in Artichoke Township, Minnesota, the son

of Jentoft Christian Blom and Aasta Karoline Olsen Johnson. His parents emigrated from Norway in 1907. He graduated from the Chokio, Minnesota, high school in 1939.


Wayne Gordon Johnson was born in 1921 on a farm in Artichoke Township near Ortonville, Minnesota. He was one of 14 children. His parents, Jentoft Christian

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Blom Johnson and Aasta Karoline Olsen, had emigrated from Norway in 1907. Wayne started his flying career in 1937 when a farmer near Chokio, Minnesota, taught him to fly in a Curtiss Robin plane. He earned his flying lessons in exchange for farm chores while attending high school in Chokio. Spending over seventy years in the air as a pilot, he continued to fly well into his eighties. On 8 December 1941, the day after a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Johnson joined the Army Air Corps. After cadet and tactical training, and commissioned a 2nd lieutenant, he was sent to China as a fighter pilot with General Claire Lee Chennault’s famed Flying Tigers 14th Air Force. He flew the P-‐40 Warhawk and P-‐51 Mustang fighters in combat. For a lark, and not officially authorized, he flew the Japanese Aichi Val and Jake dive bombers at a Shanghai air field after the surrender. After the war he flew P-‐51s for the North Dakota Air National Guard while attending college and also did crop dusting in a Stearman biplane. He has

over 7,500 hours pilot time in over 60 different types of military and civilian aircraft with single and multi-‐engine land and sea ratings. His most memorable combat mission was the first fighter strike on Japanese airdromes near Shanghai on 17 January 1945 when a flight of eight P-‐51 Mustangs from the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Black Lightning Squadron, of which he was a member, and eight P-‐51s from the 74th Fighter Squadron destroyed 94 Japanese aircraft on the ground and three in the air without loss of any U.S. planes. General Chennault, Commander of the Flying Tigers, said it was one of the most successful missions of the war. Wayne Johnson is the editor of the four-‐volume history Chennault’s Flying Tigers and designer and editor of the “Flying Tigers” 2003–2007 calendars. He is the author of two privately published books, The Trial of Christ, where he analyzes the unfairness of the trial leading up to Christ’s execution, and A Sailor’s War, based on the diary of his brother-‐in-‐law, Reo Knudson, who was wounded while serving on the battleship Tennessee during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Wayne has also written his memoirs, Whitey: From Farm Kid to Flying Tiger to Attorney, published in 2010 in both hardcover and paperback.

Wesley H. Johnston _______________________________________________

Mr. Johnston served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy beginning on January 6, 1942. He was assigned to sea-‐planes, and his rank was Petty Officer 1st Class.

Mr. Johnston was born in 1920, the son of Delia and Frank Johnston.


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Daniel Edsall Jones _______________________________________________

Mr. Jones served in World War II, in the European Theater, and also served during the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Navy. He joined on April 26, 1943, and was discharged on December 21, 1945. He then reenlisted with the U.S. Naval Reserves on October 15, 1950, and was discharged on Sep-‐tember 14, 1953.

During World War II, Mr. Jones received training at the U.S. Naval Training Station in Farragut, Idaho, and later at the Naval Training Station (Radio) in Indianapolis, Indiana. He also was assigned to Amphi-‐bious Training Base Camp Bradford in Norfolk, Virginia. Mr. Jones was then assigned to the USS Nestor (ARB6) and the USS LST 907. The LST 907 served in the European Theater. It left the United States on June 2, 1944, bound for North Africa and participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. It served as a troop and equipment transport ship. His rank was Radio Technician 3rd Class. During the Korean War, Mr. Jones was assigned to the SubGruTHREE, Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Green Cove Springs, Florida. Mr. Jones was born in Duluth, Minne-‐sota, in 1925, the son of Daniel and Alice Jones.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; discharge papers

William L. E. Jouppi _______________________________________________

Mr. Jouppi served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from October 24, 1944, until April 4, 1946. He was trained in Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Ord, California, and Fort Lewis, Washington. He was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division. He served in Hawaii, Saipan, Okinawa, and Cebu, the Philippines. (The 77th Division was one of the divisions to which the Japanese surrendered.) Sub-‐sequently, he did occupation duty in Japan. His rank was Private 1st Class. He was decorated with the Asiatic-‐Pacific Theater Service Medal, the Good

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Conduct Medal, and the Philippine Lib-‐eration Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star. Mr. Jouppi was born in 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of John J. and Daisy Jouppi.


I was drafted in the U.S. Army in October of 1944. My basic training was in Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Ord, California, and Fort

Lewis, Washington. From there I went to Hawaii and on to Saipan and Okinawa, where I was in combat. From there I went to Cebu in the Philippines, where the Japanese surrendered to the 27th Division and the 77th Division, which I was part of. After the atomic bomb was dropped, we went for occupation in Japan. In April of 1946, I was back in the USA and was discharged from Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.

John Herrmann Kanzler _________________________________________

Mr. Kanzler served in World War II in the South Pacific. He served in the U.S. Navy from January 28, 1944, until May 10, 1946. He was assigned to the USS Farragut, the USS Idaho, and the USS Colorado (BB45). He fired anti-‐aircraft weapons. His rank was Seaman 2nd Class.

He was decorated with the American Area Ribbon, the Victory Ribbon, the Asiatic-‐Pacific Ribbon with 3 Stars, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 2 Stars. Mr. Kanzler was born in 1926 in Superior, Wisconsin, the son of Al and Mary Kanzler.


I joined the Navy January 28, 1944, went through boots at Farragut, Idaho. From there I went aboard the battleship USS Colorado BB45. We, the battleship Colorado, took part in the Mariana Islands, Philippine islands, and the Okinawa campaigns. After the two A-‐bombs were dropped, that was the end for Japan. We then went into Tokyo Bay, we were close to the battleship Missouri to see the signing of the peace. The war was over September 2, 1945. Then we went home.

Theodore Keith Kellerman _____________________________________

Mr. Kellerman served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Keller-‐man joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17, and he served from October 3, 1944, until March 8, 1946. He was assigned to the APA-27 (USS George Clymer), an attack transport, and later to the CVE-118 (USS Sicily), an aircraft carrier. While in the service, he received an injury and spent

the next five months recovering in a Naval hospital. His rank was Seaman 2nd Class, Acting Boatswain’s Mate. Mr. Kellerman was born in 1927 in Aitkin, Minnesota, the son of John and Margaret Kellerman.


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Richard “Dick” Dale Kern _______________________________________

Mr. Kern served in World War II in Burma, China, and India. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from December 22, 1943, until November 23, 1945. He was assigned to the 436th Bomb Squadron, 10th Air Force. He was a Staff Sergeant and tail gunner in B-‐24J “Liberator” bombers. He served one year overseas, and he and his crew had 300 combat flying hours. Mr. Kern left from Bangor, Maine, and flew to India. In October 1944, they picked up B-‐24J “Liberator” aircraft in San Francisco. They flew bombing missions into Burma and French Indochina in December of the same year, and by the end of the year were transporting fuel for the “Flying Tigers” in China, where Mr. Kern celebrated his 19th birthday. They returned to India and bombed, among others, the bridge over the River Kwai. He served 36 years in the Minnesota Air National Guard, from which he retired in 1980. His rank was Chief Warrant Officer 4. He was decorated with the Air Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic-‐Pacific Campaign Ser-‐vice Medal with 4 bronze battle stars, and the World War II Victory Medal. Mr. Kern was born in 1925, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Kern. He graduated from high school in 1946, after returning from the service.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran account (see below); original website entry (below)

Left from Bangor, Maine, to India. After we picked up B-‐24J in San Francisco in October. Then started bombing missions into Burma and French Indochina December 1944. Started bringing gas to fighter strips in China for the Flying Tigers. Celebrated 19th birthday in China,

went back to India and continued bombing bridges, like the bridge on the River Kwai. We had 300 combat flying hours. Served 1 year overseas. Returned to U.S.

Original VMH website entry:

Richard D. Kern of Duluth enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 22, 1943. He was a staff Sergeant and tail gunner in B-‐24 Liberator bombers with the 436th Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Group, 10th Air Force, in the China-‐Burma-‐India Theater. He recalls, "I had my 19th birthday in Luliang, China. The mission that was the most that I had was the bombing of the bridge over the river Kwai. Most of the missions were in Burma, Thailand and China." He was awarded the Air Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic-‐Pacific Campaign Ser-‐vice Medal with 4 bronze battle stars, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was discharged on November 23, 1945. In his words, "I spent 36 years in the Minnesota National Guard in Duluth and Iron Range. Retired in 1981 as warrant officer W-‐4."

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Jerome LeRoy Kleven ____________________________________________

Mr. Kleven served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from June 9, 1945, until July 19, 1946. He was assigned to the USS Edwards. His rank was Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class. Mr. Kleven was born in Milwaukee, Wis-‐consin, in 1927. He graduated from Braham High School in 1945.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall History Form; “Jerry’s Navy Experience” (see below)

“Entered the Navy in June 1945 and was discharged July 1946. “Took initial training for Navy in Great Lakes Training Center June 20, 1945. Sent by train to Shoemaker, California, in Sept-‐ember 1945. Spent some time waiting for transport ship at Treasure Island. We were headed for Okinawa as replace-‐ments, but the ship had trouble so had to go to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in October 1945. “Arrived in Okinawa in November 1945, but severe hurricane delayed us again to pick up our new ship. Spent a few days on the Island of Okinawa and had to sleep in tents while waiting for the new ship. I was assigned to the USS Edwards in November 1945. I worked in the electrical room. This ship was powered by steam turbine, which produced electricity to power the two electric motors for the propellers. I worked on this and the electrical switchboard—no special training, but rather trained on-‐the-‐job. At one time, as I

recall, nearly all of the crew was sick with dysentery for several days but I was fortunate and did not get sick. “We visited several harbors in Japan— Sasebo, Wakayama, Yawta, and Kobe. In Kobe, I recall seeing people digging in our garbage cans looking for food. “In March 1946, I was assigned to a large transport ship which was to be a target ship for the A-‐bomb test at Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. There were several types of ships in this test. A small crew was used to bring several ships to see what effect the A-‐bomb would have. After leaving this ship at Eniwetok the crew was sent back to the United States. I was sent back by way of Hawaii and expected to be reassigned, but I was lucky instead and was sent back to San Francisco and then discharged—others were sent to other ships and then discharged in the fall of 1946. “Shoemaker, Calif., September 1945; Treasure Island, September 1945; Pearl Harbor, October 1945; Okinawa, Novem-‐ber 1945; Hiroshima, November 1945; Sasebo, Japan, December 1945; Waka-‐yama, December 1945; Yawta, December 1945; Kobe, February 1946; Eniwetok, Marshall Islands, March 1946; Pearl Harbor, March 1946; Pearl Harbor, April 1946; Pearl Harbor, May 1946; Bikini, Marshall Islands, June 1946; Stateside, June 1946 (6-‐24-‐46).”

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Wallace Kolquist __________________________________________________

Mr. Kolquist served in World War II in the European Theater.

He served in the U.S. Army beginning in April 1943. He was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. His rank was T-‐5. In April 1943, Mr. Kolquist was trained at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. In Nov-‐ember 1943, he left for England. In June 1944, he was sent to Normandy, France. He and his unit went through France and Belgium and crossed the Rhine River. He served in the Battle of the Bulge. He was sent back to the United States in October 1945. Mr. Kolquist had three brothers who served in the war as well; as of spring 2011, he is the only one still living. He was born in 1924 in Duluth, Minne-‐sota, the son of Thure and Ester Kolquist.


Harold Kringle ____________________________________________________

Mr. Kringle served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from August 21, 1942, until September 1945. Mr. Kringle was assigned to the 346th Squadron, 99th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, Mediterranean Theater.

His rank was Staff Sergeant. Mr. Kringle was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.


Carl R. Kunnari ____________________________________________________

Mr. Kunnari served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from March 15, 1943, until March 1946. Mr. Kunnari was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for medical training and at Fort Gordon, Georgia, as well as Camp Grant, Illinois. He was also at the Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was assigned to the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. At one point, he was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division of the Massachusetts National Guard.

Much later, he was involved in the redeployment and transport of troops from Europe to the U.S. on one of the Victory ships. He was discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Mr. Kunnari’s rank was 1st Lieutenant. He was decorated with the European Theater Ribbon Medal. Mr. Kunnari was born in 1924 in Toimi, Minnesota, the son of Victor and Hilma Kunnari.


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“Never in combat ‘circumstances.’ Went where you were ordered. ‘That’s an order’ I heard many times. “Nothing except routines most GIs did if not sent to combat. They are the heroes who didn’t come back and + + + in battlefields, the final sacrifice. “In the summer of 1944, I received orders to go ‘someplace.’ Sergeant from Chicago pulled my orders, and my friends went to the South Pacific. The Red Cross was the target—100% jungle graves. No Geneva Convention rules for those devils. Nobody tells how they were the worst enemy we ever fought. “I went to O.C.S. at Carlisle, Penn-‐sylvania, that summer and received my commission there. Sent to various Army places and late 1944 and early 1945 we were sent to be on Victory Ships to

redeploy troops back from Europe. Was on the ships until March 1946.”

Leo Louis Kusi _____________________________________________________

Mr. Kusi served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from January 1946 until December 1947. He trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois. He was assigned to the USS North Carolina (BB-55) for 14 months. The last three months (after the ship was de-‐commissioned), he helped ready it for storage at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He was transferred to Green Cove Springs, Florida. The USS North Carolina was towed to Bayonne, New Jersey. In 1961, the state of North Carolina purchased it and brought it to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is now a museum. Mr. Kusi was a Fireman 1st Class. He was born in 1928, the son of Leonard and Julianna Kusi, in Warren City, Pitts-‐field, Pennsylvania. Mr. Kusi died on June 20, 2011, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.


I joined the Navy at Bemidji, Minnesota, at age 17. I took my training at Great Lakes

Naval Base, Wisconsin. After boots I was assigned to the USS North Carolina (BB-55). I spent 14 months aboard. The last 3 months I helped de-‐commission and put ship in mothballs at Brooklyn Navy Yard, it was towed and left at Bayonne, New Jersey. In 1961, the state of North Carolina purchased the ship and had it towed to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is now a museum. I was transfer-‐red to Green Cove Springs, Florida. From there was discharged in December 1947.

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Lowell Laager _____________________________________________________

Mr. Laager served in World War II in both the European and Pacific Theaters. He served in the Amphibious Force of the U.S. Navy from September 1942 until October 1945. He participated in the inva-‐sion of Normandy. He was assigned to Landing Craft Flotilla Q-‐1-‐4-‐43, Flotilla 4, in Normandy, Utah Beach, Tare Green Beach. His rank was Chief Storekeeper. Later he was sent to the Pacific. Mr. Laager was born in Morris, Stevens County, Minnesota, the son of Walter and Lucy Laager.


Embarrassing situation: Our Navy accep-‐tance physical was held in basement of the Federal Building in Minneapolis, Min-‐nesota. Windows were on sidewalk level,

so people walking by would stop and look into basement, where maybe 100 recruits were in the nude. Morale breaker.

Lorraine Larson (see “Lorraine Champeaux”)

Daniel Laurila _____________________________________________________

Mr. Laurila served in World War II. He served in General Patton's 3rd Army, in the 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion.

Source: Duluth News Tribune, April 14, 2008 (see below) “More Than a Medal” by Janna Goerdt

Veteran Honored: Long after he earned a Purple Heart, a Duluth man properly receives the award in an official ceremony. Daniel Laurila of Duluth vaguely remem-‐bers receiving his first Purple Heart. But it’s not likely he’ll forget receiving his second, nearly 64 years after the first. Someone casually plunked that first medal on Laurila’s stretcher just hours after he was hit by shrapnel from a German mortar on May 18, 1944, in Italy. Laurila, a technician with the 776th tank destroyer battalion, was standing up as a

lookout in his M10 tank when the mortar exploded and tore into his left shoulder. Laurila certainly remembers how that felt—imagine someone cracking down on your shoulder with a baseball bat, he said—and the emergency treatment he got afterwards. Laurila was evacuated from the site, which was south of Rome, and whisked to an aid station and then a relay station. He got a slug of whiskey, a cigarette and a shot of pain medication—and then an official handed over the Purple Heart. Somehow, Laurila held on to the medal while he was being transferred from station to station and finally back home to Minnesota. Years later, his daughter fit the medal into a shadowbox display. Yet that Purple Heart was never official in the eyes of the military, because no one

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had ever filed the paperwork to make it so. When Rich Dumancas, the St. Louis County veteran’s service officer, noticed the omission in Laurila’s discharge pa-‐pers, he wanted to make it right. There were at least two good reasons to do so, Dumancas said—and neither cen-‐tered around having something to pin on a shirt. Purple Heart recipients are eligible for better benefits than non-‐recipients, Dumancas said, and the Department of Veterans Affairs requires documented proof to award those bene-‐fits. Simply having a medal isn’t enough. And then there was the way Laurila’s first medal was awarded. It was too casual, many soldiers said, too flip. So Dumancas arranged for Laurila’s new Purple Heart—this one stamped with his name instead of a random serial num-‐ber—to be presented to him at the Duluth Armory on Sunday before a room of about 250 local National Guard soldiers. “It means a lot more to get up in front of other soldiers” to be awarded an honor, said Capt. Justin Rodgers. “You’re being recognized by your peers.” Rodgers oversaw about half of the soldiers that assembled on Sunday. It was their regular weekend for training. Laurila stood ramrod-‐straight in front of the soldiers as he accepted the medal, and afterwards shook hands with many of them. Soldiers wanted to thank Laurila, and family members wanted to con-‐gratulate him. “It’s a little overwhelming,” Laurila said on Sunday. After all, his military service

ended nearly 64 years ago, and he’s lived a quiet but busy life since then. As he was being officially discharged from military life, Laurila stopped at City Motors in Duluth to buy a car. He walked off the lot with the keys to a ’37 Plymouth Coupe, and the name of the women who sold it to him. Laurila would be back several times to visit with Dorothy Nelson, so often, in fact, that Nelson was fired for “fraternizing with the cus-‐tomers,” Laurila said. The two married soon afterwards, and they celebrate their 63rd anniversary today. The couple had four children, and Laurila worked as a mechanic for the rest of his life, eventually retiring from the city of Duluth’s parks department. His left shoulder always bothered him. Even after three surgeries to try to alleviate the pain. Laurila has remained a proud supporter of the United States throughout his life, though he doesn’t talk much about his wartime experiences, said his daughter, Deb Laursen of Blaine, Minnesota. His sister-‐in-‐law, Ellyn Conner of Du-‐luth, agreed. “He still doesn’t like to see war stories on TV, but he’ll talk about it with the other guys,” she said. Laurila said today’s war is much different than what he experienced dur-‐ing his three years of service. “You don’t know who your friends are,” he said. “It’s a tougher war than what we had.”

Dale M. Longtin ___________________________________________________

Mr. Longtin served in World War II in the Pacific Theater and during the Korean War. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy. He was in the Navy from June 1943 until March 1946, and was assigned to Carrier Service Unit (CASU) 12, 47th Division.

Mr. Longtin was in the Army from 1946 until 1972. His rank was 1st Lieutenant. Mr. Longtin was born in 1925 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the son of Joseph and Pearl Longtin.


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Mr. Longtin writes: My father, Joseph—Army, World War I Myself—18 months, South Pacific, World War II My son, Terry Longtin—1 year, Vietnam My grandson, Jordan Mullins—2 tours, Iraq All the above—shot at, never wounded. Four generations of proud Americans.

John W. Longtine __________________________________________________

Mr. Longtine served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from May 17, 1945, until July 21, 1948. His assignments were as follows: -‐ Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois -‐ Hospital Corps School, San Diego, California -‐ Pennsylvania School for Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -‐ St. Elizabeth Hospital, Washington, D.C. -‐ National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. His rank was Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class. Mr. Longtine was born in 1927 in Super-‐ior, Wisconsin, the son of Percy J. and Edna S. Longtine. He was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.


Theodore Arnold Marken _______________________________________

Mr. Marken served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy. He served from October 11, 1944 until July 21, 1946. Mr. Marken was initially assigned to the USS YMS-429, a minesweeper based out of

Seattle, Washington, and was later assigned to the U.S. submarine base in Guam. His rank was Seaman 1st Class. Mr. Marken was born in 1926 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Jorgen and Pauline

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Marken. He graduated from Central High School in 1944.


Attended boot camp at Farragut, Idaho. Entered active service 11-‐6-‐44. Reported for duty on the YMS-429 in Seattle, Washington. Sailed to Long Beach, California. Don’t remember what the date was. Spent at least 6 months in the area between Long Beach, San Pedro, Sacra-‐mento, on shakedown cruises and in dry dock getting repairs after a few mishaps. Ended up in San Diego for more shake-‐

down cruises. It was there I got in a car accident, ended up in a hospital, and was there when the YMS left for Japan. I was given a 5-‐day leave home then when I returned, after reporting to Camp Elliot in San Diego. I was sent to Guam, where I was assigned to a submarine base just being built. I worked in the shipfitters’ shop during the welding, plumbing, and sheet-‐metal work required to build the new buildings on the base. I was there until June ’46, when I was shipped back to the U.S. for discharge.

Harold Martin _____________________________________________________

Mr. Martin served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from November 16, 1942, until January 4, 1946. He was assigned to the 3rd Air Force Squadron M 324 Army Air Forces Base Unit. His rank was Corporal.

Mr. Martin was born in 1923 in Ashland, Wisconsin, the son of Henry and Sophie Fields Martin.


Roy H. Mattson ____________________________________________________

Mr. Mattson served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from November 21, 1942, until Sept-‐ember 15, 1945. He was assigned to the 389th Bombardment Group, 565th Stra-‐tegic Missile Squadron, based in England. His rank was Sergeant. He served in several battles and campaigns: air offensive Europe; Sicily, Naples-‐Foggia; Normandy, France; and

the Rhineland and Ardennes, Central Europe. He saw air combat. He was decorated with a Distinguished Unit Citation (Ploesti, Romania, August 1, 1943) and the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. Mr. Mattson was born in Mason, Wisconsin, the son of John and Ann Mattson.


Merwin George Moder _________________________________________________

Mr. Moder served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from Nov-‐ember 16, 1944, until August 24, 1946. He went to boot camp at Camp Walters, Texas. He was assigned to the 84th (“Railsplitters”) Infantry Division, I Com and Headquarters–Constabulary. He was later assigned to the 7th Army, Head-‐quarters, Heidelberg, Germany. He was

transferred to the 3rd Army, Headquar-‐ters, in 1946. His rank was Sergeant. Mr. Moder was born in 1926 in Marengo, Wisconsin, the son of Frank and Pearl Moder. He graduated from Denfeld High School in Duluth, Minnesota. He was decorated with the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Medal Ribbon with 1 Battle Star.

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Source: Veteran’s Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran account (see below)

“I had basic training in Camp Walters, Texas, (called ‘Hell’s Bottom'). Went overseas on a French liner. Was in England a short time, entered France at Le Havre; joined 84th Division, 7th Army, as a replacement somewhere near Lyon, France. Met the Russians near Berlin. Our division was sent back to Halle about 40 miles from Berlin. Our division captured around 40,000 prisoners. I got trans-‐ferred to 7th Army HDQ and then to 3rd Army Constabulary–HDQ.”

William Monberg _________________________________________________

Mr. Monberg served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from July 19, 1944, until August 19, 1946. His rank was Technician 4th Class. He was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal with 2 overseas bars, the Battle Star, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. Mr. Monberg was born in 1916 in Canada, the son of John and Anne Monberg.


John A. Nelson _____________________________________________________

Mr. Nelson served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from January 21, 1943, until November 3, 1945. He was assigned to the 104th Infantry of the Army Air Forces in England. Mr. Nelson received basic training in Florida then attended Radio Mechanic School at Camp Crowder, Missouri. He trained for 36 weeks at the University of

Delaware in the Army Specialized Train-‐ing Program. He was assigned to the 104th (“Timber Wolf”) Infantry Division at Camp Carson, Colorado, where he re-‐ceived intensive combat training. Three months after D-‐Day, Mr. Nelson landed in France. He saw combat in Belgium and the Netherlands. He was hit in the chest with a bullet (that pierced a Gideon New Testament Bible in his pocket)

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and shortly after was struck with a mortar shell in his leg. He was sent to the hospital in France and England, then returned to duty at a B-‐24 base in England doing radio maintenance work. He returned to the United States on the Queen Mary at war’s end. His rank was Corporal. Mr. Nelson was decorated with the Purple Heart. Mr. Nelson was born in 1922 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Alfred and Carrie Nelson. He graduated from Duluth Denfeld High School.


After basic training in Florida with the Army Air Force, went to Radio Mechanic School at Camp Crowder, Missouri. Then it was off to the University of Delaware in the ASTP Program (Army Specialized

Training Program) for 36 weeks. Then it was off to the 104th Timber Wolf Infantry Division at Camp Carson, Colorado, where we received intensive combat training. It was 3 months after D-‐Day that we landed in France and went into combat in Belgium and Holland. It was in Holland that I was wounded, first with a bullet through my chest and then a few minutes later a mortar shell fragment into my leg. That bullet went through a Gideon New Testament Bible I had in my chest pocket. I honestly believe it deflected the bullet from my heart. After a long time in the hospital in France and England and rehab, I was back in the Army Air Force stationed at a B-‐24 Base in England doing radio maintenance work. The war was soon over and we came home on the Queen Mary.

Norman “Norm” Gilbert Nelson ________________________________

Mr. Nelson served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from January 1944 until June 1946. He attended boot camp in San Diego and was assigned to the carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), which was bound for Pearl Harbor. He was seventeen years old and too young to be in combat, so he was assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion, Fleet Marine Force Pacific (FMFPAC), Military Police Company. He was stationed at Camp Catlin, Hawaii, and at the Navy Yard at Pearl Harbor, where he did guard duty. He attended Honolulu Police School. His rank was Corporal. Mr. Nelson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1926, the son of Norman G. and Helen Nelson. In January of 1944, he enlisted with the Marines.

Source: Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran account (see below)

I dropped out of high school in my junior year Jan 1944 to enlist in the USMC. Boot camp San Diego then shipped to Pearl Harbor. On the carrier Ranger with 1,000 marines. In awaiting for other duty I was told being 17 yrs I was too young for combat so I was assigned to HDQ SER BN EMF PAC A [Headquarters and Service Battalion, Fleet Marine Force Pacific] MP. CO. at Camp Catlin, a Navy radar base where I did guard duty and also at the Navy Yard. I also did patrol duty after attending Honolulu Police School. After the bombing of Japan the war ended. We were discharged June 1946.

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Richard E. Neveau ________________________________________________

Mr. Neveau served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from June 26, 1943, until January 21, 1946. He served under General Patton. He was assigned to E Company, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division, 3rd Army. His rank was Buck Sergeant. He was decorated with the Good Con-‐duct Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge, Battle Honors-‐Bastogne. Mr. Neveau was born in Proctor, Minnesota, in 1924, the son of Ernest and Yvonne Neveau.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s relatives’ account (see below)

Dad hasn’t talked about the war throughout these years except to a few of his six kids sitting around the campfire. He doesn’t consider himself a hero; he is in our eyes and to the nation. Dad says that the real heroes are the ones who didn’t make it home. Dad entered service on June 26, 1943, attending boot camp at Camp Walters, Texas. He was sent overseas to England, where he met five other soldiers who became friends. Dad maintained a relationship with these veterans as long as they lived. Only he and one friend are alive now. Dad was in the 3rd Army, 2nd Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division under General Patton. That in itself should speak volumes to the service that Dad has given to his country. “Old Blood and Guts” – our blood, his guts, Dad says. Dad tells us that it was nearly two years to the day going over to Normandy and finally coming home on the Liberty Ships. Dad was in the second wave landing on Utah Beach in Normandy on August 6,

1944. It was at that time that the six buddies were separated. That was to begin his march through the first four major campaigns that carried him through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, and Austria. We’ve read and seen many movies regarding the incredible job that the 318th was able to accomplish. I can’t even fathom the horror that they have experienced. Dad just shakes his head and the tears come. He talks about Bastogne—the 101st 82nd Airborne (“what an outfit”), the Ardennes, crossing the Rhine with the boat shot out from under them, Munich, Bavaria, Austria, Luxembourg, and seeing the concentration camps. How ironic that his daughter’s in-‐laws’ parents were in the camp when Dad came through the area. He talks about how horrible it was to see. Dad had many very close calls, and he shudders when he speaks of them, but then he shrugs and states, “It just wasn’t my time.” He also speaks of the beauty of the countryside, the mountains, and the joy of the people as the towns were liberated. Finally, General Patton gave the cease-‐fire order. How elated the soldiers were— but then they had to turn around and start preparing for Asia. Dad truly feels that the bomb dropped in Japan was the only way that this world war was ever going to end. Dad talked many times about coming back on the Liberty Ship and the horrible storm they encountered. His ship was without communications for 24 hours. He watched with horror as the ship directly behind them was torpedoed and sank, thinking that he’d been through hell the last two years only to die while going home.

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A history of the 318th ends with the following: “The Second Battalion, with the remainder of the 318th Regiment, expended 923 tons of ammunition and figured in the capture of 28,170 Nazis. With complete victory and proud of their record, the Second Battalion, 318th Infantry Regiment, re-‐pledged themselves to the Blue Ridgers’ motto, ‘The 80th only moves forward.’”

Glen Nodgaard ____________________________________________________

Mr. Nodgaard served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from February 1945 until November 1946. He was assigned to Headquarters, 5th Army. His rank was Master Sergeant.

Mr. Nodgaard was born in 1926 in Griswold, Iowa, the son of Jehs and Edith Nodgaard.


Berle K. Olson _____________________________________________________

Mr. Olson served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from March 1944 until January 1946. He was assigned to Patton’s 3rd Army. His rank was Corporal. Mr. Olson served in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded in the hip. He was sent to a hospital in England. General Patton came and visited his ward and his “boys.” General Patton thanked Mr. Olson for his service and pinned a Purple Heart Medal on his hospital gown. Mr. Olson recovered. He was serving with General Patton in Pizen, Czecho-‐slovakia (now the Czech Republic), on May 6, 1945, the day the city was liberated. Mr. Olson was born in 1916 in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, the son of Herman and Bessie Olson.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran account (follows)

God bless the people of the Czech Republic! Does anyone in Europe remember America’s sacrifice in WWII? The answer can be found in the Czech town of Pilsen (Pizen). I was in town with General Patton on May 6 when the town was liberated. Every five years Pizen holds a Liberation Celebration of their town by Patton’s 3rd Army. May 6, 2010, marked the 65th anniversary. They have a monument that says, “Thank you America for liberating Pizen on May 6, 1945.” Pizen is a town that every American should visit. They love America and the American soldier . . . even 65 years later . . . by the thousands.

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I was one of “Patton’s Boys,” and I fought at the Battle of the Bulge. I was wounded in the hip, and they sent me to England. Patton came to the hospital to see how his “boys” were doing. When he stepped in the ward, he stopped at Bed 1. The nurse told him, “He can’t understand you, he’s German.” Patton let with about 30 *cuss words, ending with, “Get that blankety-‐blank German away from my boys.” You never saw anyone move as fast as those nurses pushing that bed down the hall. I was in Bed 3. He asked about my wound and said he “had about nine holes” in him. He thanked me for my service and pinned a Purple Heart on my hospital

gown. I will always remember him as a good man.

Wallace “Wally” Orsund _________________________________________

Mr. Orsund served in World War II in the European and Pacific Theaters. He served in the U.S. Navy from April 15, 1941, until April 8, 1947. He was assigned to the South Dakota-‐class battleship USS Alabama (BB-60), which served in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. It was a highly decorated battleship that saw combat

against the Japanese in the Pacific. Mr. Orsund’s rank was Gunners Mate 1st Class. Mr. Orsund was born in Hoople, North Dakota.

Source: Telephone interview with Veterans’ Memorial Hall staff; “USS Alabama (BB-‐60),” Wikipedia entry (see http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/USS_Alabama_%28BB-60%29)

Thomas J. Pearson ________________________________________________

Mr. Pearson served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from February 10, 1943, until December 30, 1945. He was assigned to Battery C, 263rd Field Artillery Battalion, the 26th Infantry Division, 3rd Army.

His rank was T5, Technician 5th Grade. Mr. Pearson was born in 1924 in Superior, Wisconsin, the son of Cameron A. and Josephine McConnell Pearson.


Russell F. Pederson _______________________________________________

Mr. Pederson served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from March 31, 1943, until October 22, 1945. He was assigned to Company E, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th (“Old Hickory”) Division.

He was a POW in Germany. His rank was Sergeant. Mr. Pederson left England for Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, on June 19, 1944, as a replacement. He joined the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division,

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there. He saw combat, then his unit pushed forward to Belgium and then the Netherlands. They met up with the 29th Infantry and advanced toward the Siegfried Line near Aachen, Germany. They were hit hard, and after heavy fighting, the remaining 19 men of Company E were taken prisoner by the Germans. Mr. Pederson and the other POWs were marched to a small town, and were being shelled by Allied artillery along the way. They were loaded onto trucks and transported to Bonn, Germany. From there they were put on boxcars and sent to a POW camp in Lindberg, Germany, where they stayed for two weeks and where he developed dysentery. They were again put on boxcars and were transported to Stalag 7A. They were assigned to work crews, clearing bombed out buildings in nearby Munchhausen and repairing damage to railroad tracks. In January and February of 1945, they were not required to work, but in the spring, 200 men were chosen for work crews. They worked on bombed out buildings in Munich. Mr. Pederson was selected to cook soup and prepare ersatz coffee for the 200. On April 29, 1945, American forces moving north out of Italy liberated his POW camp. Mr. Pederson was born in 1921 in Superior, Wisconsin, the son of Peder G. and Dorothy Pederson.


We left England and went to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, on June 19, 1944, as a replacement and joined the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division, and went into combat for the first time. We kept pushing forward through the hedgerows and through mountains. Then we went on to Belgium, pushing into the Netherlands. Then was held up for two weeks waiting for 29th Infantry. When they did arrive, we pushed forward

towards Germany’s Siegfried Line’s pillboxes near Aachen, Germany, getting heavy resistance from Jerry; then evening came on, and we started getting shelled from tanks. A few of us took shrapnel. But we somehow got into an empty pillbox. Then towards morning, the Germans moved 3 tanks into position against us. There were just 19 of us left in our Company E, 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division. Well, needless to say, we were taken prisoner of war.

We were herded up out of the pillbox and into some small town. Meanwhile, during our march, we were being shelled by our own artillery. Then there was some kind of work building where we took refuge from shelling. When shelling slowed down, we went on to, I think it was, Aachen. There we went in trucks. The next place we stopped at was Bonn, Germany. From there we got into a boxcar on the railroad and went on into Lindberg, Germany, our first stalag. Bad place: raining, muddy, sloppy. We got fed soup, which was given to us behind the latrine on wet, muddy ground . . . sloppy. They used tin cans to put soup into, not very appetizing. Well, I ended up getting dysentery . . . not very good. Well, about two weeks at this place, then was into boxcars again for about one week. Then we ended up to Stalag 7A, there we were to stay. Then we started going about 40

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kilometers into Munchhausen . . . working on bombed out buildings, etc. Also, the railroad yards on steam engine backed into a big bomb hole, which we raised and blocked up until it could be moved away, etc. We kept on doing work like this most all winter. Then during January and Feb-‐ruary, they stopped working us. Why? We did not know. But come spring of 1945, they took 200 men on a working party.

We were living in an unused school building where we worked out of, all over Munich, on houses, buildings of all kinds [that] were bombed out. Myself, I was chosen to be cook, to make soup and so-‐called coffee for the 200 men, etc. This went on until April 29th, 1945, when our troops were coming up from Italy and we were liberated by American troops. I spent 7 months in POW captivity: 1944 October 22 until 1945 April 29.

Coral Francis Phelps _____________________________________________

Mr. Phelps served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from June 11, 1943, until January 16, 1946. He was assigned to Company B, 27th Infantry, 25th Division. His rank was Corporal.

Mr. Phelps was born in 1923 in Good-‐thunder, Minnesota, the son of Glenn and Gladys (Annis) Phelps.


Eugene Polson ____________________________________________________

Mr. Polson served in World War II. He served guard duty for nine months for prisoners who were on trial at the Nuremberg Trials. At times Mr. Polson guarded the prisoners in the “coop,” a group of small cells, each with a bathroom and a washbowl, that held 30-‐40 prisoners; Mr. Polson and the other guards took them out for walks and exercise in a yard about two times a day. Pears and apples grew on trees there, and grapevines were on the walls, but none of the prisoners or guards ever ate the fruit. Sometimes Mr. Polson had duty on the wall of the prison, which was dangerous because infre-‐quently, people outside the prison would take shots at the guards. At other times he

accompanied prisoners to stand trial in the courtroom of the Palace of Justice, where he and the other guards had to stand at attention the entire time. Mr. Polson guarded Hermann Göring (cell five) and Rudolf Hess (cell four). Göring, who spoke English well, often sought him out to talk to him, although Mr. Polson did not want to speak with him. In the courtroom, the former head of the Hitler Youth, Baldur von Schirach, had to be protected, sometimes at gunpoint, from angry citizens, some of whom smuggled knives into the courtroom in order to kill him. Mr. Polson is a lifelong Duluthian.

Source: Interview with Veterans’ Memorial Hall staff

Veda F. Ponikvar __________________________________________________

Ms. Ponikvar served in World War II. She served in the U.S. Navy from July 1942 until December 31, 1946. Owing to her command of several languages (Yugoslavian dialects, German, and French), she was trained at a specialized

language school and then assigned to Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C., where she was involved in cryptography, decoding and encoding messages. Her rank was Lieutenant Commander.

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Ms. Ponikvar was born in 1919 in Chis-‐holm, Minnesota, the daughter of John and Frances (Globokar) Ponikvar. She graduated from Chisholm High School.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran account (see below); http://discovery.mnhs.org/MN150/ index.php?title=Veda_Ponikvar

“There were few women on duty in World War II, and very limited serving in Naval Intelligence. Much remains secret, but interesting as to what can be shared.”

Carl E. Rautio ______________________________________________________

Mr. Rautio served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from September 27, 1944, until June 22, 1946. He was a sharpshooter. His rank was Corporal. He was decorated with the Good Conduct Ribbon, the American Theater Campaign Ribbon, the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon, Army of Occupation Ribbon (Germany), and the Victory Ribbon. Mr. Rautio was born in 1925, the son of Jacob and Nana Rautio, in Oulu, Wiscon-‐sin.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (follows)

After induction, I entered basic infantry training for 15 weeks at Camp Fannin, Texas. After a delay en route at home, I reported to Fort Meade, Maryland, for orientation and equipment. On to Camp Kilmer, N.J. (New York PDE). While there, I came down with sinusitis and pneu-‐monia, spent 21 days in the hospital. Meanwhile, my group shipped out, along with all my equipment and personal stuff. I was then sent back to Fort Meade for re-‐equipment and made ready to go to Italy, then to Camp Patrick Henry, Va., shipped out from Newport News, Va., to Italy, landing there on April 15, 1945. After a few days near Caserta near the Volturno River I was sent north for additional training for the 10th Mountain Division. This lasted for 2 weeks, 1 week with mules learning how to load equipment on a mule, etc., 1 week climb-‐ing mountains, rappelling over cliffs, etc. On April 28, 1945, Gen. Kesselring, the German Commander of German forces in Italy, surrendered, ending combat there. We were then sent to Marina de Pisa (port of Pisa) on the Mediterranean for a time (very enjoyable), then put on a B-‐17 bomber that had been made into a troop

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transport (bomb racks replaced with wooden benches and seat belts) for a flight to Port Lyautey, Africa, from there on to Dakar, Africa, on to Brazil, to British Guyana (now Belize), to Puerto Rico, to West Palm Beach, Fla. On this trip we flew in B-‐17s, C-‐54s and C-‐47s and one other that I don’t remember what it was. This was in July of 1945. We were given 30 days R&R at home. I was then to report to Camp Polk to get

ready for the invasion of the home island of Japan. While I was at home on my R&R, the atom bomb was dropped on Japan, ending that war. From Camp Polk, I was sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and assigned to the Medical Detachment, W.D.P.C., as a clerk general (I believe my MOS was changed to D55). I spent the rest of my Army career there until my discharge on June 22, 1946.

Deward D. Retherford ___________________________________________

Mr. Retherford served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from December 13, 1944, until November 19, 1946. He received basic training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in Little Rock, Arkan-‐sas. He was sent to the Philippines. There he was assigned to the 90th Malaria Control Detachment in the Philippines. Later, he was assigned to the 67th and 53rd

Malaria Control Detachments, focusing on the control of typhus and other com-‐municable diseases in Japan. He stayed until September 1946, when he returned to the United States. His rank was T-‐5. Mr. Retherford was born in 1926 in Slocumb, Alabama, the son of John S. and Monnie Retherford.


I was a draftee, inducted into the Army on 13 December 1944. I received basic train-‐ing at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas, and was subsequently sent to the Philippines, where I joined the 90th Malaria Control Detachment. I was transferred to Japan in October 1945, where I worked in typhus and other communicable disease control until September 1946, when I returned to the U.S. for separation.

Jerome Peter Rondeau ___________________________________________

Mr. Rondeau served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from May 28, 1943, until January 17, 1946. He enlisted one week before graduating from high school, and he was allowed to attend his graduation ceremony a week later. He

was assigned to the 5th Amphibious Corps Signal Battalion. Mr. Rondeau was in the Asiatic-‐Pacific area from September 13, 1943, until Dec-‐ember 23, 1945. He participated in the invasion of Saipan (June 15-‐July 27, 1944) and Tinian (July 28-‐August 1, 1944), Marianas Islands. He was part of the

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Occupation Forces in Japan from Sep-‐tember 24, 1945, until December 5, 1945. Mr. Rondeau celebrated his 18th, 19th, and 20th birthdays in the Pacific Theater; each time, his birthday fell on a day when the crew happened to be aboard ship. His 20th birthday was celebrated on their way to Japan. His rank was Corporal. Mr. Rondeau was born in 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Hubert and Josephine Rondeau.

Source: Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran's account (follows)

I enlisted 1 week before graduating. They asked if there was anything I would like to do before leaving. I said I would like to graduate with my class, and they ap-‐proved. The day after graduating, I had to be at the recruiting station bright and early to be sworn in. After graduating from boot camp, a busload of us were on our way to a train station to go to Florida to attend an amphibious tank school. We pulled into Camp Elliot to have lunch and were greeted by a unit that was in need of

replacements, as they were going out to sea very soon. In short, we never got to the train station. We left the States September 13th, 1943, aboard an escort carrier. The USS Cowpens, which I thought was a terrible name for a ship of the line. We all couldn't fit on the carrier, so some boarded our escort, a D.E., or Destroyer Escort. We arrived at Pearl Harbor 10 days later. The rest can be told better by my commanding officer, Colonel Alfred F. Robertshaw, now deceased, and Sergeant Joe M. Ratcliffe, status unknown. Their story is much better than mine. We took part in the invasion of Saipan—June 15th, 1944 to July 27th—and Tinian—July 28th, 1944, to August 1st, 1944—after well over a month at sea. Then we went back to Oahu. The main part of the outfit moved over to Maui. Our group was sent to Guam. It was called secure by the time we got there. Anyway, we stayed on Guam until the war ended. The outfit on Maui went to Iwo. From there, we went to Kyushu, Japan, at a naval base at Sasebo, the southernmost island. Participated in the occupation of Japan, September 24th, 1945, to December 6th, 1945. We left Japan on December 6, 1945, and arrived on the West Coast December 23rd, 1945. I was discharged at Great Lakes Naval Training Center 01-‐17-‐46. Had my 18th, 19th, and 20th birthdays in the Pacific area. All happened to occur while we were aboard ship, the 20th on our way to Japan.

Harvey Harold Russell ___________________________________________

Mr. Russell served in World War II and in the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1942 to February 1946. After attending Great Lakes, IL Boot Camp he went to Navy Pier Chicago to aviation electronics school. He also went to Ala-‐meda, California, for aerial gunner school.

Later he was stationed at the Naval Air Station Ford Island Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for Aircraft maintenance. After that, he was stationed at the Naval Air Station Pasco, Washington, as a mechanic for Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 50. Then in 1946 he was discharged in Bremerton, Washington, with the rank of Aviation

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Machinist 2nd Class. In 1946, Mr. Russell joined the U.S. Air Guard and served until 1953. During that period, he was in active duty from March 1951 until November 1952. He subsequently served at the Duluth (Minnesota) Air Force Base and reached the rank of Technical Sergeant. Mr. Russell was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1924, the son of Harvey Harold and Myrtle J. Russell.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (see below); original VMH website entry (see below).

“Went to boot camp at Great Lakes. “Navy Pier, Chicago, airplane mechanic. “Naval Air Station Alameda, Cal., aerial gunnery.

“Ford Island, Pearl, air transport crew chief. “CASU [carrier service unit] 50, Pasco, Washington, air mechanic. “MN Air National Guard—activated 21 months Korean War. “Discharged Air Guard Duluth.”

Original entry on Veterans' Memorial Hall website:

Harvey H. Russell of Saginaw, Minn. entered the Navy on Dec. 23, 1942. He was an aviation machinist's mate 2nd class working on Naval air transports: R4Ds, R5O, and J2F aircraft in the Pacific theater and in the U.S. He was separated on Feb. 6, 1946.

Max B. Semmelroth _______________________________________________

Mr. Semmelroth served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy from February 10, 1943, until April 14, 1946. His rank was Aviation Boatswains Mate 2nd Class. He served as a member of the catapult crew (V1 Division) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saginaw Bay in the Marshall Islands, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Namsei Shoto, Japan. Mr. Semmelroth attended aviation machinist mate school in Norman, Okla-‐homa. He then attended catapult school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and firefight-‐ing school in Tacoma, Washington. While in Tacoma, he was trained on the USS Casablanca. Mr. Semmelroth was then assigned to the USS Saginaw Bay (CVE 82). He was discharged at the Naval Air Station Seattle, Washington. Mr. Semmelroth was born in 1925 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the son of Max and Carry Semmelroth.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran speech (see below)

Max B. Semmelroth A.B.M., CP 2nd Class, member of Catapult Crew, V1 Division,

gave the speech, below, for the Veterans Day program on November 14, 2008, at the Proctor, Minnesota, City Hall. (Background information: USS Mount Hood, a 13910-‐ton ammunition ship, was built at Wilmington, North Carolina, and converted for Naval service at Norfolk, Virginia. Commissioned in July 1944, she transited the Panama Canal in August and was assigned to the South Pacific area to provide ammunition to the fighting forces. On the morning of 10 November 1944, while she was moored at the Manus Naval Base, Admiralty Islands, Mount Hood’s cargo of explosives detonated in a massive blast. The ship was utterly destroyed by the accident, which killed all those on board her. Damage and casual-‐ties were also inflicted on ships anchored as far as 2000 yards away. Personnel casualties on Mount Hood and on other vessels totaled 45 known dead, 327 missing and 371 injured. (The speech below is an eyewitness account of the explosion of the ammuni-‐tion ship USS Mt. Hood (AE-11) as viewed from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Saginaw Bay (CVE 82).)

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On November 3, 1944, we entered the huge anchorage of Seedler Harbor at Manus. This is a part of the Admiralty Islands group. We had just returned from 18 days at sea for the invasion of Leyte Gulf. The weather and heavy seas had been bad; in fact we lost as many planes while landing as we did from enemy fire. It is not easy to land on a small flight deck moving up and down 10 to 20 feet. It felt good to be at anchor in the calm waters and the safety of not being in the forward area. Our purpose here was to replenish all the supplies needed for our next island invasion, wherever it might be. Smaller transfer boats were assigned to each ship to provide a means to get our supplies. (For the benefit of the Navy men here, these were LCM’s—landing craft mechanized). We were down on everything, bombs, rockets, and ammunitions of all kinds, food and supplies. Oilers would come alongside, top off our oil and aviations gas tanks. Best of all, it was time to have our mail catch up with us. The Navy was very good about pro-‐viding entertainment in between inva-‐sions. Some days, we could go swimming off the ship, or go on a two-‐day beer party ashore. In the evenings we could see movies on the hangar deck and rarely live entertainers from the States. The forward elevator would be raised 6 or 8 feet. It made an excellent stage. Sometimes the natives would come alongside in rickety old boats with torn sails. We would toss coins into the water, and the kids would dive in to retrieve them. A week after we arrived, a work party of ten men was sent to the nearby ammunition ship, the Mt. Hood, to pick up a load of bombs, rockets, and other ammunitions. They left at 7:00AM and returned a couple of hours later. As the work party returned to the ship, it was announced over the PA system, “NOW HEAR THIS, we are now at condition Baker,” this means a red pendant is flown

from the bridge, there is no smoking or open flames allowed anywhere on the ship. Every man knew we were taking on ammunition on our fantail deck. At the same time, two of our catapult crew-‐members, Russ and Oky, and myself were on the flight deck, painting new markers for our hold-‐down-‐and-‐release unit. I was standing looking aft—SUDDENLY A HUGE EXPLOSION OCCURRED. Black smoke and debris shot up 1,000 feet and, still going, it billowed out sideways, enveloping all of the nearby ships. Some of our pilots fly-‐ing protective reconnaissance at 3,000 feet said the smoke went higher than that. When the concussion hit and the pieces of the ship began to fall, mass confusion took place at every entryway, because every man on the flight deck knew the explosion was the ammunition ship, but every man below deck thought it was our fantail that blew up. So every man outside wanted to get inside for protection from the falling debris, and every man below deck wanted to get out of what they thought was a sinking ship. Fourteen men from the Mt. Hood had just left the ship just 20 minutes before the explosion to go ashore, some to pick up the mail, and some for other business. They had just landed and were knocked to the ground from the concussion. They had to be the luckiest fourteen sailors in the Navy that day. People on shore 2 miles inland were also knocked to the ground by the explosion. Eight LCM’s still loading, plus 13 smaller ships were also sunk, with all hands aboard lost. Thirty-‐six other ships were heavily damaged, some more than a mile away. We were lucky that the falling debris hit no personnel on our ship, and damage to our ship was minimal. The largest piece that hit on the forward part of the flight deck where we were was a large saltwater shut-‐off valve; it was twisted as if it was made of soft wax. Our work party had just left the Mt. Hood 40 minutes before the explosion, or they would have been lost also.

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A call came out for all larger ships to send their doctors and core men to help with all of the wounded. Our doctor was on the way in just minutes. As luck would have it, the Navy had a photography crew to take pictures of all the buildings on the base. They swung their cameras around and caught the entire explosion and damage to the surrounding ships. The pictures also revealed the explosion rose to over 7,000 feet. After the war, the Navy declared the explosion of the Mt. Hood was the largest non-‐nuclear explosion of World War II in the Pacific. Guess what!!! None of this was reported to the news media back home. This news was not released until after the war. It was the policy of the Navy to not release any information that might be of any benefit to the enemy. Of all our letters back home, everything was censored. We were never allowed to say where we were, where we had been, or where we were going. (What a difference from this tragic war of today in Iraq. When a roadside bomb goes off in the morning, with information of all the damage and how many were killed, it is reported on the 6pm news.) What a difference a war makes. Two days after the explosion, I was on a work party that went to shore to pick up supplies. We had to travel near where the Mt. Hood had been anchored. The bodies and body parts and the floating debris had been picked up the day before. The boatswain mate running our transfer boat still had to avoid hitting some of the larger floating pieces. The nearby ships were really hit hard. Much of the superstructures were all twisted and bent. The one I remember the most was a large tender. This is a mother ship to some of the smaller escorts in harbor service ships. There was a huge hole clear through near the bow. It had wiped out the entire sick bay, killing a doctor and two corpsmen. Another large ship had so many holes in its side it looked like a slat

shaker. We continued on to the shore. A truck was waiting for us to take us to the various Quonset buildings where all the supplies were. After the truck brought us back to the dock, we unloaded it all, and then had to wait until our transfer boat returned. As we waited, and announcement came over the PA system, “NOW HEAR THIS, the burial detail will report to the cemetery.” I have no idea who this sailor was, but I strongly suspect he was one of the hundreds of men who were wounded from the blast. I felt so sorry for him, to be buried on this speck of sand and coral on the far side of the Pacific Ocean, a million miles from our homeland. Look-‐ing at this logically, it really doesn’t matter what happens once you are dead. Our crewmates had talked about this many times. None of us knew when or if our ship would be the next one to be sunk. It should not make a difference, but for some reason on this day, it did make a difference. Maybe it was because it was still fresh in my mind of all the hundreds of sailors that were lost at Leyte Gulf plus all of the ships that were lost. Two of our sister carriers were sunk plus all the other cruisers, destroyers, and supply ships, and the Japanese also took huge, huge losses in both ships and men. Then the Mt. Hood explosion, in a place a long way from the forward area. A place we felt was so much safer. It made me realize how uncertain and temporary our lives were. And then a bugler sounded taps. All of the men stopped talking. Slowly a pro-‐found sadness came over me as I visualized him being lowered into his grave. I felt I was losing it. I didn’t want to have the other guys see me if I couldn’t hold back the tears. I stood up and walked to the end of the dock and pretended to look at the hundreds of ships. It was such a relief when the transfer boat came. I was glad to start loading the boxes of supplies. On our way back to the ship, we were able to see more of the

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damaged ships. It was awesome. When we arrived back at our ship, we unloaded all of the supplies. It was good to be back. After all, this has been my home for over a year. I welcomed the walk across the hangar deck, up the ladders, over the catwalk to the catapult shack to be with my crewmates again. On this Veterans Day, I am sure you will be thinking of relatives, friends and neighbors that you will be honoring from the most recent wars of Iraq to Afghan-‐istan all the way back to WWII. As I look out, I see the faces of many veterans from many wars; we thank each and every one of you for years of service. For me, I will be thinking of that day that I was standing on the flight deck of our aircraft carrier and watched the ammuni-‐tion ship, Mt. Hood, blow up and the deaths of hundreds of sailors and

hundreds more wounded. They had been going about their daily work, and then, without any warning—in the twinkling of an eye—they made their transition from life to death. I will also be thinking of that one sailor whose funeral affected my life 64 years ago. He lies there still in that tiny speck of sand in the far Pacific . . . he will never come home.

Original entry to Veterans’ Memorial Hall website:

Max B. Semmelroth entered the Navy on Feb. 10, 1943. He was an aviation boatswain's mate 2nd class and catapult crewman on an aircraft carrier in the Marshall Islands, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Namsei Shoto, Japan. He was separated from the service on April 14, 1946.

Mark Amil Sertich ________________________________________________

Mr. Sertich served during World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from Nov-‐ember 14, 1942, until November 17, 1945. Mr. Sertich was assigned to the 10th Armored Division at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was later transferred to the 11th Armored Division at Camp Cooke, California. His rank was Technician 4. For his service, he was decorated with the American Theater Service Medal, the

European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Cam-‐paign Medal, the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Sertich was born in 1921 in Ashland, Wisconsin, the son of Marko and Josephine Sertich.


Ernest Spangle ____________________________________________________

Lois and Ernie Spangle, August 1, 1945, New York. (Mr. and Mrs. Spangle were married on July 31, 1945, while Mr. Spangle was on leave.)

Mr. Spangle served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy from July 1943 until December 1945. He was assigned to the Cleveland class light cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-62) and the destroyer Harlan R. Dickson (DD-708). Mr. Spangle was aboard the Birmingham in the Solomon Islands, where he took part in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay (8–9 November), along with sister ships Cleveland, Columbia, Montpelier, and

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Denver. Japanese planes struck the Birmingham with two bombs and a torpedo. Recalling these events, Mr. Spangle noted that witnessing a burial at sea is something he will never forget. He also remembered that the ship's gunners shot down seven Japanese planes during the battle. Mr. Spangle recalled that the Birming-ham's captain was always looking for a fight, which could explain the ship's

reputation as one of the "fightingest" ships in the Navy. Mr. Spangle next served on the Harlan R. Dickson. He especially liked this ship and forged many lifetime friendships while serving aboard. His rank was Electrician's Mate 2nd Class. Mr. Spangle was born in Pontiac, Michi-‐gan, in 1922, the son of George and Agnes Spangle.


William Spehar ___________________________________________________

Mr. Spehar served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from June 3, 1943, until March 26, 1946. Mr. Spehar was assigned to Company D, Heavy Weapons, 222nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd (“Rainbow”) Division.

His rank was Staff Sergeant. Mr. Spehar was born in Duluth, Min-‐nesota.


Glenn Swanson ____________________________________________________

Mr. Swanson served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army beginning in May 1944. Mr. Swanson was decorated with the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal.

Mr. Swanson was born in 1926 in Mason, Wisconsin, the son of Conrad and Gena Swanson.


Kenneth Remington Taylor _____________________________________

Mr. Taylor served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army from August 1942 until December 12, 1945. He was assigned to the 776th Anti-‐Aircraft Artillery Battalion. Mr. Taylor was in Patton’s Army (the 3rd Army). He participated in the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944-‐January 25, 1945). He landed on the beaches of Normandy in the second wave. He was a sergeant and manned an anti-‐aircraft gun. He was sent to Paris to study the markings on airplanes (as the Americans were shooting down our own in the early days). He has many stories and always is willing to share when asked.

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Mr. Taylor’s rank was Technical Ser-‐geant. He was decorated with the American Theater Service Ribbon, the Belgian Fourragére, and the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Service Ribbon. Mr. Taylor was born in Duluth, Min-‐nesota, in 1917, the son of Remington and Ethel Taylor.

He has a star at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, Superior, Wisconsin.


Frank Valentini ___________________________________________________

Mr. Valentini served in World War II in China and Central Burma. He served in the U. S. Army Air Forces from August 3, 1942, until October 1, 1945. He was assigned to the 1st Tactical Air Combat Squadron. His rank was Staff Sergeant. He was decorated with the Asiatic-‐Pacific Theater Service Medal with 4

overseas service bars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Bronze Star Medal. Mr. Valentini was born in 1919 in Chis-‐holm, Minnesota, the son of Alphonso and Columbia Valentini.


Robert A. Wagner _________________________________________________

Mr. Wagner served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from November 15, 1942, until July 21, 1945. His rank was AMM3C (H), Aviation Machi-‐nist Mate 3rd Class (Hydraulics). Mr. Wagner enlisted in November 1942 in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1943, he had his physical in Des Moines, Iowa. On July 1, 1943, Mr. Wagner enrolled in the V-‐12 College Training Program at the Univer-‐sity of Wisconsin. In November 1943, he was transferred to Great Lakes as a candidate for the V-‐5 Pilot Training Program. In December of the same year, he enlisted for the V-‐5 Program, which was temporarily closed. That same month, he was sent to Navy Pier, Chicago. In January 1944, he was assigned to Naval Air Station Norman, Oklahoma. He attend-‐ed gunnery school in Hollywood, Florida,

and flight engineering school in La Guardia Airport, New York City. In the meantime, both of Mr. Wagner's brothers, who were pilots in the U.S. Marine Corps, were killed in action in the war. Mr. Wagner was assigned to the 9th Naval District, headquartered in Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. His next assignment was Ottumwa Naval Air Station, Iowa. He was transferred to the Naval Air Technical Training Center, 87th and Anthony Avenue, Chicago, and he returned to Ottumwa as head of the Aviation Hydraulic Shop. He continued in that position until he was discharged.


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Wilmer Wagner ___________________________________________________

Mr. Wagner served during World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the 151st Field Artillery Battalion of the 34th Infantry Division and served in Tunisia, North Africa; and in Naples-‐Foggia, Rome-‐Arno, North Apen-‐nines, and Po Valley, Italy. Mr. Wagner was inducted into the Army on April 17, 1941; he was only the second Minnesotan of German descent to be drafted into World War II. Mr. Wagner was discharged on June 21, 1945. His rank was corporal. He served as a battalion agent and motor messenger. Mr. Wagner was born in 1919 in Hermantown, Minnesota, the son of Henry and Elsie Wagner. Mr. Wagner was decorated with the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the European-‐African-‐Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory medal, six overseas service bars, and the Bronze Arrowhead. Mr. Wagner is the author of the book, And There Shall Be Wars: World War II Diaries and Memoirs (Copyright 2000, Twig, MN: Wilmer Wagner and Lloyd Wagner Press).

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (see below); “Lifetime Hermantown Resident Completes Memoir of World War Two,” Hermantown Star, 1999 (see below)

Veteran account 1: “I was inducted into service, April 17, 1941, sent to Camp Claiborne for field artillery training along with maneuvers. We were on a ship heading for Ireland for more training on the British 25-‐pounder right after Pearl Harbor by January 16th, 1942. Our first combat was in the spring of 1943, where we helped to chase Hitler out of Africa. “After a summer of amphibious training in western Africa we were attached to the 36th Division, the only field artillery

battalion from the 34th Division to have been chosen to help with the Italian invasion, which took place on September 9, 1943. We secured the beachhead with heavy losses from our gun crews and were almost pushed back into the sea,

and if it hadn’t been for General Eisenhower to send the 82nd Airborne Division from Sicily and shellfire from some of our ships, we would have been defeated. But we started our long combat north for twenty-‐one months through everything imaginable. Snow, mud, ford-‐ing rivers, over pontoon bridges, enemy shellfire, strafing, mined roads, bombing, and working with the Infantry and finally got to the border of Switzerland, where World War II [in Europe] ended early May 1945. My job for the time in combat was that of battalion agent or motorized messenger, on duty twenty-‐four hours a day and carrying everything from firing orders to anything else that might pertain to a unit in combat—and going through five Jeeps in the process.

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“After our twenty-‐one months of fight-‐ing north, they took us back to the Naples area in B-‐17 bombers in two-‐and-‐a-‐half hours. I was discharged in Minneapolis late in June 1945 after coming home all the way by cargo planes.”

Veteran account 2: “Went to Ireland in January 1942 on the first convoy of servicemen to leave the U.S. Took part in the Italian invasion in September 1943 and went all the way to Milan. Drove off an LST [landing ship, tank] with a waterproofed jeep onto the beach. Thankfully no wounds but a steady slugging through the mud, rain, cold, and dust, always going at night with high-‐priority material and lucky enough not to be hit by enemy fire and getting through the mine fields as well . . . “ “Lifetime Hermantown Resident Completes Memoir of World War Two” By L. Edward and Susan Newman “W. A. ‘Bud’ Wagner was the second Minnesotan of German descent drafted into the war. Cook, machine gunner and company agent, Wagner had the privilege of being on the first convoy to make its way across the Atlantic for the European theater. And the good fortune of having survived the duration of the war without becoming a casualty in North Africa and Italy, which included beachheads at Anzio and Salerno. “Just over two years ago Bud Wagner went out and bought a computer. He taught himself to type and proceeded to finish a project that he’d carried in his heart for most of a lifetime. This summer, at age 80, Wagner has completed his first book, based on his diaries from World War Two. The book, And There Shall Be Wars, is currently under consideration by a leading publisher of military histories. “Wagner had several motivations for writing the book. ‘I wanted to put my diary in a concise journal form for the family,’ Wagner said recently. ‘I’ve kept a

diary out of habit since I was a young kid. During the war nobody else did it and I wanted to have it as part of my life experience.’ “Diary writing was rare not only because few soldiers did it, but also because the army had rules against it. When citing the value of diaries Wagner fondly quotes the Chinese proverb, ‘The faintest ink is stronger than the strongest memory.’ “The journal entries were usually quite brief. The book, however, is voluminous, more than 186,000 words (400 pages) because Wagner spent years annotating his notes and writing sometimes ela-‐borate explanations of the meanings of events and their broader implications. It is this added commentary that gives the book its value. The modest Hermantown market gardener and school bus driver spent a lifetime assembling resources from which to gain understanding of the war and his small part in it. “The book has other features which make it more than a family archive. Wagner has assembled maps, war sta-‐tionery, military documents, citations and nearly 200 original photos, which the author captured in the various regions of his service. The camera, which he also concealed on his person, was supposed to have been turned in when the soldiers left boot camp for foreign service. “‘The book is currently under con-‐sideration for publication by a major publisher. But even if it is turned down, the book will be published. We have the funds to publish it ourselves and have full intention of seeing the project go into print sometime in the next year,’ Wagner asserted. “How the Book Came to Be. The idea of putting his diaries into book form may have originated with his son-‐in-‐law back in the early 1980s. Everyone in the family agreed that the diaries were fascinating and should be made into a book. Several years later, in 1985, Wagner saw some-‐thing in the paper about a writing class

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offered by Carol Bly, a nationally known author with Northland roots. ‘She was going to have a writing class by mail on journal writing. I sent a page of my diary. I asked if I should write my diary into a book. She wrote back, ‘Of course you should write it. There’s no question.’’ She also gave suggestions about putting down specific details to help readers feel the accuracy and non-‐generalness of the writing. Even though more than a decade passed before the project was undertaken with earnestness, this advice from Ms. Bly helped considerably. “In 1997, at age 78, Wagner bought a used computer at Renaissance Computer in Burning Tree Plaza here in Duluth and doggedly learned how to type, create files, save his work and find it again. Oc-‐casionally there were calls for help finding saved files. Over time the use of the computer was mastered and the diary entries, amplified by commentary, be-‐came bits and bytes of disk space. “The next task in the project was the editing. Son Lloyd Wagner, of Saginaw, was the able editor, bringing many assets to the project. With a Masters Degree in Literature and a period of service in Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam War, Lloyd ably groomed the manuscript for clarity and proper grammar without compromising the integrity of the author’s own voice. “‘The biggest challenge was trying to put it into understandable English because so much of it was abbreviations,’ said the younger Wagner who now resides in Laos. ‘The book interested me. The book is written in a way that you feel like you’re there.’ “Lloyd asserts that he left the diary portion of the book pretty much as he found it. ‘The diary itself is pretty much the same. I didn’t change much. But the commentary I changed quite a bit, putting it in paragraph order, changing sentence order, adding sentences at times or sometimes take them out.’ Others who have read the manuscript say that the

editing was true to the author’s voice and did not in any way alter what was essentially Bud’s personal life work. “Overview. Charlie Jurvolin and Bud Wagner were the first two men to be drafted from Local Draft Board No. 5 in Proctor. April 17, 1941, they were sent to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and put in the 151st Field Artillery Battalion of the 34th Infantry Division. “The two Northlanders were on the first transport of soldiers to go overseas in World War Two. They landed in Ireland in January of 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor. “Though in different battalions, both Jurvolin from Floodwood and Wagner from Hermantown saw action in Africa and Italy. Wagner’s outfit was attached to the 36th Division and took an active part in the invasion of Italy just south of Naples. “During his four years and three months in the service, Wagner was a cook, an ack ack gunner on a mobile 50 caliber machine gun, and finally a company agent or motorized messenger. Wagner is quick to point out that he had an easier job as a motorized messenger than other foot soldiers in the infantry that he closely followed. All this and much more was recorded daily in Wagner’s diary. The book, when published, will stand as a contribution to both literature and history.” Sidebar: “After completion of his military service, Wagner received the following citation from Major General Charles L. Bolte: “‘Wilmer A. Wagner (37026777), Corporal, Field Artillery, Headquarters Battery, 151st Field Artillery Battalion. For exceptionally meritorious conduct from 9 May 1943 to 2 May 1945, in North Africa and Italy. During this period Cpl Wagner served as battery agent for Headquarters Battery, 151st Field Artillery Battalion. Cpl Wagner continually drove blackout over unfamiliar roads that were often almost impassable due to rainfall. Cpl Wagner

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furnished valuable information as to the condition of the roads and the location and use of short cuts. Frequently the roads traversed by Cpl Wagner were subjected to heavy enemy harassing fire and information regarding minefields was lacking, but Cpl Wagner never failed to reach his destination in time for operational changes and new plans to be effected. Cpl Wagner’s courage and devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself and the military service.’

“After the war, Wagner returned to Minnesota, resumed his occupation as market gardener and developed a greenhouse business, married, built a home and raised a son and two daughters. To supplement his income he drove a school bus. “An avid reader, Wagner has remained an active student of World War Two and military history throughout his lifetime.”

Robert Washkuhn ________________________________________________

Mr. Washkuhn served in World War II in the European Theater. He served in the U.S. Army from August 28, 1944, until March 3, 1946. He was assigned to Company C, 60th Battalion, 9th Armored Division. He traveled by ship to Scotland, then on to England. His unit served in both France and Germany. The 9th Armored Division was the first divi-‐sion to cross the Rhine River. Mr. Washkuhn's rank was Private 1st Class. He was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal. Mr. Washkuhn was born in 1924 in Shell Lake, Washburn County, Wisconsin, the son of William and Elizabeth Washkuhn.


I was shipped overseas to Europe. Landed in Scotland, down to England, France and

Germany. I was with the 9th Armored Division. We were the first to cross the Rhine River.

Robert S. Watt _____________________________________________________

Mr. Watt served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from June 1942 until December 5, 1945. He was assigned to the Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron (VMSB-‐VMTB) 232, “Red Devil” Squadron, Marine Aviation. Mr. Watt went to boot camp in San Diego, then to aviation school in Jacksonville, Florida, where he graduated

from metal-‐smith school in February 1943. He returned to San Diego and was assigned to Marine Torpedo Bombing Squadron 232 in El Toro, California. They boarded a Dutch ship, the S.S. Japara, and left for the Pacific. Mr. Watt participated in the Bou-‐gainville Campaign (Solomon Islands). For 31 consecutive days, his unit was under Japanese attack from the air and

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land. During this time, his unit monitored American aircraft for bombing raids on nearby islands. For this, his squadron received the Presidential Citation. Mr. Watt himself was an airplane mechanic, working with engines, landing gear, wings, and other parts to “keep the aircraft flying.” After making major repairs, he was required to go on test flights with the pilots to make certain all was well. Subsequently, Mr. Watt returned to the United States for a furlough. He was temporarily assigned to Squadron #143 at Santa Barbara, then was again assigned to Squadron #232, and in late December 1944, his unit went to Guam, Saipan, and Tinian. When the Enola Gay left Tinian to bomb Japan, the service members were alerted and were issued gas masks. He returned to the United States and was discharged on December 5, 1945. His rank was Staff Sergeant. Mr. Watt was decorated with the Presidential Citation, Four Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Ribbon, and South Pacific Ribbon. Mr. Watt was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1920, the son of Stanley J. and Elise M. Watt.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran’s account (see below); original Veterans’ Memorial Hall website entry (see below)

Robert S. Watt U.S. Marine Corps. Enlisted in May, 1942, and was called up in June 1942. Went to Minneapolis and stayed in a bug-‐infested hotel with two others from Duluth (George Wolff and Gordon Pond). Sent to San Diego for boot training and then to aviation school in Jacksonville, Florida, graduating in February 1943 from Metalsmith School. Was no. 25 in a class of 60. Back to San Diego and was then assigned to VMTB Squadron 2323 Red Devils at El Toro (California). Left for overseas in July 1943 with a stop in Hawaii first on the S.S. Japara, a Dutch ship with tar decks and a large canvas

sock for air to the decks below. Three of us decided to sleep on deck rather than get up at 4:00 a.m. Our breakfast was a roll and powdered eggs, and lunch was powdered egg soup almost every day on the ship. The trip to Noumea, New Caledonia, took 31 days, and some fellow Marines were sick the whole time. From Noumea to Espirito Santo, August 3, 1943, until December 20, 1943, then to Guadalcanal, December 22, 1943. From the Canal to Munda, December 28, 1943, and at that time they were bombing Munda, so we stayed out to sea on the L.C.I. #61 until morning. We left Munda on the L.C.I. #360, January 18, 1944, for Bougainville. While in Bougainville, we were under fire from the air and from the hills for 31 days straight, while monitoring our aircraft for bombing raids on other islands. For this, our squadron 232 received the Presidential Citation. During this time, I was involved in engine-‐landing gear, wing, and plane parts to keep the aircraft flying, so any major repairs, I was required to go on test hops with the pilots, with flight pay. We did a few fun things also, such as dump used oil on the island of Rota, making rice paddies and fishing unusable. The foothold on Bougainville was very small (2-‐3 miles wide and one mile long). The landing strip was coral and did not use landing lights at night. At this time, there were some 40,000 Japs on the island. I left Bougainville on May 6, 1944, on the ship Mormac Dove to Espirito Santo on May 13, 1944. Then on the ship Robin Dorcaster for San Francisco. The ship had many wounded and some mental patients, so we were put on guard duty for the whole trip, arriving in Frisco, October 21, 1944. I then had my first furlough in 18 months, thus I had 30 days at home. Went back to El Toro with my friend Don Smith from Doland, South Dakota, whose brother was our C.O. of VMTB 232. (Don Smith was later killed in a plane crash in

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California. We lost eight men in three planes that day.) I was then assigned to take Don Smith’s body home for burial in December 1944. Funeral was Christmas Day, 1944. Back to El Toro, but was then assigned to a new squadron #143 at Santa Barbara for a short time, then back to the #232 for a second trip overseas at end of December, 1944. Went to Guam, Saipan, and Tinian, where the A-‐bomb took off and was dropped on August 6, 1945. We were all alerted and issued gas masks. During this trip, the squadron was mostly on patrol duty, so had time to spare. We formed a basketball team of ten, and we flew to several islands to play teams. War was over on August 25, 1945, and left to Tinian, and to Guam, and sailed home to U.S.A., November 15, 1945. Landed in Frisco and to Miramac for discharge, December 5, 1945. After four

years of service, retired as Marine Staff Sergeant with four Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Ribbon, South Pacific Ribbon, and Presidential Citation Ribbon.

Original VMH website entry:

Robert S. Watt enlisted in the Marines on June 10, 1942. He was a Sergeant with the V.M.T.B. Marine Torpedo Bombing Sqd. 232. He was discharged on December 12, 1945, after his squadron received the Presidential Citation. "It was while on the island of Bougainville at Piva, that we kept the TBF's flying, and hitting gun emplacements, while bombing Rabaul Harbor, although under constant air raids and firing from the hills of Bougainville for over 30 days, that the ground crew and squadron received the Presidential Citation. I was, at that time, in charge of engine repair, and strut and wing replacement."

Robert “Bob” Watts _______________________________________________

Mr. Watts joined the Minnesota National Guard in 1938 and was inducted into federal service on February 10, 1941. He left Duluth in March of 1941 on advanced detail to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. He and his father, 1st Sgt. George W. Watts, left Duluth together. Robert was assigned to the Battalion Supply Section and remained there throughout the European Campaign until April 1945. He was promoted to Technical Sergeant of Battalion Supply on board ship traveling to Ireland in early 1942. “My job throughout the entire service overseas was to keep the 125th F. A. [Field Artillery] Battalion supplied in clothing, fuel, ordinance, rations, water, and other items. Each Battery had their own supply Sergeants who submitted requisitions to the Battalion Supply Sergeant for conso-‐lidation and then forwarded [them] on to the Quartermaster to be filled. It was also my duty to replace items ‘lost in combat’ by submitting claims. The 125th

F. A. spent most of their service near the front lines throughout the entire campaign. Casualties were heavy at times, but after a few close calls, we survived the battle.” Mr. Watts was promoted to 1st Sergeant in April 1945. He returned to Duluth in Sept. of 1945, and remained a Lieutenant in the National Guard at the Duluth

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(Minnesota) Armory until discharged prior to the Korean War.

He was born in 1922, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Watts.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall website

Conrad Weinert _____________________________________________

Mr. Weinert served in World War II in both the European and Pacific Theaters. He served in the U.S. Navy from October 4, 1944, until December 15, 1947. After boot camp, he was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, for landing craft training. While there, he volunteered into Scouts and Raiders. After training, he volunteered out and went on the Robert A. Callan (AP 139), a troop transport ship. They trans-‐ported troops to and from France, India, and the Philippines. After the war, he was assigned to the USS Corry (DD 817), a destroyer. His home port was Naples, Italy. He cruised the Mediterranean until late 1947. He was discharged at Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Weinert's rank was Petty Officer 3rd Class. His job was water tender. Mr. Weinert was born in 1927 in Iron Mountain, Michigan, the son of Konrad and Viola Weinert.


I enlisted in the Navy, entered October 4, 1944-‐December 15, 1947. When I got out of boot camp, I was at Norfolk, Virginia, training for landing crafts. While I was there, I volunteered into Scouts and Raiders. After training, I volunteered out and went on a troop transport ship, the

Robert E. Callan (AP 139). While the war was on, we hauled troops to and from France and India, and the Philippines. I sailed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and as soon as the war was over I was assigned to a destroyer, USS Corry (DD 817). My home port was Naples, Italy. I was cruising the Mediterranean until my enlistment was up. I then was discharged from Pensacola, Florida.

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Ralph Rogers Wheaton __________________________________________

Mr. Wheaton served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy from February 1, 1943, until March 1946. He trained at the U.S. Navy Midshipman School at Notre Dame University, and he was commissioned an Ensign on May 27, 1943. He was assigned to a minesweeper in the Pacific. Later, he was an instructor at a Navy base. He was assigned to the 3rd Fleet, serving under Admiral William Halsey, South Pacific. He was then assigned to the 5th Fleet, serving under Admiral Chester Nimitz. In early 1944, Mr. Wheaton was assigned to the staff of Admiral Lawrence Reifsnider, Commander, Amphibious Group 4, Pacific Fleet Task Group 58. In this capacity he was involved in the Navy, Army, and Marine assault on Okinawa. After the surrender by Japan, Mr. Wheaton was assigned to a Navy communications office in Tokyo. His rank at the time of his discharge was Navy (full) Lieutenant (0-‐3). Mr. Wheaton later served in the Navy Reserve, including two years of active duty during the Korean War.

Mr. Wheaton was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic-‐Pacific Theater Commendation Ribbon with the Marianas Battle Star and the Ryukyu Battle Star. Mr. Wheaton was born in 1920 in Caledonia, Houston County, Minnesota, the son of Ralph Roe Wheaton and Edna Marie (McLaughlin) Wheaton.

Original entry on VMH website:

Ralph Wheaton grew up in St. Paul and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1942. After training at the U.S. Navy Midshipmen School at Notre Dame University, he was commissioned as an ensign on May 27, 1943. He was assigned to a minesweeper operating off the Pacific Coast and later was an instructor at a Navy base. In early 1944, he was assigned to the staff of Amphibious Group Four, led by Adm. Lawrence Reifsnider. In this role he was later involved in the Navy, Army, and Marine assault on Okinawa. He says the number of ships and men involved in the assault exceeded that involved in the D-‐Day landings at Normandy. There were 1,600 ships and a combined force of 540,000 Army and Marine personnel in the landings. Wheaton was assigned to a Navy communications office in Tokyo after the war and was separated from active duty on Feb. 8, 1946, at the rank of Lieutenant. He later served in the Navy Reserve, including two years of active duty during the Korean War. After the war, he was an engineer for space projects for defense contractors and then worked as a counselor for the Minnesota Employment Service until his retirement in 1986.

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Donald George Whitby _________________________________________

Mr. Whitby served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from August 1944 until June 1946. He was assigned to the 20th Air Force. At war's end, he participated in the Sunset Project, returning B-‐29's, B-‐24's, and other aircraft as well as troops, to the United States. His rank was Sergeant.

Mr. Whitby was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1926, the son of George and Alice Whitby. He graduated from high school in 1944.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall, Veteran History Form; HyperWar: Army Air Forces in WWII, Vol. VII, p. 226 (http://www.ibiblio.org/ hyperwar/AAF/VII/AAF-VII-8.html)

Lloyd Widmayer __________________________________________________

Mr. Widmayer served in World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy from October 16, 1942, until February 10, 1946. He enlisted in Minneapolis-‐St. Paul. Mr. Widmayer received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, followed by pre-‐radio school at Chicago Navy Pier; basic radio training at Bliss Electrical School, Takoma Park, Maryland; Electro-‐nic School at Treasure Island, San Francisco, California; and U.S. Marine Corps land-‐based radar school at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was assigned to the USS Yosemite (AD-19) in Tampa, Florida. The Yosemite was a destroyer tender, providing repair, supplies, and support to destroyers. Mr. Widmayer was assigned to the radio and underwater sound shop, working on installation and repairs of electronic equipment. His rank was Radio Technician 2nd Class. The Yosemite made its way through the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, arriving in August 1944. For six months, Mr. Widmayer and the rest of the crew repaired approximately 200 ships. In February 1945, the Yosemite went to the Eniwetok Atoll and then further west to the Ulithi Atoll. In May, the ship was part of a convoy to the Leyte Gulf in the

Philippines. After the war, in September, 1945, the ship went to Sasebo, Japan, where it tended ships assigned to the occupation forces. Mr. Widmayer was discharged at Minneapolis-‐St. Paul. He was decorated with the Atlantic, Asiatic-‐Pacific, Liberation of the Philip-‐pines, and Occupation of Japan Medals. Mr. Widmayer was born in 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Barney and Elizabeth Widmayer.

Source: Veterans' Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran's account (see below); "USS Yosemite (AD-19)," Wikipedia entry.

I enlisted in the Navy @ MSP, 10/16/42. Basic training at Great Lakes, pre-‐radio school at Chicago Navy Pier, basic radio training at Bliss Electrical School, Mary-‐land, Electronic School at Treasure Island SE, USMC land-‐based radar school at Camp Lejeune, NC, USS Yosemite, Tampa, Florida, Des Pac, Pearl Harbor, Eniwetock, Ulithi, Leyte Gulf, Sasebo, Japan. The Yosemite was a destroyer tender, providing supplies and support to de-‐stroyers, primarily repairs. I was assigned to the radio and underwater sound shop, working on installation and repairs of electronic equipment. I was discharged at MSP Naval Training Station 2/10/46.

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Claude A. Wollak __________________________________________________

Mr. Wollak served in World War II in the Pacific Theater. He served in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the battleship USS North Carolina. He served in the V Division (aviation unit) as an Aviation Metalsmith 3rd Class. Mr. Wollak was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Area Rib-‐bon, and the Asiatic-‐Pacific Area Ribbon. Mr. Wollak was born in 1927 in Royalton, Minnesota, the son of Nick and Josephine Wollak.

Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall Veteran History Form; veteran's account (see below)

I spent 27 months on the battleship BB55 USS North Carolina, which included time in the South Pacific, including entering Tokyo Bay for peace signing ceremonies, and midshipman training cruises after the end of World War II. I worked as an aviation metalsmith— AMC—on Kingfisher seaplanes. They were used for observation, search and rescue.

Stanley O. Wuolle _________________________________________________

Mr. Wuolle served in both World War II, in the European Theater, and in the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Army from October 1942 until November 11, 1945. He was assigned to the 91st Infantry Division, Reconnaissance. His rank was Corporal.

Mr. Wuolle served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Mr. Wuolle was born in 1927 in Duluth, Minnesota, the son of Oscar and Fiina Wuolle.


Beatrice Franklin Yanda _________________________________________

Ms. Yanda served in World War II. She served in the U.S. Army from January 23, 1943, until February 1, 1946. She was an Army Nurse. She was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. She was sent overseas to the 8th Station Hospital, Winchester, England. Later, she was transferred to the 6th Field, England. Her rank was 1st Lieutenant. Shortly before the Invasion of Nor-‐mandy, she and the other medical staff were told to evacuate the hospital, but they were not told the reason. The night of the invasion, hundreds of planes flew overhead: for the first time since she had arrived in England, she saw lights after darkness had fallen. Subsequently, Ms. Yanda treated many of the service members who were wounded during the invasion.

Ms. Yanda was decorated with the European Theater of Operations Medal. Ms. Yanda was born in Duluth, Minne-‐sota, the daughter of George and Lorena Franklin.


Winchester, England, June 5-‐6, 1944, was one of my most memorable times of my stay in England. A few days prior, we had evacuated the 8th Station Hospital. We did not know why. We were given a day off, so took off on our bikes but returned because of the heavy traffic, not realizing it was the start of the Normandy Beachhead. We were informed the troops were crossing the Channel to France.

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That night it seemed like hundreds of planes flew over the Channel with their lights. We had not seen a light after dark

since arriving in England. A few days later we knew why we were there. It was a nightmare.

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