SALUTE: Veterans Day 2019

S LUTE November | 2019

VETERANS DAY 2019

THE NEXT GENERATION MEET THE GRAMS’— BOTH MOM AND DAD IN THE ARMY THE LAST WWII VETERAN IN THE BACKUS AMERICAN LEGION

CIVIL AIR PATROL Christmas 1944

Navy Talent Scout

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A publication of the Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal

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CONTENTS ‘19

Staff PUBLISHER Pete Mohs

On the cover:

Military parents Brittany and Garrett Grams with their children Harlan, infant, (center), and Joseph, 2 1/2 .

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Susie Alters

Photo by Lisa Sherwood Photography lisasherwoodphoto.com

ART DIRECTOR Lisa Morales

THE NEXT GENERATION • 4

COPY EDITOR DeLynn Howard MARKETING COORDINATOR Leo Miller

Q & A with Brittany Grams

High school sweethearts create a fulfilling life through their marriage, family, raising children and their careers in the military.

ADVERTISING Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Publishing Media Consultants

Features

CIVIL AIR PATROL • 7

THEN THERE WAS ONE • 30

By Gabriel Lagarde, Brainerd Dispatch

By Travis Grimler, Echo Journal

Civil Air Patrol bridges the gap between retired veterans and young cadets.

Backus American Legion has only one remaining WWII veteran.

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Also in this issue

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Veterans Day Salute is an annual publication of the Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal.

RESONATING HISTORY

By Gabriel Lagarde, Brainerd Dispatch

Bataan Memorial March highlights need to preserve legacies of military history.

Copyright© 2013 VOLUME 7, FALL 2019

NAVY TALENT SCOUT

By Frank Lee, Brainerd Dispatch

He wanted to see the world. What he got was the adventure of a lifetime.

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“We hope that our children can learn that sometimes the world is bigger than just themselves.”

- Brittany and Garrett Grams

Brittany Grams (left) and husband Garrett hold their sons Joseph, 2 1/2 , and Harlan, 9 months old.

The Grams are both in the military, with Brittany serving as a chief warrant officer two and Garrett as a sergeant first class.

The Next Generation Brittany and Garrett Grams say the military has helped shape who they are as a family

Q: Where are you from?

Brittany: Garrett grew up in Little Falls and I grew up in Randall which is just north of Little Falls.”

Q: Do you live in the area now?

B.G.: We live in the St. Cloud area.”

Q: Did you grow up in military families?

B.G.: Garrett’s father served 24 years in the Minnesota Army National Guard working fulltime and his older brother, who is still currently serving, 4

also joined the Minnesota Army National Guard. Both his grandfathers served in the military ­— one in the Navy, deployed twice to the Mediterranean; the other was in the Army Air Force and fought in WWII. My grandfather served in WWII in the Army.

Q: How did you meet Garrett?

B.G.: Garrett and I are actually high school sweethearts. We first met in middle school but didn’t start dating until 10th grade.

S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

Q: Was military service a passion of yours?

B.G.: For me, throughout high school I always had a high respect for service members and the people who have fought for our rights.

While we were dating in high school, I learned more about the military because of being around Garrett’s family. They never pushed it on me or said I should do it but as I learned more about it, it caught my interest. From

Garrett’s dad especially, I learned the opportunities I could gain from joining the military. Garrett and I also worked out at Camp Ripley in the dining facility, where I was able to interact with current members, too. When deciding what to do about college and after high school, I thought if I am someone that can do it, I should so then I can do my part and give back like all the people before me. Also there are school benefits that tie with it, so I thought it was a win-win situation. Garrett always wanted to join the military and it was a pretty easy decision for him when it came down to it. The benefits of serving were great and ever since we joined we have enjoyed our time and made it a major part of our lives.

Q: Do you have regular civilian jobs?

B.G.: No, both of us work full

time for the military. Garrett is the Readiness NCO for F Co 1-189 and is in the Active Reserve Guard program, meaning he is active National Guard. He has been working full time with the guard for seven years.

I work full time as a federal technician at the Army Aviation Flight Facility #2. I did have a civilian job but I ended up working many weekends, so I started looking for something different and ended up getting a job that worked directly with the military. Family time has always been important, but after having a child, the meaning of family time changed. The decision to work with the guard gave me back my weekends and every federal holiday.

Garrett and I have spent plenty of time apart. I actually deployed 10 days after we got married. During my deployment I got selected to go to flight school and was sent home

early to attend. Garrett was working full time for the Minnesota National Guard so he wasn’t able to move down to Alabama with me.

During that time we spent a total of two years and four months living in two different places.

Q: What is your current schedule like?

B.G.: Our schedule is pretty crazy sometimes, considering that we are dual military. We have our one weekend a month drill and annual training events during the summer.

Sometimes these training events are at the same time and sometimes they are not. Our parents are very supportive and help us out on the drill weekends with babysitting.

During the longer training schedules they help us take care of things around the house, too. We have been lucky enough that most of our long schools or training events

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have fallen on separate times so one of us can take care of the kids while the other is away. During the last three years each or both of us had to be gone for at least a month due to training and schools. Being a pilot I also fly — usually once a week after work. We tend to plan most things around the military and we try to plan babysitters a couple weeks or a month or two out so we are prepared when we need to be gone.

Q: Has your or your husband’s military roles changed since having kids?

B.G.: I wouldn’t say that our role has changed but our mindset has shifted quite a bit. We try to put an emphasis on the time we have together and make the most of the moments we are able to be there for. If one of us is away we also make an extra effort to include them using Facetime,

“I wouldn’t say that our role has changed but our mindset has shifted quite a bit. We try to put an emphasis on the time we have together and make the most of the moments we are able to be there for.”

- Brittany Grams

pictures and videos of the kids.

Q: Is being sent overseas a worry for either of you?

B.G.: It is part of being in the military to be prepared for a deployment. I wouldn’t say that it is a worry, but more of something that’s always in the back of our minds

Today we pause to honor the brave men and women who have made great sacrifice to protect our families, our country, and our freedom.

that we are ready for and plan for.

I have deployed before and Garrett is currently training to go on his first deployment. Now a days, with technology being so accessible it makes it a little easier to still feel a part of the kids’ everyday life when one of us is gone. It is also important to have a good support system of friends and family to support the one at home.

Q: What do you hope the children learn from your service?

B.G.: We hope that our children can learn that sometimes the world is bigger than just themselves. Being a part of the military takes a lot of sacrifice and we hope they realize that taking part in something that serves more than just your needs is really what it’s all about. That doesn’t mean that they need to join the military to serve. There are other great ways to serve others by volunteering, working with a nonprofit organization, or other service industries like police departments, fire departments or the medical field. We also hope they grow up understanding the sacrifices other people have made for them and they don’t take for granted the freedoms they have and the life they live.

Sometimes when people hear our story they ask how we can do it.

Honestly, sometimes we just take it a day at a time. The military has opened many opportunities for us.

Through the hard times — missing weddings, birthdays and holidays, it is still a major part of our lives. Even with all the times apart, we can both honestly say we don’t regret the decision to join. It helped shape who we are as a family and we have grown to be stronger because of it all.

Questions compiled by Lisa Morales, Brainerd Dispatch.

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

Veteran and volunteer flight instructor Greg Jedlenski (center) poses with Brainerd Civil Air Patrol cadets in front of an aircraft during a meeting Monday, Sept. 30 at Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport. Photo by Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol bridges the gap between retired veterans and young cadets

L

By Gabriel Lagarde

ife is often cyclical in nature. From cradle to the grave, people change roles and pass on the torch — from pupil, to journeyman, to practitioner, to master, to pupil again — and rarely is this more starkly

apparent than the Civil Air Patrol.

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Members of the Brainerd chapter of the Civil Air Patrol conduct drills Monday, Sept. 30, at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport. Photo by Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

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The Civil Air Patrol is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that’s been in operation since the early days of World War II — a somewhat nebulous role squarely placed between military and non-military life, the nonprofit organization sees to the upbringing of cadets as young as 12 and is often staffed by retired veterans into their golden years.

As such, it represents a key point of development for many young people — some who look to get their start on a lifelong path in aviation, others to carve out a spot in careers through the armed services or law enforcement.

The story of Dale Armstrong of Brainerd exemplifies the other end of the equation ­— former servicemen who donate their time, expertise and efforts to the next generations, free of charge. Having

“To see them get so excited and grow so quickly, it’s really fulfilling to me.”

Dale Armstrong, former director of operations for the entire state of Minnesota. worked in helicopter maintenance with the U.S. Army back in 19641965, Armstrong, formerly director of operations for the entire state of Minnesota, continues to work with teenagers in the Twin Cities,

though he considers the Brainerd chapter his home base.

“It’s just an opportunity to give back some of the good graces I’ve been afforded over the years and to watch our young people. To see them get so excited and grow so quickly, it’s really fulfilling to me,” Armstrong said. “I’ve always been an aviation buff. When I moved up to Brainerd I decided I needed something to do and some way to give back. So, I found the (Brainerd) Civil Air Patrol squadron and joined up here.”

Cadets meet every Monday at 7 p.m. at a small building in the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, where they conduct meetings, run regimental drills and adhere to a strict disciplined code of conduct, much like an armed services unit,

though participation is purely voluntary.

In addition, cadets are able to take part in flying exercises and extracurricular competitions, among other activities that benefit their long-term commitment to a core set of moral values laid out in the CAP’s charter.

Armstrong said he hopes the CAP could be more active with more vulnerable populations — particularly, he noted, inner-city kids and those from broken homes. He also noted the organization has stringent background checks for any volunteers, which serve as a strong safety measure for young cadets.

Harison Klever juggles being the deputy commander for the Brainerd chapter and studies at Central Lakes College.

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A former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a “It takes kids correctional officer, Klever said interested in the volunteering to aid CAP’s function as a bridge between civilian and military and pushmilitary life, as well as youth and adulthood, appealed to him. es them in the “I’m going to school for law enright direction — at forcement and I did five years with the Marines, so they said it would least, it did for me.” be good to join a volunteer organization,” Klever said.

- Harison Klever, deputy “I knew there was a Civil Air Pacommander, Brainerd chaptrol branch around here at the airter, Central Lakes College port that I used to be part of as a student and former kid. It seemed like the perfect thing U.S. Marine. to do.”

“It helped me,” he added. “It takes kids interested in the military and pushes them in the right direc- freshman and third-year cadet tion — at least, it did for me.” with the CAP, said a legacy of parHayden Dodge, a high school ticipation in the armed services

(as both parents have been or are active duty) compelled him to join. Since then, the camaraderie, the structured lifestyle and the tradition-bound sense of duty embodied by the CAP are vital aspects of his life.

“The people in Civil Air Patrol are some of the best leaders in the community and some of the best people,” said Dodge, who noted he hopes to get his pilot’s license via CAP in 2020, followed by plans to be a pilot in the Air Force.

After that, Dodge said he hopes to give back to the CAP once he retires from the armed services, possibly as a flight instructor for a chapter down the road.

Fellow cadet Eric Dickson, a third-year cadet and sophomore, said the CAP also fosters

THE ORANGES ARE SWEET BY PAUL M. SAILER Loden Books salutes the Civil Air Patrol for their critical anti-submarine service in WWII and CAP officer Ron Finger of Baxter for his fine artwork on the jackets of The Oranges are Sweet and I Had a Comrade.

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The Special Edition contains material from the author’s fascinating visit to airfields in England and France, his research since the book’s first printing in 2011, plus new photos and maps.

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

“If you want to do something, you have to go out and do it.”

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an environment of self-reliance and autonomy — created, he noted, by a balance of regimental discipline and the organization’s volunteer core.

“They don’t necessarily just teach you everything. You have to ask.

If you want to do something, you have to go out and do it,” he said.

“You have to have your own goals.

There’s no super big push to do anything, to get the highest cadet grade or get your pilot’s license.”

In Minnesota, hopefuls can join the CAP by attending a meeting and notifying members they’d like to join, then completing an application process, getting their fingerprint registered and paying dues — ­­ which, for new cadets, amount to $35 a year. High school seniors may pay $65 per year. Outside of a few high level executives at the national level, the organization is entirely run by unpaid volunteer commanders, instructors and mentors of the armed services.

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Military personnel walk through the rain at the start of the 22nd annual Bataan Memorial March Saturday, Sept. 21, along Southeast 13th Street in Brainerd. The march is either a half marathon, full marathon or half marathon ruck march with packs.

Photo by Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

Resonating History Bataan Memorial March highlights need to preserve legacies of military history

IF

By Gabriel Lagarde

there was one lesson to take home from this year’s annual Bataan Memorial March, it’s that the United States must

remain ever vigilant, ever ready to oppose the kind of evils that slaughtered thousands of POWs during the 60-mile trek of death in Luzon.

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

The 194th Tank Battalion were ordered to the Philippines in September of 1941, just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Stationed near Clark Field on the island of Luzon, they represented the first tank unit in the Far East before World War II. Isolated, without supplies, they fought on until ordered to surrender with the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942.

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Of the 64 men from the tank company that left Brainerd went with the 194th to the Philippines, three were killed in action and 29 died as POWs. The 26 letters of the English alphabet are simply inadequate to convey the horrors of torture, wanton killings, slave labor and treatment as sub-human cargo — which, for many, characterized the final days of their lives.

Thirty-two survived captivity.

Poignant, but is the immediacy and gravity of what happened losing its grip on people today — of which, the vast majority were born in the intervening 77 years and, thus, were never around to hear of Bataan even second hand?

As speaker Lt. Col. Josh Simer observed in his address, the S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

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the young people of today, particularly young people in the armed “You listen, that’s services. one thing. You do And, in that, it speaks to a larger question — is the act of learning a fraction of what history one that can aid people for future challenges, or it is inevitathey did and you ble that history fades and loses its remember. It sticks power, just to be reborn when its mistakes are repeated? with you more.”

In talks with the Dispatch, U.S. -Specialist Tim Korinta, Army soldiers who participated in the memorial march said it’s a leson the importance of son that’s actively remembered ceremonial activities. from the top brass down and enforced through the ranks.

“For me, I love history in general. I point of the memorial march is to think a lot of things from history are ensure the horrors of the Bataan either forgotten and repeat themDeath March aren’t relegated to hisselves, or they resonate and spark tory books, little more than dusty that change,” said Staff Sgt. Robert footnotes that don’t resonate with

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

“I think 99% of these young guys are fine. ...I have no doubt they’d fight and lay down their lives if it came to it,” -Walt Straka, Brainerd’s last remaining survivor of Bataan, disagreed with an article that criticized Millenials and their patriotism.

Clement “But, a lot of people don’t know about these things from the civilian side. It resonates with me, but then you talk to kids born after 9/11 and that still resonates with them.”

Specialist Tim Korinta said, by actively engaging with history and taking part in ceremonial activities, it keeps history a tangible and meaningful thing to consider for the future.

“I think the actual act of doing it, it resonates more and adds on to the ceremony,” Korinta said. “You listen, that’s one thing. You do a fraction of what they did and you remember. It sticks with you more.”

“It’s raining out there right now,” Clement added. “People are going to say ‘Oh, it sucks it’s

Brainerd’s last Bataan Death March survivor Walt Straka, then 99-years-old, (second from right) shakes hands with service members shortly before the 22nd annual Bataan Memorial March Saturday, Sept. 22, at the U.S. Army National Guard Armory in south Brainerd.

S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

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raining,’ but that’s a whole lot easier than what they faced (in 1942).

In Texas a month ago, I would have begged for rain. It’s a matter of perspective — it sucks in the moment, but you’ve got to keep going and when it gets easier, appreciate it for what it is. Embrace that moment.”

Sgt. Dusty Fetters offered a less optimistic take.

“Communitywise there’s a lot of pride in that,” Fetters said. “I’d say it’s ingrained in the unit culture. I think family members and friends of these men hold onto what happened, but otherwise, no, I don’t think it’d stick with others so much.”

As for Brainerd’s last remaining survivor of Bataan, then 99-yearold Walt Straka gave a warm and hopeful assessment of his young successors among the Millennial generation.

In discussions with the Dispatch, Straka seemed particularly animated by a column he read that criticized the place of Millennials and their apparent lack of patriotism for the United States.

“I don’t believe that,” Straka said.

“I think 99% of these young guys are fine. Most of the kids are alright.

They’ll be OK. Most of them treat me nice. I have no doubt they’d fight and lay down their lives if it came to it.

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Paul Lewis Kramer Jr. Army Deceased 2/21/2010

Jayce R. Schroeder Marines

Sherre Andrade Navy 1996-Present

Robert Perkins Air Force 1983-1987

Jeff Volkl Marines 1989-1993

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Hardwood Floors, Superior Carpet, Upholstery, Tile, Stone and Grout & Granite Cleaning 218-828-4320 • cdofthelakes@midco.net www.chemdryofthelakes.com

Dale Van Horn Jr. Navy and Army

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Residential & Commercial New Construction & Remodels

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

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Daniel Barto Air Force 1952-1956

Danny Price Marines 1973-1977

Bill Schuster Marines WWII

Jason Price Marines & Army 1997-2003, 2003-2005

Ray Schuster Army WWII

Art Schuster Army WWII

Kenneth Schuster Army WWII

Ben Monson Army 1942-1945

Carl Monson Army 1943-1946, 1948-1952

William Skeesick Army WWII Deceased 11/29/2002

Derald E. Watson Air Force 1946-1950

Art Nystrom Air Force 1944-45 WWII

Eugene Munson Navy WWII

Milton Munson Navy 1942-1945; WWII Deceased 6/1/1977

John E. Munson Army WWI

Gilbert Bittner Marines Korea Deceased 12/28/2014

Dale Monson Navy 1944-1945 WWII

Gunnard Freden Navy WWII

LeRoy Siegel Army Korea Deceased 1/8/1995

Charles (Chuck) Leith Navy 1981-1998

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Richard Rezanka Army 1917-1918; WWI Deceased 8/2/1990

Richard B. Rezanka Lawrence Burr Seidel Navy Air Force Deceased 12/20/2011 1943-1945; WWII Deceased 3/23/1992

Duane Flategraff Navy 1976-1983

Syverin Flategraff Army 1916-1919; WWI Deceased

Elmer A. Flategraff Army 1941-1945; WWI Deceased

Bryton AllenBurr Mutz Navy 2013-Present

Ken Micko Air Force 1942-1945

Sean Deist Marines 2000-2004

John Mathew Cluever Sr. Army 1940-1943; WWII Deceased 6/16/2003

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VETERAN’S FOR THEIR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE.

Celebrating Those Who Served

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Supporting veterans, active military and their families since 1919!

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

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Jim Stafford Navy 1984-1988

Sean Stafford National Guard 1997-2017

Brandon Stafford National Guard 2009-Present

Richard Paul Kline Navy 1948-1952; Korea

Chip Borle Army Iraq

Dennis G. Havel Army 1967-1968; Vietnam

F.G. “Rick” Richardson Navy & Air Force 1947-1950, 1951-1961

Wilbert Gildart Army 1972-1973 Cold War

Mike Williams Navy Vietnam

Pat Wing Army Korea

Laurie Hall 326 W. Laurel St. Brainerd, MN

from all of us at

(3 blocks South of Walgreens)

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7419 Forthun Rd. Baxter, MN 56425

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

Cailee Jensen Air Force 2017-Present

Laurie Dally Army Reserve 1981-2006

John Franzen Marines

William A. Miller Coast Guard 1942-1946 Deceased 3/20/2006

Don Rasmussen Army 1966-1969

Justin Roberts Army Reserve 2010-2018

Roy A. Van Horn Army 1942-1945; WWII

Marshall Grams Army

Dave Meyer Army Vietnam

Charles Brunes Navy WWI Deceased 11/4/1978

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE & SACRIFICE With gratitude, we honor America’s veterans and military personnel

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23

Eric M. Fischer Air Force 1993-2014

James Sipper Marines 2011-2014; Iraq

Robert J. Clark Air Force 1943-1945; WWII

Howard Delk Air Force 1946-1949

Robert G. Hurst 1951-1954; Korea

Gary Balmer Navy 1968; Vietnam Deceased 2005

Merle Monson Army 1942-1945

Ole Monson Navy 1944-1945

Kevin Goedker Marines

Norman Loven Army 1945-1946

We join all of America in celebrating the endearing principles on which our nation was founded. We proudly salute the men and women of our Armed Forces, along with their families, who defend those principles with courage and honor.

FOR YOUR SERVICE

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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

NMLS#410361

Joelle Knapp Marines 2018-Present

Jackson Knapp Marines 2012-2016

Jeff Knapp Marines 2008-2012

Oscar Marsch Army WWI

Glen L. Bloomstrom Sr. Army Deceased 1/13/2012

Earl Johnson Air Force 1954-1958

Tim Johnson Air Force 1982-1986 Deceased 6/16/2012

Arthur Bialka Marines 1951-1953

Nicholas Hastings Air Force

Michael Bolz Navy 1959-1963

For Your Life

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Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Porter now manages the Navy’s new talent acquisition site (formerly known as a recruiting station) in the Brainerd lakes area.

Photo by Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Navy Talent Scout He wanted to see the world. What he got was the adventure of a lifetime

By FRANK LEE

Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Porter wanted to see the world after he graduated from high school, but he never imagined he would do it by way of a nuclear-powered submarine.

The 25-year-old native of Crystal went to Dassel-Cokato High School and served as a sonar technician before becoming a Navy talent scout at the new talent acquisition site in Baxter.

“When I was a kid, we’d vaca26

tion up here all the time because my grandparents live over in Isle, and so when we’d come up, we’d always come to Brainerd and just kind of explore it, because it was like a cooler big town up here in the north,” Porter said.

Navy Talent Acquisition Group Northern Plains announced this summer the launch of its new talent acquisition site (formerly known as a recruiting station) in the Brainerd lakes area.

S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

“Navy recruiting kind of went through a big transition to take a lot of the stress off of the recruiters,” Porter said. “They tried to do a lot of, like, virtual recruiting — you know just using, like, Facebook and stuff like that to communicate.”

The talent acquisition site officially opened in July as part of the Baxter Village strip mall near Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Jack Pine Brewery.

“I got to go see pretty much all of the Western Pacific in the seven years that I’ve been in the Navy now.”

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eople day P y r e v rE ear fo Footw

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“It was last located off of (Highway) 210, but it closed down back in 2016 … but then they realized they had so much success before in Brainerd, and this being such a great community up here, the Navy realized we’ve got to get another station opened up here,” Porter said.

From the time of the Revolutionary War, Navy recruiters have been a part of America’s history, according to Navy Recruiting Command, which is based in Millington, Tennessee.

Veterans Day Honoring All Who Served

2000 13th Street S.E., Brainerd, MN 56401 | 218-829-6680 | crowwingcountyfair.com

-Porter From 1942 to 1971, the chief of naval personnel remained directly responsible for the Navy’s recruiting mission, but in response to the end of the military draft and an increased emphasis on Navy recruiting, the secretary of the Navy established the Navy Recruiting Command.

“It’s been a process of me going out a lot and re-introducing the Navy to the public,” Porter said.

“We’ve been to the (Brainerd Lakes) Chamber of Commerce.

We’ve been trying to get to all their events … and making the rounds at the high school.”

Dear Veterans, We salute you and honor all who have served our country.

We pause to remember and give thanks.

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Thank you.

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Porter enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and spent the past six years on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Ohio based out of Washington state.

“My grandfather was in the Navy.

I thought it was a really cool idea to enlist,” Porter said. “I wanted to get out, go see the world. Growing

up in small town central Minnesota, I didn’t really have that opportunity, so the Navy definitely presented me with that.”

The USS Ohio was one of three submarines that surfaced in Asia-Pacific ports in 2010 in a show of force by the U.S. 7th Fleet and in response to Chinese missile

A very heartfelt thank you to our veterans and their families.

From the staff at Martin’s Sport Shop in Nisswa.

Family Owned Sports Shop since 1927

218-963-2341 martins@nisswa.net OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

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testing in the East China Sea. “My mom was definitely very nervous about me enlisting, for sure … until my mom actually came in and spoke with a recruiter. As soon as we kind of talked about what the Navy actually is, it definitely helped ease her mind,” Porter said.

“I got to go see pretty much all of the Western Pacific in the seven years that I’ve been in the Navy now. The biggest thing with (being in) the military is you’re going to meet the best people of your entire life.”

Navy enlisted personnel can choose from more than 60 career fields, and a sailor can qualify for college loan repayment assistance or the Navy may cover 100% of a college student’s tuition if he or she is still in school.

“Anybody that’s kind of thinking about joining the military, I urge them to come in and talk and see maybe if this is the right choice,” Porter said.

For more information about joining the Navy, visit Porter at the Baxter talent acquisition site at 15620 Edgewood Drive N., call 218-821-0210 or visit Navy.com.

Our True American Heroes

PICTURED: ANDY ROWLAND, STEVE RINGSTROM, JUSTIN JANSEN, CHAD SHOGREN, GREG MACIEJ, GREG HILL, BILL AGENS, DAMON WARREN, DAMIEN BRODERSON, JUSTIN VREDENBURG, MAX ANDERSON, DAVID HIMLE, JESSE HIRCHERT & TONY LEWIS. NOT PICTURED: DARREN COLGROVE, TONY COLLINS, KEN ROMIG, MARY ROUBAL, BJ SCHAUMBURG, GAYLIN SMITH, RICK VANGEEST, NICK WELLE, CORY IREALSON. 28

S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

FRANK LEE

county and features reporter 218-855-5863 frank.lee@brainerddispatch.com www.twitter.com/DispatchFL

Howard “Jiggs” Blanck Army 1956-1958

Kevin Kiehlbauch Army 1976-1982

Duane Blanck Marine Corps 1960-1963

Gordon Schulke Navy WWII

Gilbert L. Lowe Air Force WWII Deceased 12/25/1983

Rod Wilcox Air Force 1964

Meryl Alters Army 1950-1953 Korea

Preston Carlson Army 2018-Present

Michael Lowe Air Force 1970-1974 Vietnam

E. John Raboin Air Force 1953-1983

Deceased 6/15/1997

THANK YOU

VETERANS AND FAMILIES

Dondelinger Auto Stands With and Supports Our Past & Current Military With Special Offers From Chevrolet & Hyundai

www.dondelingerauto.com | 218-829-4787 • 800-642-1566

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Vae and Harley Kaiser met after his return from World War II. Today, Harley is the only living representative of World War II in the Backus American Legion.

Photo by Travis Grimler / Echo Journal

Then there was one

T

Backus American Legion has only one remaining WWII Veteran

By TRAVIS GRIMLER

he Greatest Generation, those who fought against the Axis and made the United States much of the nation it is today, is dying.

This change is happening rapidly in most communities, including the veterans’ community of the Backus American Legion.

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“The thing I remember vividly from two years ago, we had seven and we made them the grand marshals of the Cornfest parade,” said Gary Dawson of the Backus American Legion. “At the annual reception after the parade we have for visiting parade units we honored and introduced them. I think there were around 80-90 veterans and auxiliary here that gave them a long standing ovation. Since then six have died. Harley Kaiser, the seventh one, is left.”

Kaiser was about as young as any American soldier in World War II could be.

“I actually had my 17th birthday on my first shift at sea while I was in the Pacific Area in World War II in probably 1944,” Kaiser said.

Today he’s 92 years old and since the death of Raymond Barchus of Backus on Aug. 20 he’s been the last remaining World War II member in the Backus American Legion. It’s true that there are other veterans from that period still living in the area, however, the small town post serves as a stark illustration of an unavoidable reality.

Soon those heroes, and their unimaginable stories and experiences, will be lost.

The Cass County Veterans Services offices only have definitive records for the past eight years due to a new system, however, in that time nearly 90 percent of the surviving World War II veterans from only eight years ago have died.

There were 514 and now there are only 41 believed to be alive today.

Dawson considers the loss immeasurable.

“I really believe in Tom Brokaw’s book, ‘The Greatest Generation’,” Dawson said. “They

were the Greatest Generation. They sacrificed a lot. I think we’re losing a valuable part of our history and all of them were very humble, very quiet. They didn’t talk about their experiences much. Like my father, it was so horrible he didn’t care to talk about it. They were all community minded. They all pitched in and helped with community projects and fundraisers and the camaraderie of being with fellow veterans. They were remarkable personalities and from another era a lot of younger Americans don’t know a lot about.”

When they go, these veterans take with them a lifetime of knowledge and experience, some of which is unique.

It’s something the veterans themselves are, of course, aware of.

Kaiser has watched for years as his friends, neighbors and fellow veterans have died very close to home.

“There were three of us in just this half mile area,” Kaiser said.

“I’m the only one left right now and that’s just the way it is. That’s life. I was one of the youngest ones.”

When they go, these veterans take with them a lifetime of knowledge and experience, some of which is unique. Kaiser, for one, steered merchant marine ships in the ocean during typhoons off the coast of Japan. He was blown out of his bunk when his ship the SS Clifford

THANK YOU

to all of our veterans for your service!

We salute you!

www.pineriverstatebank.com Breezy Point, Emily, Pillager Pine River & Nowthen

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E. Ashby struck a naval mine in 1948 in seas that were supposed to be safe because the war in Europe was over.

He witnessed the last Kamikaze attack of World War II off the coast of Okinawa and only one day before the surrender of Japan.

In short, Kaiser was a witness to history.

Kaiser also knows facts about the war that many have forgotten. As a member of the Merchant Marines, Kaiser was among approximately 250,000 members of the merchant marines, a group with the highest casualty rate of all service groups with one in 26 not returning home. And yet Kaiser wasn’t counted as a World War II veteran until 1984 when the United States decided to recognize the Merchant Marines as official military personnel. Because his service wasn’t immediately recognized,

“I actually had my 17th birthday on my first shift at sea while I was in the Pacific Area in World War II ...”

- Harley Kaiser Kaiser was even drafted in 1952 into the Korean War with the U.S. Army.

Experiences like Kaisers have already been lost with the deaths of soldiers like Raymond Barchus. As his son Ron knows too well, many of those like his father didn’t want to

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Thank you for your service!

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On County Road 3 in Downtown Crosslake • 218-692-2711 S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2019

talk about the war. In those cases, their stories were never told. Ray, fortunately, decided he needed to share his story at some point.

“He never talked about service or WWII until I took him to the memorial in St. Paul when Minnesota did their WWII memorial in front of the capital,” said Ron Barchus of his father. “We went down there and went on a bus. We left from the Backus Legion and they picked us up. From that point on it was like a switch got flipped on him. He wanted to talk about it. Just before that my mother passed away. It was kind of like it was the end of his life.”

Ron is now the keeper of his father’s memories, which is probably surprising given that he didn’t even realize until he was approximately 16 that his father had even been in the war. For quite some time Ray avoided the topic of World War II and it affected him in other ways.

Ray wasn’t much of a hunter and Ron only remembers him buying a single gun when Ron and his brother first started hunting deer so that he could hunt with them.

“One time we were at one of the VA functions in Brainerd and I asked a psychologist at what point would these guys really talk about the war,” Ron said. “He said at some point they will. He said not to pry because they might not tell, but at some point they have to get that out.

It was after that when Ron learned about his father’s service. Ray was drafted in 1942 and deployed to Europe with the Army Nov. 11 of that year. He was with the 380 field artillery battalion, division 102 at the Battle of the Bulge. Amid the horrors of war he witnessed dough boys frozen to death in foxholes as they advanced in enemy territory.

Raymond Barchus, who died Aug. 20, was one of two remaining World War II veterans in the Backus American Legion.

Submitted Photo.

“All they had were the green blankets, shoes, jackets and it was cold in the middle of the winter,” Ron said.

“He remembered a lot of them froze stiff right there. Nothing they could do but move on. You could tell that bothered him a lot because he’d talk about that a lot.”

He saw gas chambers. He knew of the bitter cold conditions soldiers faced in the heat of battle. He even

received notice on the battlefield of his own brother’s death at sea.

“My dad said he always told him when he was on leave not to go into the service, but he went anyway. He didn’t talk much about that either, but he found out when he was overseas,” Ron said.

Like Kaiser, Barchus knew things that aren’t regularly included in history books. In lieu of tainted water, Ray said his fellow soldiers filled water trucks with wine for their long marches, though at least once a general made them pour it all out.

“About a mile down the road they filled everything back up with wine,” Ron said.

Ron was also part of a little known relocation after World War II. “One thing he had pride in is after the war ended he stayed there another year and a half and helped these people who didn’t have homes,” Ron said. “They went through Italy and Switzerland and they were able to do that because he wasn’t married.

All the guys who were married went home right away but he stayed.“ Ron not only learned from his father, but he has since engrossed

himself in literature about the 102nd battalion. While that literature will be available years from now, the other information from first-hand experience will become less and less known as the years go by and those who experienced the war firsthand fade away.

“You have to honor these people for what they went through. A lot of people don’t realize what they went through,” Ron said. “I give them a lot of credit. I say that a lot of these guys went through a lot of stuff and don’t want to talk about it. I see why.”

TRAVIS GRIMLER

218-855-5853 travis.grimler@pineandlakes.com Facebook and Twitter: www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Travis

To our veterans...

Love where we live!”

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THANK YOU FOR THE FREEDOM TO SAY,

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To All our Veteran's -

Thank you

CHRISTMAS 1944

for your Service and Commitment to our Freedom!

BY AUDRAE GRUBER

I was thirteen.

Germans on their last ditch offensive.

My paratrooper brother at Bastogne, heart of the surprise invasion.

Had never spent a night from home until he was eighteen six months before.

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The Allies misjudged Reinforcements never came A mean winter snowstorm The commander said “Nuts” to surrender The troops hunkered down ­surrounded, cold, battle weary.

Mother cried and prayed in her bedroom alone Father paced the floor and listened to Walter Winchell Checking the world map on our dining room wall I played with my seven-year-old brother Who did not understand.

One uncle a prisoner in a Japanese prison camp Another in Africa tank corps with Patton Three cousins overseas - one missing never to return anxiety, pain, surround.

War ends-soldiers come home Life returns to normal But nothing’s ever normal again War changes everyone.

Even those who wait.

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thank all Veterans for their service and sacrifice. We honor you today, and every day, and are forever grateful!

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