This is June Gustafson's Story
June Gustafson's four years of nursing school included taking care of the injured from World War II. That experience was followed by a year of midwife training before she came to Red Wing in 1956. "I just planned to visit my sister who was a homesick war bride, but ended up staying," June said. Less than a week after she arrived, she met her husband, Willis Gustafson, and they eventually married and had five daughters.
She was a registered nurse at the old City Hospital and worked there until it closed in the late 1960s. She then transferred to St. John's Hospital where she worked for 28 years, retiring in 1992. They traveled to England last fall to visit family and make the trip every other year. She has three sisters and one brother who still lives in England. June is active in the community now serving on the board of directors of the Red Wing Senior Center, Inc.
June Gustafson's four years of nursing school included taking care of the injured from World War II. That experience was followed by a year of midwife training before she came to Red Wing in 1956. "I just planned to visit my sister who was a homesick war bride, but ended up staying," June said. Less than a week after she arrived, she met her husband, Willis Gustafson, and they eventually married and had five daughters.
She was a registered nurse at the old City Hospital and worked there until it closed in the late 1960s. She then transferred to St. John's Hospital where she worked for 28 years, retiring in 1992. They traveled to England last fall to visit family and make the trip every other year. She has three sisters and one brother who still lives in England. June is active in the community now serving on the board of directors of the Red Wing Senior Center, Inc.
This is John Dahl's Story
I was assigned to the 103rd Infantry Division during World War II. Two other Red Wing soldiers, Bill Lillico and Wally Jagusch, were also in our Division. All three of us were wounded.
In April 1943, my good friend Maurice McGrew and I made a joint decision to volunteer for duty. The draft was inevitable, anyway. We were separated at Fort Snelling. I went to Missouri for the signal corps and Maury went to Texas to a medical battalion.
In March 1944, while in the Air Corps cadet training in St. Louis, I learned that General Hap Arnold decided they did not need additional pilots so I, along with 5,000 other cadets were reassigned to the infantry. A contingency of 500 went to the 103rd “Cactus” Division in Texas. In early October, our group left New York for Europe. After we were trained to “Combat Ready” we rode cattle cars to central Europe. Our first objective was to take St. Die, a French city at the foothills of the Alps which had become a German stronghold. The battle started November 11th, 1944, in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France. The afternoon of Nov 16th at La Bolle, four to five miles out, I was hugging the ground when I took the hit. It felt like a sledge hammer blow. Struck by a mortar shell to the inner thigh, I spent the night in a log-covered dugout with two other wounded men. I realized that I was not invincible. Aid men carried us out November 17th.
I spent time in three different hospitals in Dijon, Paris, and then Bath, England. I was very lucky. I had applied sulfa powder to my wound and gangrene set in. Fortunately penicillin had come into use the summer before, and my leg was saved. Still, my wound would not heal. Finally, a glass probe revealed the problem - a pant fabric lodged in the wound.
By then, I had been hospitalized more than 120 days and by Army regulations, I was to return to the States. I entered Boston Harbor on Palm Sunday 1945 after a week's ocean voyage. During rehabilitation at Percy Jones General Hospital in Michigan, I ran into a friend from Red Wing, George “Red” Reinhardt, who informed me there were five other men from Red Wing in our hospital, Jim Reding, Ed Knutson, Earl Richter, Eddie Mumford and Ronald Nesseth. An earlier impromptu reunion of Red Wing men occurred in Texas, where I met Wally and Bud Jagusch, Bill Lillico, Bernie Fridell and Maurie McGrew.
I returned to Red Wing where I met and later married U.S. Army Nurse Eleanor Swanson, who had served at Fort Lewis, Washington. We raised four children. Eleanor has passed away and I miss her very much. I have had many wonderful years working for Savings and Loan companies. I love Red Wing and our family has a rich history of growing up, living and working in our fair city.
I'm a proud member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and I also have a Combat Infantryman badge, Victory Medal, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. I didn't see much of the war. I came very close to death, almost bleeding to death from that serious wound. "That's the way it is in the infantry. There's a lot of stuff flying around.”
I was assigned to the 103rd Infantry Division during World War II. Two other Red Wing soldiers, Bill Lillico and Wally Jagusch, were also in our Division. All three of us were wounded.
In April 1943, my good friend Maurice McGrew and I made a joint decision to volunteer for duty. The draft was inevitable, anyway. We were separated at Fort Snelling. I went to Missouri for the signal corps and Maury went to Texas to a medical battalion.
In March 1944, while in the Air Corps cadet training in St. Louis, I learned that General Hap Arnold decided they did not need additional pilots so I, along with 5,000 other cadets were reassigned to the infantry. A contingency of 500 went to the 103rd “Cactus” Division in Texas. In early October, our group left New York for Europe. After we were trained to “Combat Ready” we rode cattle cars to central Europe. Our first objective was to take St. Die, a French city at the foothills of the Alps which had become a German stronghold. The battle started November 11th, 1944, in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France. The afternoon of Nov 16th at La Bolle, four to five miles out, I was hugging the ground when I took the hit. It felt like a sledge hammer blow. Struck by a mortar shell to the inner thigh, I spent the night in a log-covered dugout with two other wounded men. I realized that I was not invincible. Aid men carried us out November 17th.
I spent time in three different hospitals in Dijon, Paris, and then Bath, England. I was very lucky. I had applied sulfa powder to my wound and gangrene set in. Fortunately penicillin had come into use the summer before, and my leg was saved. Still, my wound would not heal. Finally, a glass probe revealed the problem - a pant fabric lodged in the wound.
By then, I had been hospitalized more than 120 days and by Army regulations, I was to return to the States. I entered Boston Harbor on Palm Sunday 1945 after a week's ocean voyage. During rehabilitation at Percy Jones General Hospital in Michigan, I ran into a friend from Red Wing, George “Red” Reinhardt, who informed me there were five other men from Red Wing in our hospital, Jim Reding, Ed Knutson, Earl Richter, Eddie Mumford and Ronald Nesseth. An earlier impromptu reunion of Red Wing men occurred in Texas, where I met Wally and Bud Jagusch, Bill Lillico, Bernie Fridell and Maurie McGrew.
I returned to Red Wing where I met and later married U.S. Army Nurse Eleanor Swanson, who had served at Fort Lewis, Washington. We raised four children. Eleanor has passed away and I miss her very much. I have had many wonderful years working for Savings and Loan companies. I love Red Wing and our family has a rich history of growing up, living and working in our fair city.
I'm a proud member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and I also have a Combat Infantryman badge, Victory Medal, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. I didn't see much of the war. I came very close to death, almost bleeding to death from that serious wound. "That's the way it is in the infantry. There's a lot of stuff flying around.”
This is John B. Flueger's Story
Before entering the service, John was Manager in the Loan Office for the Federal Farm Loan Association. He also did general farming in Goodhue County - Hay Creek Township, Flueger Pinecrest Farm. When he enlisted, John was 29 years old, he was married to Elaine Margaret Nugent and they had two daughters - Sharon Lee, age 3 and Heidi Ann, age 2, and Elaine was five months pregnant with their son, Barney John.
John enlisted in Minneapolis, Minnesota on the 26th of May, 1944 to serve 'duration years'. His enlistment papers gave his birth as August 12, 1914 at Bay City, Wisconsin and indicated that John was “73 inches tall with brown eyes, brown hair and ruddy complexion.” His basic training was with Platoon 619, Training Regiment, 2nd Recruit Battalion, at the Marine Corps Base, Naval Operation Base, San Diego, California. At the end of basic training he received a certificate which stated, “This is to certify that Private John B. Flueger, United States Marine Corps, has completed his course of recruit training in a most proficient and satisfactory manner and is awarded this certificate as the outstanding member of his platoon.”
John was then assigned to Company C, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division. John left California in August of 1945 on a troop-carrier ship. They arrived in Silo, Hawaii on August 27. The troop ship then headed west on September 1. His journal during this voyage includes mention of church services, heat, standing watch on the fantail, no seasickness, and being homesick as well as several islands sighted along the way. They reached Siapan on Thursday, September 13, but there was no shore liberty. On Saturday, the ship entered the harbor near Sasebo, Japan. There were two Japanese carriers anchored in the harbor.
The marines slept in an abandoned warehouse and then, after a few days, they moved to a compound naval barracks with bedrolls. They began working on building a bridge amid the mud, squalor and civilians in the area. John was authorized to drive all types of heavy-duty battalion vehicles and to operate heavy equipment. He did some of his own repair work on the equipment that they drove. Eventually the outfit and their equipment was transported by train to Kukauko, Japan. There, John hauled lumber, rock and pipe and worked on a grader with fellow marines and locals to rebuild an airstrip.
Private John B. Flueger, U.S. Marine On Tuesday, November 6, 1945, John left Japan aboard the S.S. Monroe which he described as a “wonderful ship.” The cruise was rough, foggy, cold, windy and John was often not feeling well. He had guard duty scheduled during most of the trip. The ship finally dropped anchor in the USA on Thursday, November 19, 1945. The troops stood-by for several days and then took a troop train from Oakland, California, arriving at the Marine Separation Center, Great Lakes, Illinois on November 28th.
John B. Flueger's discharge indicates: “Rank: Private; Weapons qualification: Rifle EX 13 July 1944; Special military qualifications: Heavy Equipment Operator; Service: Pacific area; Remarks: Auth; Marine Corps Discharge 051503: Paid $100 MOP and HS button delivered: Character of service: excellent; Serial number; 975066: Monthly rate of pay when discharged; Fifty dollars and no cents: John was furnished a travel allowance at the rate of five cents per mile from Great Lakes, Illinois to Red Wing, Minnesota and paid $95.40 in full to date of discharge. John B. Flueger was honorably discharged from the Marines on December 2, 1945.
Sharon Marty... Daughter of John B. Flueger
Before entering the service, John was Manager in the Loan Office for the Federal Farm Loan Association. He also did general farming in Goodhue County - Hay Creek Township, Flueger Pinecrest Farm. When he enlisted, John was 29 years old, he was married to Elaine Margaret Nugent and they had two daughters - Sharon Lee, age 3 and Heidi Ann, age 2, and Elaine was five months pregnant with their son, Barney John.
John enlisted in Minneapolis, Minnesota on the 26th of May, 1944 to serve 'duration years'. His enlistment papers gave his birth as August 12, 1914 at Bay City, Wisconsin and indicated that John was “73 inches tall with brown eyes, brown hair and ruddy complexion.” His basic training was with Platoon 619, Training Regiment, 2nd Recruit Battalion, at the Marine Corps Base, Naval Operation Base, San Diego, California. At the end of basic training he received a certificate which stated, “This is to certify that Private John B. Flueger, United States Marine Corps, has completed his course of recruit training in a most proficient and satisfactory manner and is awarded this certificate as the outstanding member of his platoon.”
John was then assigned to Company C, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division. John left California in August of 1945 on a troop-carrier ship. They arrived in Silo, Hawaii on August 27. The troop ship then headed west on September 1. His journal during this voyage includes mention of church services, heat, standing watch on the fantail, no seasickness, and being homesick as well as several islands sighted along the way. They reached Siapan on Thursday, September 13, but there was no shore liberty. On Saturday, the ship entered the harbor near Sasebo, Japan. There were two Japanese carriers anchored in the harbor.
The marines slept in an abandoned warehouse and then, after a few days, they moved to a compound naval barracks with bedrolls. They began working on building a bridge amid the mud, squalor and civilians in the area. John was authorized to drive all types of heavy-duty battalion vehicles and to operate heavy equipment. He did some of his own repair work on the equipment that they drove. Eventually the outfit and their equipment was transported by train to Kukauko, Japan. There, John hauled lumber, rock and pipe and worked on a grader with fellow marines and locals to rebuild an airstrip.
Private John B. Flueger, U.S. Marine On Tuesday, November 6, 1945, John left Japan aboard the S.S. Monroe which he described as a “wonderful ship.” The cruise was rough, foggy, cold, windy and John was often not feeling well. He had guard duty scheduled during most of the trip. The ship finally dropped anchor in the USA on Thursday, November 19, 1945. The troops stood-by for several days and then took a troop train from Oakland, California, arriving at the Marine Separation Center, Great Lakes, Illinois on November 28th.
John B. Flueger's discharge indicates: “Rank: Private; Weapons qualification: Rifle EX 13 July 1944; Special military qualifications: Heavy Equipment Operator; Service: Pacific area; Remarks: Auth; Marine Corps Discharge 051503: Paid $100 MOP and HS button delivered: Character of service: excellent; Serial number; 975066: Monthly rate of pay when discharged; Fifty dollars and no cents: John was furnished a travel allowance at the rate of five cents per mile from Great Lakes, Illinois to Red Wing, Minnesota and paid $95.40 in full to date of discharge. John B. Flueger was honorably discharged from the Marines on December 2, 1945.
Sharon Marty... Daughter of John B. Flueger
This is Judge Wm Christianson's Story
The Nuremberg Tribunals helped establish an International law, the principal that obeying the orders of military superiors was not an excuse for committing war crimes. In 1946 Judge Wm C. Christianson was appointed by President Harry S. Truman to serve as one of the American Judges at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal. The Tribunal was created to try German War Criminals following World War II. There were twelve trials in total. Judge Christianson served on the panel that tried industrialist Friedrich Flick in the Fifth trail. He then served as the presiding judge at the trial of Hitler's cabinet, known as the Ministries Case, which lasted until the spring of 1949. Most of the 21 defendants, which included SS generals and directors of Nazi Espionage programs, were convicted of planning aggressive war and other war crimes. This was the longest and last trial of the Tribunal.
Here's what a reporter from the Kansas City Star wrote:
The nineteen high Nazi officials who have been convicted at Nuremberg, Germany of high crimes against humanity were regarded as men of standing. The best known was Baron Ernst Von Weizaeker, a man of noble blood and supreme culture, and envoy to the Vatican and a state secretary in the foreign ministry.
It is easy to imagine the hauteur of these men in their days of power when they were sending millions of Jews to their death in gas chambers and in furnaces. How scornful they would have been of a judge from Red Wing, Minnesota, a town they never heard of ... a rube from the sticks.
Yet a judge from Red Wing, Judge Wm C. Christianson, who presided at their trial, pronounced the judgment of the civilized world against the brutal baron and his associates. It was the small town in Minnesota rather than the glittering capital of Berlin that proved to embody the conscience of mankind.
The Nuremberg Tribunals helped establish an International law, the principal that obeying the orders of military superiors was not an excuse for committing war crimes. In 1946 Judge Wm C. Christianson was appointed by President Harry S. Truman to serve as one of the American Judges at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal. The Tribunal was created to try German War Criminals following World War II. There were twelve trials in total. Judge Christianson served on the panel that tried industrialist Friedrich Flick in the Fifth trail. He then served as the presiding judge at the trial of Hitler's cabinet, known as the Ministries Case, which lasted until the spring of 1949. Most of the 21 defendants, which included SS generals and directors of Nazi Espionage programs, were convicted of planning aggressive war and other war crimes. This was the longest and last trial of the Tribunal.
Here's what a reporter from the Kansas City Star wrote:
The nineteen high Nazi officials who have been convicted at Nuremberg, Germany of high crimes against humanity were regarded as men of standing. The best known was Baron Ernst Von Weizaeker, a man of noble blood and supreme culture, and envoy to the Vatican and a state secretary in the foreign ministry.
It is easy to imagine the hauteur of these men in their days of power when they were sending millions of Jews to their death in gas chambers and in furnaces. How scornful they would have been of a judge from Red Wing, Minnesota, a town they never heard of ... a rube from the sticks.
Yet a judge from Red Wing, Judge Wm C. Christianson, who presided at their trial, pronounced the judgment of the civilized world against the brutal baron and his associates. It was the small town in Minnesota rather than the glittering capital of Berlin that proved to embody the conscience of mankind.
Ex-state Justice, Nuremberg Judge Christianson Dies
by Bruce Benidt, Staff writer, Star Tribune, Published May 28, 1985
William C. Christianson, former Minnesota Supreme Court justice and a judge at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals, died Monday in Red Wing, Minnesota, at the age of 92.
Christianson was appointed by Gov. Edward Thye to the Minnesota Supreme Court in March 1946, replacing Luther Youngdahl, who had resigned to run for governor.
Christianson's appointment ran only until January 1947, after he failed in the fall of 1946 to win election to a full six year term. He had managed Thye's campaign for lieutenant governor in 1942 and for governor in 1944.
President Harry S. Truman in 1946 appointed Judge Christainson to be one of three judges to serve on the Nuremberg military tribunal that tried German industrialist Friedrich Flick. Flick and his associates controlled the largest private steel manufacturing business in Germany during World War II. Flick and two associates were found guilty of war crimes.
Christianson then served as presiding judge at the trial of Hitler's cabinet, which lasted until the spring of 1949. Most of the 21 defendants, which included SS general and directors of Nazi espionage programs, were convicted of planning aggressive war and other war crimes.
William L. Christianson, Christianson's son and also an attorney in Red Wing said the Nuremberg trials were the highlight of his father's career. “That's the epitome right there,” the younger Christianson said. “Not many people in the law business had had an experience like that.” Christanson said his father considered the trials an historic first. He said his father was careful to judge the Nazi leaders on the basis of international laws that the German government had agreed to honor, so that there was no basis for accusations of “ex post facto” recriminations against the Nazis. He said his father was proud of the fact that the Nuremberg tribunals helped establish in international law the principle that obeying the orders of military superiors was not an excuse for
committing war crimes.
When Christianson returned to Minnesota in 1949, Youngdahl, then governor, appointed him judge in the first judicial district. Christianson served on the district bench until his retirement in 1963. He then became a part-time judge in Hennepin County.
Christianson was born Dec. 5, 1892, in Moody County, S.D., and attended school in Jasper and Austin, Minn. He graduated from Highland Park College in Des Moines, Iowa, and from the University of Chicago Law School. He served in the Navy in World War I. In 1929 Christianson married Myrtle Lorenz of Waseca MN, who taught high school in Red Wing. She died in 1977. He practiced law with the Bentley and Christianson law firm from 1922-1946 in Red Wing, and served as assistant county attorney for Goodhue County and city attorney for Red Wing.
by Bruce Benidt, Staff writer, Star Tribune, Published May 28, 1985
William C. Christianson, former Minnesota Supreme Court justice and a judge at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals, died Monday in Red Wing, Minnesota, at the age of 92.
Christianson was appointed by Gov. Edward Thye to the Minnesota Supreme Court in March 1946, replacing Luther Youngdahl, who had resigned to run for governor.
Christianson's appointment ran only until January 1947, after he failed in the fall of 1946 to win election to a full six year term. He had managed Thye's campaign for lieutenant governor in 1942 and for governor in 1944.
President Harry S. Truman in 1946 appointed Judge Christainson to be one of three judges to serve on the Nuremberg military tribunal that tried German industrialist Friedrich Flick. Flick and his associates controlled the largest private steel manufacturing business in Germany during World War II. Flick and two associates were found guilty of war crimes.
Christianson then served as presiding judge at the trial of Hitler's cabinet, which lasted until the spring of 1949. Most of the 21 defendants, which included SS general and directors of Nazi espionage programs, were convicted of planning aggressive war and other war crimes.
William L. Christianson, Christianson's son and also an attorney in Red Wing said the Nuremberg trials were the highlight of his father's career. “That's the epitome right there,” the younger Christianson said. “Not many people in the law business had had an experience like that.” Christanson said his father considered the trials an historic first. He said his father was careful to judge the Nazi leaders on the basis of international laws that the German government had agreed to honor, so that there was no basis for accusations of “ex post facto” recriminations against the Nazis. He said his father was proud of the fact that the Nuremberg tribunals helped establish in international law the principle that obeying the orders of military superiors was not an excuse for
committing war crimes.
When Christianson returned to Minnesota in 1949, Youngdahl, then governor, appointed him judge in the first judicial district. Christianson served on the district bench until his retirement in 1963. He then became a part-time judge in Hennepin County.
Christianson was born Dec. 5, 1892, in Moody County, S.D., and attended school in Jasper and Austin, Minn. He graduated from Highland Park College in Des Moines, Iowa, and from the University of Chicago Law School. He served in the Navy in World War I. In 1929 Christianson married Myrtle Lorenz of Waseca MN, who taught high school in Red Wing. She died in 1977. He practiced law with the Bentley and Christianson law firm from 1922-1946 in Red Wing, and served as assistant county attorney for Goodhue County and city attorney for Red Wing.
Judge W. C. Christianson in 1947 was appointed by General Lucius Clay, U.S. Army, Commander in Europe, to be one of three judges from America to serve on the Nuremberg military tribunal that tried
German industrialist Friedrich Flick. Judge William C. Christianson lived in Red Wing, died at the age of 92 in a Red Wing rest home.. He was the father of William L. Chistianson, practicing Attorney in Red Wing. Bill has a wife Judy and daughters Emily, Sarah and Elizabeth.
German industrialist Friedrich Flick. Judge William C. Christianson lived in Red Wing, died at the age of 92 in a Red Wing rest home.. He was the father of William L. Chistianson, practicing Attorney in Red Wing. Bill has a wife Judy and daughters Emily, Sarah and Elizabeth.
Living in Bomb Shelters: Imagine living in a town that gets bombed every night, sirens blare, planes drown, bombs are dropped, buildings fall and burn, people die. You are a little girl of 14 years of age living in World War II in Liverpool, England and the German Luftwaffe is intent on getting rid of you.
June Gustafson, now living in Red Wing, recalls that there was no fun in her teen age years. We were given gas masks and we carried them everywhere. The bombing got closer to her home. There was no bomb shelters near the school so we did our lessons at home. It was a terrible way to study, because we did not get instructions. The shelters were finally built and studies went back to school. Some of the classes met in the bomb shelters That's when the bombing intensified. If was absolutely terrifying.
Students collected and traded shrapnel from the planes and bombs. They spent some of their school days in the uncomfortable brick shelters which held a couple of classes each - approximately 60 people. Each home had a shelter too. Her family would have their evening meal and then go into the 5 by 16 foot shelter similar to a pantry in the middle of the house. It had a mattress on each end. The shelter was damp and unpleasant she said. We would fight like kids do. Most everything was rationed, and they got one egg a month so they used dried egg and milk. Horse meat was served often. Shoes, candy clothing and gasoline also were rationed.
Air raid wardens checked on residents at night to make sure they blocked out all traces of light. The family also put tape in criscross patterns across the windows to prevent the glass from flying all over if they broke. Sirens signaled danger and were followed by all-clear signals. When the bombing got really bad, my brother and I were evacuated to a farm. Life on the farm was different as there was no indoor plumbing. Their hosts tried hard to make life as comfortable as possible and since I was the oldest, I often was in charge of the other three evacuees.
It was a big learning experience. I spent a year on the farm and could go home when their parents requested a visit. Traveling was difficult as the rails often were bombed, and they never knew how long it would take to get home. My town was being heavily bombed then, so most children were sent out. Ships in the river near her home sank, and the brick houses two blocks from her home, were destroyed. Their home wasn't hit by bombs.
Nursing the wounded: Her mother bought a home in an area with few industries so there was less bombing. June started as a receptionist at an insurance office and then went to nursing school when she was 18. The hospital had been evacuated to a women's college, and they handled casualties directly from Europe. Casts were routinely put on injuries before they were transferred to the hospital. "It was hands-on learning," June said. Oh, the smell when the casts came off. Her schooling lasted four years. The nurses and students tried to make the best of the situation by having fun with the patients when they could. "I was young to realize the seriousness of it all," June said. She remembers VE Day May 1945. She took five young men on crutches to the celebration. June remembers massive number of people who were hugging, kissing and throwing hats. But, we all got back home safely.
June Gustafson, now living in Red Wing, recalls that there was no fun in her teen age years. We were given gas masks and we carried them everywhere. The bombing got closer to her home. There was no bomb shelters near the school so we did our lessons at home. It was a terrible way to study, because we did not get instructions. The shelters were finally built and studies went back to school. Some of the classes met in the bomb shelters That's when the bombing intensified. If was absolutely terrifying.
Students collected and traded shrapnel from the planes and bombs. They spent some of their school days in the uncomfortable brick shelters which held a couple of classes each - approximately 60 people. Each home had a shelter too. Her family would have their evening meal and then go into the 5 by 16 foot shelter similar to a pantry in the middle of the house. It had a mattress on each end. The shelter was damp and unpleasant she said. We would fight like kids do. Most everything was rationed, and they got one egg a month so they used dried egg and milk. Horse meat was served often. Shoes, candy clothing and gasoline also were rationed.
Air raid wardens checked on residents at night to make sure they blocked out all traces of light. The family also put tape in criscross patterns across the windows to prevent the glass from flying all over if they broke. Sirens signaled danger and were followed by all-clear signals. When the bombing got really bad, my brother and I were evacuated to a farm. Life on the farm was different as there was no indoor plumbing. Their hosts tried hard to make life as comfortable as possible and since I was the oldest, I often was in charge of the other three evacuees.
It was a big learning experience. I spent a year on the farm and could go home when their parents requested a visit. Traveling was difficult as the rails often were bombed, and they never knew how long it would take to get home. My town was being heavily bombed then, so most children were sent out. Ships in the river near her home sank, and the brick houses two blocks from her home, were destroyed. Their home wasn't hit by bombs.
Nursing the wounded: Her mother bought a home in an area with few industries so there was less bombing. June started as a receptionist at an insurance office and then went to nursing school when she was 18. The hospital had been evacuated to a women's college, and they handled casualties directly from Europe. Casts were routinely put on injuries before they were transferred to the hospital. "It was hands-on learning," June said. Oh, the smell when the casts came off. Her schooling lasted four years. The nurses and students tried to make the best of the situation by having fun with the patients when they could. "I was young to realize the seriousness of it all," June said. She remembers VE Day May 1945. She took five young men on crutches to the celebration. June remembers massive number of people who were hugging, kissing and throwing hats. But, we all got back home safely.
THE GREATEST GENERATION
This is the Carl Vernon “Skinch” Olson Story
Carl was born in Red Wing, Minnesota on June 10, 1916. His father died in 1918 from the Flu epidemic. He was raised by his Mother Margaret (Borgen) Olson and his grandfather, Harald Borgen, who lived in the Fair Grounds area of east Red Wing. Carl had one brother Robert Olson who also served his country in WWII in the US Navy in the South Pacific. In High School he was the manager for the 1933 Basketball team that won the Minnesota State Championship when it was just one division for the whole state.
In 1942 “Skinch” joined the U.S. Army and went to Fort Warren, Wyoming, then to Presidio of San Francisco, then to Marysville Assembly Center, then on to Gainsville, Florida for OCS training. Join the Army and see the world and that's what Olson did after graduating from OCS and becoming an officer in the U.S. Army. In 1943 his many assignments brought him to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin; Camp DesPlaides, Joliet, Illinois; Chic Beach Hospital; sick leave; Camp DesPlaides, Joliet; Gardiner General Hospital, back to Camp DesPlaides,; Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Camp Lee, Virginia and then to the staging area for England. Carl was in England for 5 weeks before the invasion.
First Lt. Carl V. Olson was in charge of Registration for Burying the Americans that made the supreme sacrifice. Carl said “on the beach at Normandy they had put up a heavy canvas fence that stretched far up the beach to several feet into the water. They had put the dead on one side of the fence and the wounded on the other. I walked through the wounded men and noticed a young man with his eyes closed and both legs blown off”. Olson asked the Doctor if this man was dead. The doctor said, “No, but he will be in few minutes”. Just then the wounded soldier opened his eyes and winked at Skinch. He died moments later.
From Normandy he worked his way through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Luxembourg until the end of the war in Europe. He was on his way to the Pacific when Japan surrendered. Carl married Pat Barry and they had three children, Daughter Chris, Sons Eric, and Nick. Pat died and several years later Carl married Eleanor, who was a friend of the Olson's and was also widowed. They live now in Boise, Idaho. Most of Carl's working years were spent in the western part of the United States as a Shoe Salesman for the Red Wing Shoe Company. He loves to play golf, but he says it's difficult to hit the ball 220 yards anymore. He celebrated his 92 birthday last year and still loves to come back to see relatives and old shoe salesmen in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Carl was born in Red Wing, Minnesota on June 10, 1916. His father died in 1918 from the Flu epidemic. He was raised by his Mother Margaret (Borgen) Olson and his grandfather, Harald Borgen, who lived in the Fair Grounds area of east Red Wing. Carl had one brother Robert Olson who also served his country in WWII in the US Navy in the South Pacific. In High School he was the manager for the 1933 Basketball team that won the Minnesota State Championship when it was just one division for the whole state.
In 1942 “Skinch” joined the U.S. Army and went to Fort Warren, Wyoming, then to Presidio of San Francisco, then to Marysville Assembly Center, then on to Gainsville, Florida for OCS training. Join the Army and see the world and that's what Olson did after graduating from OCS and becoming an officer in the U.S. Army. In 1943 his many assignments brought him to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin; Camp DesPlaides, Joliet, Illinois; Chic Beach Hospital; sick leave; Camp DesPlaides, Joliet; Gardiner General Hospital, back to Camp DesPlaides,; Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Camp Lee, Virginia and then to the staging area for England. Carl was in England for 5 weeks before the invasion.
First Lt. Carl V. Olson was in charge of Registration for Burying the Americans that made the supreme sacrifice. Carl said “on the beach at Normandy they had put up a heavy canvas fence that stretched far up the beach to several feet into the water. They had put the dead on one side of the fence and the wounded on the other. I walked through the wounded men and noticed a young man with his eyes closed and both legs blown off”. Olson asked the Doctor if this man was dead. The doctor said, “No, but he will be in few minutes”. Just then the wounded soldier opened his eyes and winked at Skinch. He died moments later.
From Normandy he worked his way through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Luxembourg until the end of the war in Europe. He was on his way to the Pacific when Japan surrendered. Carl married Pat Barry and they had three children, Daughter Chris, Sons Eric, and Nick. Pat died and several years later Carl married Eleanor, who was a friend of the Olson's and was also widowed. They live now in Boise, Idaho. Most of Carl's working years were spent in the western part of the United States as a Shoe Salesman for the Red Wing Shoe Company. He loves to play golf, but he says it's difficult to hit the ball 220 yards anymore. He celebrated his 92 birthday last year and still loves to come back to see relatives and old shoe salesmen in Red Wing, Minnesota.