LeRoy Petersen - US Navy, 1952-55

(Picture coming soon) Leroy is my Mom's cousin. We keep finding more of our family who have served our country - keep the history coming! LeRoy served aboard the USS Vermilion (KA 107) towards the end of Korea. I know he worked in the Boiler Room and I believe Fresh Water Filtration. we'll fill in more details when I speak to him at the family reunion this month!

Mark Peterson - US Navy 1981-1987

(This stern-looking fellow is Mark, the son of my Mom's cousin. He's much friendlier in person now!) I served from 1981-87 with the 25th Reserve Battalion with the Navy SeaBees. Fortunately or unfortunately I never left the lower 48. Spent most of my time doing rehab projects in local cities wherever they sent me or specified training. Communications, rifle and weapons training. I definitely got to play with some cool stuff. I am currently serving as a Liaison Officer with the Naval Academy. In this capacity, I help potential students with meeting the requirements for acceptance. Obviously not all get accepted. Up to 20,000 candidates apply and only about 1800 get accepted. And then you are aware of the Alumni Vet's program I have going at my school.

Memorial Day 2012 - In honor of my Uncle Harry Swendsen

As an annual tribute, I am publishing this page again to the memory of the following members of our families who are no longer with us, but did not hesitate to serve when their countries needed them. As we lost the last member of my family who served in world War II, the list grows again.

My wife's Great-great-great-great grandfather:
Woody Jones - Served with Andrew Jackson in Louisiana, War of 1812 †
Her Great-great-great-great Uncle
Wiley Jones - Served with Andrew Jackson in Louisiana, War of 1812 †


My wife's great-great grandfathers:
Samuel Runnels - 39th Mississippi Infantry, Battle of Vicksburg †
Robert J. Jones - 4th Mississippi Cavalry †


My Great-Grandfather:
Christen Godskesen – Royal Danish Army, Second Schleswig War of 1864 †

My wife's grandfather:
Alonzo Runnels - US Army, WWI †

My Grandfather:
Christian Martinus Swendsen – Royal Danish Army †

My Great-Uncle:
Oluf Swendsen – Royal Danish Army †

My Uncles:
Paul Swendsen - US Army forward artillery spotter - Europe, WWII †
Carl Swendsen - US Army, WWII †
Roy Swendsen - US Army Air Corp, South Pacific, WWII †
Henry Godskesen - US Army Engineering Corp, WWII †

My Father-In-Law:
Charlie Runnels - US Navy, Korea †

My cousin:
Harlan Roy Swendsen - US Navy, Vietnam †

My Brother-in-law:
Carlos Hernandez - US Army Huey Helicopter Crewman, Vietnam †

My cousin:
Joe Swendsen - Minnesota Air National Guard, Diego Garcia Airlift Command †

My Uncle:
Harry Clifford Swendsen - US Army Medic, Europe, WWII †

For all you did for us....we remember

My Uncle Harry - April 19, 1922 - February 23, 2012‏

My Uncle Harry passed away this morning, just two months short of his 90th birthday. My Aunt Ellen was at his side, as she had been for their 68 years together.



Harry Clifford Swendsen
Private First Class
Company A, 8th Medical Battalion, 8th Infantry Division
Enlisted: October 5, 1942.

My uncle Harry was a combat medic in WW II. He was an ambulance driver. He landed at Normandy, was in the Battle of the Bulge, liberated a concentration camp and went all the way through France, Belgium and into Germany until the war ended.

I had a chance in 2007 to talk with him about his experiences during the war, and he had amazing stories to tell. Just amazing stuff. Once crawled out of a foxhole to find his ambulance full of holes from an artillery barrage, but it still ran so he drove it anyway.

He heard General George Patton give that speech to his troops, and said it was exactly like in the movie.

Woke up one time to find wounded German soldiers in the back of his ambulance...the Germans would leave their wounded with the American medics because they knew they'd be cared for.

In a town in Belgium, a German fighter dove down almost to street level to strafe his unit. Harry was plastered up against a wall, and as the plane passed, he and the pilot made eye contact for a split second.

At one point, he told me about driving his ambulance with one hand while holding a bandage on the chest of a wounded soldier with his other. He said it was hard driving in the dark with one hand over a muddy road while trying to get to the aid station as fast as possible. He said the soldier didn't survive the trip, and I asked him how that felt to him. He just gave his gentle smile and said "I feel OK, because I did my best for him".

At our last family reunion in 2009, I told him about what I was doing to help support our medics and wounded overseas. He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said "I'm proud of you". Nothing ever meant more to me than that.

Here's to you, Uncle Harry.
-Rog

Memorial Day 2011 we remember our cousin, Joe Paul Swendsen.

We mourn his death and celebrate his life.

Joe had a strong belief in both family and country. He chose to honor his grandfathers who had served before him by volunteering to serve in the Air National Guard. As part of his duty, he took time out from college to go on a special assignment to Diego Garcia, supplying necessities to the troops in Afghanistan. It was hot and humid in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and Joe hated the spiders, but he befriended the geckos in the shower. That was Joe.

He later continued his tradition of service to our country as an Air Traffic Controller. He graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a degree in Air Traffic Control and started that career in Rockford, IL. He earned a transfer to the Minneapolis airport in October of 2010 and that is where he was currently working. He was really happy with his career and talked about it a lot. His co-workers there are surprised and saddened by his death.

Joe, you will be missed.
- Rog

Memorial Day 2011

As an annual tribute, I am publishing this page again to the memory of the following members of our families who are no longer with us, but did not hesitate to serve when their countries needed them. Sadly, the list keeps growing.

My wife's Great-great-great-great grandfather:
Woody Jones - Served with Andrew Jackson in Louisiana, War of 1812 †
Her Great-great-great-great Uncle
Wiley Jones - Served with Andrew Jackson in Louisiana, War of 1812 †


My wife's great-great grandfathers:
Samuel Runnels - 39th Mississippi Infantry, Battle of Vicksburg †
Robert J. Jones - 4th Mississippi Cavalry †


My Great-Grandfather:
Christen Godskesen – Royal Danish Army, Second Schleswig War of 1864 †

My wife's grandfather:
Alonzo Runnels - US Army, WWI †

My Grandfather:
Christian Martinus Swendsen – Royal Danish Army †

My Great-Uncle:
Oluf Swendsen – Royal Danish Army †

My Uncles:
Paul Swendsen - US Army forward artillery spotter - Europe, WWII †
Carl Swendsen - US Army, WWII †
Roy Swendsen - US Army Air Corp, South Pacific, WWII †
Henry Godskesen - US Army Engineering Corp, WWII †

My Father-In-Law:
Charlie Runnels - US Navy, Korea †

My cousin:
Harlan Roy Swendsen - US Navy, Vietnam †

My Brother-in-law:
Carlos Hernandez - US Army Huey Helicopter Crewman, Vietnam †

My cousin:
Joe Swendsen - Minnesota Air National Guard, Diego Garcia Airlift Command †

For all you did for us....we remember

Christen Godskesen, Second Schleswig War of 1864

My Great-great Grandfather Christen Godskesen, B 1837 - D 1906.

Christen served in the Royal Danish Army during the War with Germany in 1864. At the time, he was 26 years old, and Denmark had compulsory military service for all men.

The war began on 1 February 1864, when Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig.Denmark fought Prussia and Austria.

Reasons for the war were the ethnic controversy in Schleswig and the co-existence of conflicting political systems within the Danish unitary state.

The war ended on 30 October 1864, when the Treaty of Vienna caused Denmark's cession of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Saxe-Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria.

Returning home after the War, Christen must have decided to get on with his life, and married Karen Jensdatter in December of that year.

I have the medal he received for his service in the War, which is one of my most prized possessions.


-Rog

Paul Olif Swendsen - World War II

Submitted by Frank Swendsen

Paul Olif Swendsen



Dad enlisted in the fall of 1940 and served in WW2 from 1941 to 1945, when he was honorably discharged.

Let me give you a brief look at the stress he was under during his time at war.

His job was to be a forward observer for an artillery unit. There were large diameter cannons (as I described in my military service) that could shoot 5-20 miles+ away from where they were located. Sometimes these were Navy destroyers if you were landing on a beach.

Somebody had to tell these gun operators if they were hitting the target.

That is what our dad did. He traveled with a squad of 4 and they would move forward many miles until they would spot the enemy. They would then tell the artillery crew where to shoot. He would watch where the rounds landed and then inform the artillery unit how to adjust their shots.

There was one small problem with this. As soon as the enemy started getting artillery landing on them, they knew somebody was watching them. They would assume the enemy (Dad) was at a higher elevation, and they would either shoot artillery or send troops to get them.

Life expectancy for forward observers was very low.

Dad survived almost 4 years doing this! How stressful was that?

He went through a spell of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when he came back. Why wouldn’t he? It was called shell-shocked back then.

He told me one story where he and his squad were in the 2nd story of a building in a town directing the artillery. The Germans came into the building, but did not check the 2nd floor. His squad waited and American troops took the town hours later. He was pretty ecstatic at that point.

I always told dad that he was unnaturally lucky as he beat me regularly in cribbage. He laughed and continued to win.

Dad was part of the 3rd Infantry Division and was involved in landings in North Africa, Sicily Italy and France including the Anzio beachhead.

He was awarded the Bronze Star and the French Croix De Guerre.

I have the utmost respect for Dad’s service to our country and his recovery from the stress of his service.

Memorial Day 2009

I'd like to dedicate today's entry to the memory of those members of my family who did not hesitate to serve when their countries needed them:

My wife's great-great grandfather:

Samuel Runnels - 11th Mississippi Infantry, Battle of Vicksburg †

My great-grandfather:
Christian Godskesen, Royal Danish Army, Battle of Schleswig 1865†

My wife's grandfather:
Alonzo Runnels - US Army, WWI †

My grandfather:
Christian Martinus Swendsen, Royal Danish Army †

My great-uncle:
Oluf Swendsen, Royal Danish Army †

My Uncles:
Paul Swendsen - US Army forward artillery spotter - Europe, WWII †
Carl Swendsen - US Army, WWII †
Roy Swendsen - US Army Air Corp, South Pacific, WWII †
Henry Godskesen - US Army Engineering Corp, WWII †

My Aunt:
June Swendsen Bailey - US Army Nursing Corps †

My Father-In-Law:
Charlie Runnels - US Navy, Korea †

My cousin:
Harlan Roy Swendsen - US Navy, Vietnam †

My Brother-in-law:
Carlos Hernandez - US Army Helicopter Crewman, Vietnam †

For all you did for us, we remember
-Rog

Harlan Roy Swendsen - U.S. Navy 1970 - 1973

Harlan Roy Swendsen

Submitted by Millie Swendsen

Harlan enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1970 and in December of that year went to San Diego for boot camp. He also went to Vallejo, Ca for nuclear power school, also to Great Lakes and Idaho Falls, Idaho.

He was assigned to a nuclear submarine, the USS Gato and stationed at Pascagoula, Mississippi as well as New London, Conn. He did go the San Juan, Puerto Rico on one sea voyage while at New London.

On October 12, 1973 he was critically injured in a one-car accident and was hospitalized in Groton, Conn. We flew out to be with him. He died from his injuries on October 25, 1973. He was 23 years of age. Harlan was a Machinists Mate, 3rd Class.

Roy Harlan Swendsen - World War II

Roy Harlan Swendsen
Born March 20, 1920 to Chris and Albertine Swendsen


Submitted by Millie Swendsen, wife of Roy.

Roy enlisted on Feb 1942 in military service and was put into the Air Force. He went to airplane mechanic school in Texas from Feb to July, 1943. and from there was sent to the 90th Bomb Group in Greenville, S. Carolina. 90th Bomb Group was a 4-engined bomber group. In September they were sent to the South Pacific, where he served until the Japanese surrendered in 1945. He was a Staff Sergeant and a crew chief on the B-24’s.

He served in Australia, New Guinea, Hawaii, Mindanao, Mindinaco, Leyte, Biak, Waikiki, Luzon, Okinawa, Peleu, and Ie Shima.

He never had a furlough to come home as they needed mechanics over there!

Roy died 5-18-1998. As far as sorties he shared, I really can’t recall them. We went to several reunions of the Jolly Roger 90th Bomb Group and the guys had their own private memories – he and several others lived together in a tent for 3 years and became like brothers!!

Submitted by Karla Wester - Daughter: a collection of letters that Roy wrote home during the war. (I will post these as I get them, a wonderful collection)
-Rog

Frank Swendsen - US Army 1971-1972

Military Service History
Frank Henry Swendsen

I can clearly remember being in my parents kitchen on July 1, 1970 when a lottery for the draft took place. Birthdays were drawn and assigned a number. My birthday of May 28 was drawn 9th out of 365. I did not consider myself a winner at that point. Odds were I would get called to serve.

I was planning on going to my second year of college that fall at the University of Minnesota and continued with those plans. Later on in the summer I got the call to the US Army. I attended college that fall quarter, but was somewhat distracted and really should have taken it off.

I could have deferred my entrance into the military to complete my college education, but decided I did not want to go to the military after college and allowed myself to be drafted. I was the first person in Koochiching County, Minnesota to enter the military under the number system from 1970.

I reported to Fort Snelling on January 26, 1971 which happened to be my brother Paul’s 15th birthday. The next day I was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for basic training and the start of a 24-month military obligation.

I went on to Fort Sill, Oklahoma in July for advanced training as an artillery surveyor. I happened to finish #1 in my class and was promoted to Specialist 4th class because of that. I stayed at that rank the rest of my military career.

At that point I had low, but very real, probability of going to Vietnam. Only about 1 out of 13 classes were being sent there, and based on my luck in the number draft, I was not overconfident. Fortunately, I got word that I was going to Germany. I ended up in Bamberg as a member of the 6th Battalion, 10th Field Artillery.

We basically were in charge of shooting 175 mm (about an 8” diameter barrel) artillery at the enemy. We could shoot about 33 klicks or 20 miles. My training as an artillery surveyor was tossed aside when I got to Germany and I was assigned to the fire direction center (FDC). We used slide rules and rudimentary computers to calculate what angle the guns should be set at, and what charge to put in to hit the target. The funny part was that we only had one range to shoot at, so the calculations never really changed! As an aside, my dad’s job in the army in WW2 was to be on the other end of the equation. He was the guy on the ground 20 miles away telling the FDC how close we were to hitting the target, and giving adjustments so we would. It was a very dangerous place to be.

I was not well suited for military life. My natural inclination is to question authority, and I do not like to follow direct orders without a reasonable explanation as to why. It just the way I am! Needless to say, that is not how the military operates. I muddled through without incident and was honorably discharged on November 29, 1972. The Vietnam War was winding down and early discharges were being offered if there was a good reason for it. I got out two months early to get back in time to start winter quarter at college. I stretched the truth a little about when college really started, so gained a month there!

On a positive note, my time in the army gave me opportunities I might not have had that were not related to the military.

I came back to the states, got married in July of 1972 and Doreen and I moved to Germany. We bought a used Peugot and spent the next 4 months traveling as much as one can on a $350/month salary along with some wedding money. It was a great experience for both of us.

The opportunity to get to a foreign country opened my eyes to world travel and learning about other cultures. It is something I enjoy to this day.

Barb Nodolf-Ragatz US Army 1975 - 1978

I enlisted in the United States Army in September of 1975 - in the women's lib era. Dad always said it was one way to get me to wear a bra! My basic training was at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. The all women basic training was the last class of WACS or Women's Army Corp.

After finishing basic training I became RA - Regular Army, and attended Military Police School at Fort McClellan. The drill Sgts. all called me "Granny", because having attended and graduated college prior to my enlistment made me older than most recruits. This did not prevent me from having to do lots of extra push ups - one little orb roll in the presence of a drill Sgt.! Running in formation with mostly men for 5 miles a day brought out my pride and competitiveness. While the few other women in my platoon would eventually fall back during these runs and have to be carried by the lagging men in the rear of the formation, I never fell out. I might of been a Granny, but I was stubborn and determined.

Following all training the Army shipped me out to Wurzburg, Germany. After a few months as a MP, I won the job of Military Police Investigator. This was great - I got extra pay to live off post and wear civilian clothes. All I had to do was investigate mostly minor military crimes, and work an occasionally undercover drug sting - I was always the token fake girlfriend.

After two years I was transferred to West Point Military Academy, New York. Stayed an investigator until my discharge in 1978.

All in all the military was a great experience for me. For everything they sacrifice, all of our service people, past and present deserve our respect and support.

Rick Nodolf - US Navy

Rick Nodolf..

Following is my story concerning my duty in the Navy:

I had finished two years at Madison Area Technical College in 1969. At that time, they did have the draft implemented due to the Vietnam War. By then, I had lost 3 friends over there including Bill Thomas who was a high school classmate whom I had played sports with, etc. He was awarded 3 purple hearts with the last one costing him his life. His funeral was at approximately the same time as my graduation from MATC.

I was very concerned about being drafted & did not agree with the situation in Vietnam and decided to enlist in the Navy and control my own destiny.

I went through basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago. It took me an additional 3 weeks to complete training as I caught pneumonia which put me in the base hospital for a couple of weeks. Luckily, I did get leave in time for Christmas before leaving for my next assignment.

After completing basic training, I received orders to receive radio/teletype/communications training at a naval base near Providence, Rhode Island for six weeks. Upon completion of this, I received orders to be shipped to NAVCOMSTA Balboa (Panama, Canal Zone - a U.S. Territory at the time, turned back over to Panama in 1999) which, at that time, was the military's largest communication station worldwide as it served both oceans. With the Vietnam war going on, it was an extremely busy place.

An interesting note - I was assigned to be a radioman. However, they were so overmanned in this department that a large group, including myself, were assigned to outside maintenance and anything else that they could find for us to do. I know how to paint large rocks perfectly! One day, our group was approached by the Chief Rodrigaz to seek a volunteer to keep track of the commissary books (basically tracking the food/costs of operating the galley/mess hall for the base). No one was interested except for me. It seemed logical to me - a choice between painting rocks and trees in humid, 80 degree weather OR working in an air conditioned office! So I became a storekeeper (supply).

Eventually, I turned the commissary books over to someone else and was assigned to the base warehouse which was right on the canal. It was extremely busy as everything consumed by the base came through us. In addition, many allied ships as well as our own docked there to take on additional stores. I recall that we had over 10,000 electronics parts alone in inventory, along with everything else except for food items which were handled separately by the PX.

I was stationed there for one year before going home on leave to marry Gini who then joined me in Panama. (I tell people I took her on a 4-year honeymoon to Central America! She is not amused by this). She actually taught school there while I served. We were then together there for approximately 4 years.

Relations between the U. S. and Panama were very good at the time, so we could travel fairly freely throughout the country. It is beautiful there, especially in the rain forest and along the canal itself. We often drove to the interior where there were wonderful beaches along the ocean. We would go with several couples and camp on beaches.

There is plenty of wildlife to keep it interesting too, especially near the canal and the rain forest. You always had to watch for poisonous snakes, tarantula spiders and such, especially . Gini can tell you about running over large boa constrictors while driving thru the rain forest between schools. We often spotted jaguars, monkeys, and macaws in the trees just beyond the barracks and other housing. In fact, if you left your windows open, you could hear the monkeys and birds chattering outside your window.

Panama city was typical of any large city with good parts and bad parts. It is actually pretty international - there a many Eastern Indians, Chinese and other nationalities there in large numbers. This means that there were excellent restaurants.

It was extremely interesting as there is a lot of history there also, including forts built by the infamous pirate Henry Morgan. He invaded several times and finally established a couple of forts there. There are still old walls and cannons in place.

Panama is a beautiful country and we hope that someday we can go back to see how it has changed since 1974 which is when we left!

Roger Godskesen - Us Army 1971-73

For those of you who know me as a peaceful guy, it must be a shock to see how the Army trained me to stick bayonets into people.
I was drafted and entered the Army on February 16, 1971, and was discharged February 17, 1973. The extra day was because Leap Year happened to fall during my time. Not that I didn't love being in the Army.

I did basic training in Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri. Then served the remainder of my time at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC where I worked as a computer programmer at the Army Institute of Research. I earned the rank of Specialist 4th class.

Being in the Army was a very interesting adventure, and I was very lucky because I got hands-on experience in the information technology field where I spent the rest of my career.

Working at Walter Reed hospital also put me in daily contact with men who had been wounded in Vietnam, and gave me a life-long appreciation of the sacrifices people made for our country. When I got the chance to got back to Walter Reed for a visit in 2007, it was very hard to face memories that I didn't realize I'd been carrying with me for all those years. But the chance to visit and help the men and women who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan gave me a lot of closure.

It doesn't matter what anyone's view of war and politics is, we owe them a lot.
-Rog

Jason Wester - Us Navy

Currently I am forward deployed in Okinawa on Camp Lester Marine Base. As well as being a Corpsman, I am serving injured military as a Surgical Technologist in the largest west pacific hospital.

Other than that there isn't really too much to talk about. I'll be here
until 2010 away from my newly wed wife and son. Hopes are high though, I've got something to work hard for. That keeps my head up everyday!

That's about all I can come up with right now but I am also running 26
hours of no sleep and 12 of those in surgery. I will make sure to keep
in touch and let you and everyone of any news.

God bless!
HN Jason Wester

Carl Swendsen - World War II

Carl Swendsen was my Mom's younger brother.


Here's a picture that he sent to his wife Mary Ellen.


Enlisted March 8, 1941 and received a medical discharge on August 25, l941.




He served at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Battery "B" 188th Field Artillery. His rank was Private, and his specialty was Motor Mechanic.

Henry Godskesen - World War II

Henry Godskesen, or "Hank" as everybody always called him, was my father's brother. Hank was born in Denmark, and came to the US around 1920.


He was drafted during World War II, and served in a construction batallion. He worked on the Alaska-Canada "AlCan" highway that was built to defend Alaska from Japanese invasion.

Date of Birth: April 5, 1901
Date of Death: July 11, 1989

Date of enlistment: March ??, 1942

Rank: Private

Link to Henry's Enlistment record in the National Archive

Notes:
*All of the records for Army Personnel discharged November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960 were lost in a fire in 1973 in St. Louis. They reconstructed partial records from other sources, which is why this information is incomplete. To my great disappointment, none of the Swendsen men are in this database.

I have an album full of pictures Hank took while working the Alaska highway that I'll link to here when I get them scanned and uploaded.

Christian Martinus Swendsen - Danish Army; c1900-1903?

I believe this is is a picture of Christian, but might be his brother Oluf who also served. If you know, please contact me.


Chris and Albertine on their wedding day

Chris Gravesite information

Birth: Jan. 7, 1883, Denmark
Death: Jun. 26, 1966

Father: Peder Marinus Svendsen
Mother: Anna Elisa Mildrup Svendsen

Married to: Albertina Peterson
When: Jul. 26, 1905
Where: DeKalb, IL

Children: Frank, Elsie Godskesen, Glenn, Paul, Carl, Roy, Harry, Norma Nodolf, June Bailey

Chris was born in Skagen, Denmark. He served in the Danish Army and came to the US in the early 1900's. He proudly became a US citizen on Oct. 19, 1915.

Samuel Runnels - Civil War

I will have a lot more to add about Samuel, who is my wife's great-great grandfather. He fought with the Mississippi Infantry during the Civil War (or "the War of Northern Aggression" if you live south of the Mason-Dixon line).

Here's a picture of his great-great granddaughter at Gettysburg. I don't believe Sam was there, although his unit appears to have been. But he did fight at the battle of Richmond, where he was taken prisoner by the Federals, and paroled. We have a copy of his parole document, to be published here soon.