April 1865, Norwegian Family in the Civil War

April 1865 the U. S. Civil War ended. 

The Family farm Øvald had been worked by our family since 1650. By 1865 my third great grandmother Johanna Elisabeth and her husband Nils Jensen had inherited the familial right to farm on Øvald. Her younger sister, Karen, was not so lucky. She was widowed with three daughters. She remarried and she, her husband and three daughters were the first in our family to head for a chance of a new life in America. In America her daughter Hanna married another Norwegian immigrant named Charles Oleson. 

 November 27, 1861 Charles enlisted as a private in the 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry to fight with the Union in the Civil War. So far this cousin, 4 times removed, is the first I find, and perhaps the only in our family who fought in the Civil War.

Charles Oleson 1843-1907

The 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry initially recruited 1,127 officers and men. An additional 998 men were recruited as replacements for a total of 2,125 men.

The regiment suffered 24 enlisted men killed or died from wounds in action and 4 officers and 284 enlisted men who died of disease for a total of 312 fatalities.*

*Wikipedia 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment

Arnold Calvin Sevald - Veteran's Day

 Today is Veteran's Day. This photo was posted online by my cousin, Arnold's son. Just a teenager, Arnold served in the Navy during World War II. Today our country is deeply divided and it shames me. It does not however diminish the pride I have for those who served and those who died to maintain our democratic freedoms. I pray that long may my country and home, the United States of America be the

 "LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE".

My Favorite Uncle
Arnold Calvin Sevald
1925-1983 

Thank you all who have served!

                             

75 years ago World War II ended

May 8, 1945 the Allies celebrated Victory in Europe but the war raged on in the Pacific. August 15, 1945 Emperor Hirohito declared unconditional surrender of Japan. After 60 Million deaths worldwide, WWII was finally over.

It was over and my uncle, Arnold Sevald, serving in the US Navy on the ship "Tinsman" would be coming home safely. August 15, 1945, he was 19 years old.

Thank you!
Uncle Arnold Sevald,
Father Melvin Kallman,
Uncle Howard Johnson,
Cousins....
Richard Peterson,
Hugo Milton Alvine,
Evald Artur Kallman,
Harry Soderstrom,
William H. Liljegren,
Gustave Arthur Jacobson,
Robert Harry Jacobson,
William Olson,
Robert Lee Johnson

and all the young men of "The Greatest Generation" for their sacrifice and service.

Dad was a WWII Veteran and he never talked about it.

In a few days is Veteran's Day. We honor those men and women who answered the call of defending our country. My father Melvin, was a veteran. A World War II veteran and he never talked about it.

As a child I saw this picture of him in uniform, displayed proudly in my grandmother's home. I asked him if he had been in the war and he replied only that yes, he had been in World War II and he had been in the Army. Other than that, he never talked about it.

I know that he received Christmas cards and periodically long letters from men he had served with and even visited Army buddies on occasion. However he always went alone, never taking my mom or we kids with him. He never talked about it.

AP photo, now owned and a copy may be purchased from www.realwarphotos.com

In the late 80's I came across this AP photo in the National Enquirer. It was titled"Ghosts haunt Omaha Beach" with some typical bogus National Enquirer story of people seeing ghosts of the soldiers that died on D-Day invading Europe. The photo however distinctly showed my father in the foreground! I took the paper to him and his response was "hummm, looks like me, we came off a landing craft like that into the water, I had a helmet with a cross on it like that and carried the exact same supplies." The photo prompted him to also identify other men by name. He explained that he did indeed land on Omaha Beach but not on D-Day. He was part of the reinforcements. I questioned him more. It seems that he was more than willing to defend his country but didn't feel he could ever find it in himself to shoot someone for any reason. His helmet with the cross indicated that they made him a medic.  "You didn't believe you could shoot an enemy?" I asked him incredulously. "How long did that last?" He thought for awhile and with a small sad smile said, "Halfway up the beach". I remember questioning him further about the war, just general questions, and he rebuffed me with "you don't need to know about those sort of things." He never talked about it again.

After his death I found in his dresser quite a bit of WWII memorabilia. Photos of him and other soldiers in boot camp and somewhere in Europe, his discharge papers, draft notice and other memorabilia. Those photos were never displayed or in an album and that was the first time I had ever seen them.

He had never talked about it.

After the death of my grandmother I became interested in my family history. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" was out and I wondered again what part my Dad had in the war. I pulled out Dad's discharge papers and did some internet sleuthing. He was in the 3rd Armored division, Spearhead unit that along with others fought their way from the beaches of France, cold, hungry and often with inadequate supplies all the way to Berlin. His particular unit, the anti-tank company, 423rd infantry, had high casualties. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge where 19,000 American boys died in that battle alone. His unit had liberated a concentration camp. He never talked about it.

from the pamphlet (passed by censor for mailing home)
Spearheading with the 3rd Armored Division, in the Bulge, Duren-Cologne, The Ruhr Pocket, East to the Elbe

Dad was part of what we now call the "Greatest Generation:" Those men and women, out of duty and love of country went when called during WWII. They saw lots and did what they had to do. They saw no need to glory in it.  Although I am sure what they experienced, saw and were forced to do must have haunted them, they did what they had to do, for their country, for their family, for their children.  They bore the burden of those memories to protect us. "Those are things you don't need to know about." 

He never talked about it.

Thank you Dad,

November 11 and every day

Remember all of those men and women who served. 

They did what they had to do

...for our country...for our families...for our children.

HONOR OUR VETERANS

***click on above photos to enlarge for easier viewing***

The war in Vietnam and Mom's gift

For those of us labeled "baby Boomers" (those born 1945-1960) the war in Vietnam is probably the most pivotal, important and disastrous event that defined us as a generation. It also forever defined for me the woman that my mother was.

Mom was a devout Christian and patriotic American. She belonged to a Republican womans group. As a member of "The Greatest Generation" her husband, brother and contemporaries had willingly gone to war to fight for their country and the liberation of Europe during World War II. She told me stories of how she, working as a secretary in New York, spent lunch hours with other girls at the train station passing out sandwiches and encouragement to young soldiers on the troop trains heading off to war. She was ultra conservative and a true believer of "my country right or wrong". Your country called? You went.

The war in Vietnam dragged on and on. This was also the first war that came to you on television in close to real time. By the late sixties we no longer just saw Father knows Best or I Love Lucy. We saw burning villages, burning people and scores of body bags. And why? Many of us just were not so sure anymore. The questions became arguments. The arguments became protests. The protests and demonstrations became larger, more vocal, more violent. 

 Local draft boards made the decisions on classifying the young men. Deferments were given to those going to college or those that were married or the sons of local politicians and friends. The inequities were obvious. The rich almost exclusively did not go to war. The minorities, poor, working class and middle class alone were called to duty. Some boys arrested for minor crimes were given the option of a stiff sentence or enlisting. Add to that; a boy could be drafted and die at 18 but he could not vote or even marry without the consent of one of his parents until the age of 21. The average age of the soldier in Vietnam was 19. In the mid sixties President Lyndon Johnson was sending hugh numbers of ground troups.  In 1969 most of the deferments ended and a draft lottery began.  There were still lots of inequities.

December 1, 1969; 366 blue capsules containing each day in the year were mixed and drawn in order. The first capsule drawn was September 14. If you were a male between the age of 19 and 26 and born on that day you were the first to be called for induction. The plan was that each year a similar lottery would take place for those who would be inducted the following year.* 

In 1970 I graduated from high school. My boyfriend had graduated the year before. It was his turn in the lottery. In the first lottery, which contained many more young men that this lottery would, numbers up to 195 were called in for physicals. He drew number 159. His mother cried. Two other friends were given numbers 2 and 3. They wasted no time enlisting in the Navy and Marines, hoping they could at least avoid being one of the ground troops.

The war in Vietnam totally changed our generation. Many older Americans also became more suspicious and cynical about the workings of government. Many young men became objectors some even leaving for Canada or Mexico. Initially they were referred to as "draft dodgers" but soon many parents also did not want to "be the first one on your block to have your son come home in a box"**.

My boyfriend who was from a poor immigrant family did not even have that option. In summer he was called in for his physical. They classified him 1-A.

I know it seems this story is mainly about the Vietnam years of my life, and it is, but I don't wish to be preaching pro or con. History will sort all that out.  I have the highest regard for those that gave service to our country and will also pay honor to the 56,000 young men that gave their all. The purpose of this story however is to tell you about my mother.

Mom came to me one evening and spoke to me alone.

"Ranae, you know the file cabinet next to Dad's desk? Halfway back is a folder. In there Is some money and a piece of paper. On that paper is the name and address of a cousin of mine in Canada. It is not right that so many do not have the same choices. If he wants to go, you give that to him, my cousin will help him." and then she added.."if you feel you have to go with him maybe it's better if I don't know. You are my daughter and I might try to stop you."  I nodded but said nothing. We never spoke of it again.

Richard Nixon promised in his 1968 campaign for president to end the draft. On June 30th 1971 the draft law expired so there were no calls or inductions in July, August or September, Nixon, hoping to win support for the war from the middle class went back on his word and on September 28, 1971 signed the bill extending the draft.*** Officials hoped the inductions would resume as soon as October but admitted most likely the number of calls for the year would be low. 125 was the highest number called. 

I never looked for that folder until after my Mom's death in 1975. It was not there. I really don't know if my boyfriend would even have left but I will love my Mom forever for giving him the choice.

The boyfriend is now my husband of 44 years and to this day he says that his favorite president will always be "Tricky Dick" whose campaign "promise" kept him out of Vietnam.

* The Selective Service System

** Country Joe McDonald: I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin-to-Die rag

*** Chicago Tribune Sep 29th 1971: Nixon signs the draft bill

December 7 1941 - Pearl Harbor Day

75 years ago today the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US entered World War II. Quite a few young men in our family, the sons of immigrants, found themselves called to defend our country. I believe that for my immigrant family the bombing of Pearl Harbor may have been the truly defining moment. We were now above all and forever after, Americans.Very few veterans of that war are still with us. The WWII veterans of our family are also all gone.  In their honor tell their story to your children and grandchildren today.

Here is the story of my favorite uncle, my mother's brother Arnold Calvin Sevald. 

My Norwegian grandfather Paul Sevald stepped off the boat unto Ellis Island August 1, 1923. August 16, 1923, he filed his intent to become a United States citizen. When his son was born two years later he named him after the current president, the 30th, Calvin Coolidge. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec 7 1941, Arnold immediately joined the Navy. A parent had to sign for him. Knowing his father would not and his mother's English was poor he tricked her into signing. He had just turned 16 in September of that same year. He served as a sonar detector on the U.S.S. Tinsman. Most importantly to me.........he came home.

my maternal uncle

Arnold Calvin Sevald

b: 18 Sep 1925 Chicago, Illinois USA

d: 26 Nov 1983 Dallas, Texas, USA

 

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, 

This is my own, my native land!  - Sir Walter Scott 1771-1832

History of Veterans Day | The History Channel

"On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free." – Dan Lipinski

To those who have honored and defended our country

through  their military service

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU