St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Boomer-Neola, Iowa, …kirstenpedersen.weebly.com/uploads/5/2/7/5/52755035/st...St. Paul’s WW II Veterans (St.Paul’sWWIIVets.docx) 3/26/16 page 2

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Boomer-Neola, Iowa, World War II Veterans

© 2016 by Robert A. Christiansen, last update by RAC 24 Mar '16.

In 1881 Danish immigrants organized the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church congregation in Pottawattamie County, Iowa north of Council Bluffs. The 1905 church, with an adjoining cemetery, is located in Boomer Township about eight miles west of the town of Neola. I have written this collection of short biographical sketches in memory of the members of the St. Paul's community, their relatives, and others from the vicinity who served in World War II. I sometimes reflect on how different my life would have been if the United States and her allies had not prevailed in World War II. I am grateful to all veterans of this terrible war. They all put their lives on hold, left their home and families, and endured the rigors of training and the tedium of normal military life. Many experienced the misery of life in the field and the terror and exhaustion of combat. Some gave everything. You'll find the original list of World War II St. Paul’s servicemen at the end of this report. The St. Paul’s community was blessed in that all on the original list returned from World War II. I currently don’t know of any who were wounded, although two, Donald Schroder and Stephen Wurtz, were prisoners of war in Germany.

Contents page St. Paul's World War II Veterans Index (about 75 World War II veterans) 2 Individual Biographical Sketches (in alphabetical order) 4 Casualties from the St. Paul's List 37 The 168th Infantry Regiment and the Battle of Kasserine Pass 38

Five veterans listed herein were captured during this 1943 battle. Richard Peterson's Epigraph 40

This epigraph appears on the Veterans' Memorial Plaza in Council Bluffs. Sources and Acknowledgments 41 The Original St. Paul's List (37 veterans) 44 I have noted when a veteran is descended from early St. Paul’s members. You can learn about the older relatives of those veterans in my history, St. Paul’s Boomer-Neola Early Families, now on-line. Can you help me? Most of my biographical sketches are incomplete and some likely contain errors. Can you help me improve this report? My contact information as of March 2016:

Address: 10354 E. Saltillo Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85255 E-Mail [email protected], Cell 480.861.8404

St. Paul’s WW II Veterans (St.Paul’sWWIIVets.docx) 3/26/16 page 2

St. Paul's World War II Veterans Index Serviceman/woman (birth and death year) Banther, Paul Floyd (1921 – 1999), U.S. Army Baraks, Frederick August "Bud" (service surname "Barracks") (1917 – 1945), U.S. Army Bertelsen, Kenneth Oliver (1924 – 1981), U.S. Army Air Force Bracker, Thomas Allen (1917 – 1974), Iowa National Guard, later the U.S. Army Bostedt, Glen Charles (1917 – 1942), U.S. Army Air Force Bostedt, John B. (1922 – 1942), U.S. Army Air Force Bostedt, Joseph William (1922 – 1942), U.S. Army Air Force Carlsen, Owen Orville (1914 – 1987), U.S. Army Christensen, Eldon Richard (1927 – 1992), U.S. Navy Christensen, Kenneth Myron (1923 – 2002), U.S. Army Christiansen, Arthur Charles "Chris" Jr. (1912 – 1986), U. S. Navy Clausen, Ralph Harold (1926 – 2004), U.S. Army Dideriksen, Nels Chris "Chris" (1915 – 2005), Iowa National Guard/U.S. Army Dideriksen, Harry Andrew (1918 – 2012), Iowa National Guard, U.S. Army Dideriksen, Robert W. (1921 – 1944), U.S. Army Air Force Dideriksen, James P. (1923 – 2000), U.S. Navy Dideriksen, Raymond I. (1925 – 1994), U.S. Army Downs, Thomas G. (1919 – 1944), U.S. Army Air Force Erickson, Howard Emanuel (1914 – 1987), U.S. Navy Gardner, Merrill Eugene (1926 -), U.S. Army Gardner, Orville Elswick (1924 – 1966), U.S. Navy Gebuhr, Carl Leo (1917 – 2008), U.S. Navy Gebuhr, Ellen Elizabeth (1920 – 2000), U.S. Navy Gebuhr, John Victor (1913 – 1991), U.S. Navy Handbury, Richard Ross (1925 -), U.S. Marines Hedegaard, Alfred Immanuel (1917 – 2004) Hedegaard, Paul Orval (1920 – 1970), U.S. Army Hjortsvang, Herbert Augustine (1924 – 2001), U.S. Army Honig, Herbert Henry (1924 – 2010), U.S. Merchant Marine Honig, Richard Paul (1920 – 1979), U.S. Army Honig, Robert Edwin "Sully" (1918 – 2008), Iowa National Guard/U.S. Army Honig, Roy Lewis (1914 – 1970), U.S. Army Iversen, Adolph Reuben "Reuben" (1921 – 2001), U.S. Army Air Force Jensen, Agnes Christine (1903 – 1995), U.S. Army Nursing Corps Jensen, Arthur Orville (1919 – 1942), U.S. Army Air Force Jensen, Kenneth Ernest (1911 – 1984), U.S. Army Jensen, Maynard Henry (1920 – 1998), U.S. Army Air Force Jessen, Forrest Lynn "Stub" (1912 – 1986), U.S. Army


Jessen, Max (1908 – 1974), U.S. Army Jessen, Owen Elgin (1916 – 1999), Iowa National Guard/U.S. Army Jokumsen, Julius A. (1910 – 1963), Iowa National Guard/U.S. Army Jorgensen, George Eugene (1920 – 1945), U.S. Navy Kenealy, Aloysius "Al" (1922 -), Iowa National Guard/U.S. Army Larsen, Alvin Douglas (1922 – 2003), U.S. Navy Larsen, Orville Robert (1927 – 2006), U.S. Army Air Force Magnussen, Donald Bondo (1925 – 2001), U.S. Navy Nelson, Stanley Clifford (1920 – 1978), U.S. Army Air Force Oamek, Norvin Clarence (1922 – 2007), U.S. Navy Olsen, Dean Howard (1926 – 2012), U.S. Army Olsen, Glen Arthur (1919 – 2007), U.S. Army Air Force Pagh, Amos C. (about 1920 – 1944), U. S. Army Pagh, Carl Ernest (1913 – 2004), U.S. Army Air Force Paulson, Ralph Lloyd (1923 – 1943), U.S. Marines Paulson, Rodney Allen (1924 – 1954), U.S. Army Air Force (U.S. Air Force after WW II) Paulson, Roland Arthur (1924 - 2016), U.S. Army Air Force Pedersen, Laurits Hans Peder (1901 – 1978), U. S. Army Petersen, Andrew Anton (1909 – 1983), U.S. Army Petersen, Donald Eugene (1927 - 2015), U.S. Navy Peterson, Calvin Philip (1926 – 1976), U.S. Army Peterson, Leslie Norman (1916 – 1969), U.S. Army Peterson, Marvin Luther (1919 – 1986), U.S. Army Air Force Peterson, Wayne Willard (1922 – 1981), U.S. Army Randall, Robert Dale (1925 – 1975), U.S. Merchant Marine (U.S Army after WW II) Rasmussen, Erven Nels (1915 – 2013), U.S. Navy Rasmussen, Leonard Edward (1912 – 1995) Rasmussen, Junior Marion (22 May 1924 – 17 May 2015), U.S. Army Sanderson, Albert James "Beebee" (1907 – 1945), U. S. Army Schroder, Dean Charles (1926 – 1945), U.S. Army Schroder, Donald Lewis (1924 – 2004), U.S. Army Smith, Everett Leroy (1915 – 2002) Smith, Warren Olsen (1924 – 2012), U.S. Army Spencer, Ralph Edward Jr. (1920 – 2001), U.S. Amy Warren, Leslie George (1913 – 1982), U.S. Army Warren, Raymond F. (1913 – 1999), U.S. Army Welbourn, Eldred Orville (1923 – 1944), U.S. Army Welsh, Jack (1925 – 2009), U.S. Navy Wurtz, Stephen Harvey (12 Oct 1921 – 29 Sep 2011), U.S. Army Air Force


Individual Biographical Sketches ✫ Banther, Paul Floyd (7 Dec 1921 - 27 Dec 1999), entered 20 Jun 1940

Paul Banther was born in Council Bluffs to Thomas A. Banther and Josephine McClelland. Around 1934 Paul and his twin sister, Pauline, became foster children of Christian Knudsen "Chris K." Christensen and Lydia Anna Jacobsen of north central Hazel Dell Township. Chris K. Christensen was the son of St. Paul’s early members Lars Hansen Christensen and Laurentine Christine Clausen. Lydia (Jacobsen) Christensen was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Jens Christian Jacobsen and Christena Marie Gronbeck. Chris K. and Lydia lived on the Jacobsen home place in Dane Hollow and did not have children of their own. Paul Banther was raised in Council Bluffs and in Hazel Dell Township. Paul was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 11 Apr 1937. Paul attended one year of high school and later joined the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). In early 1940 he was living with his uncle and aunt, Frank and Laura Davis, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Paul Banther enlisted in the United States Army before the United States entered World War II. Paul Banther married Elsie _____ before 1948. Elsie had one to three children by a previous marriage. Paul Banther lived in Council Bluffs from 1948 to 1953. Paul Banther died at the Crafts-Farrow State Hospital, a geriatric facility, in Columbia, South Carolina and is buried in the Morris Village Cemetery on the state hospital grounds.

✫ Baraks/Barracks, Frederick August "Bud" (27 Sep 1917 – 4 Apr 1945) LaRue Jensen was the daughter of Henry John Jensen and Tina Marie Nelsen and the sister of Maynard Jensen who appears elsewhere in this report. LaRue Jensen was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1931. LaRue Jensen married Frederick A. “Bud” Baraks of Coal Valley, Illinois. Bud Baracks was the youngest of seven children, and the only son, of August Baraks, a coal miner, and his wife, Elizabeth Wilhouse. Bud Baraks enlisted in the United States Army in February 1943. When he enlisted, his surname was recorded as “Barracks” and evidently this error was never corrected in military records. Corporal Frederick A. Barracks of the 449th Military Police was killed in action in the European Theater on April 4, 1945. He is interred in the Saint Avold Military Cemetery in northeastern France with the surname "Barracks". Bud Baraks left behind his widow, LaRue, and two children. LaRue (Jensen) Baraks is interred in the Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois.


✫ Bertelsen, Kenneth Oliver (15 Nov 1924 – 23 Apr 1981)

Kenneth Bertelsen was the son of James Bertelsen and Emma Thompson and was one of three children. Kenneth was born in Boomer Township and moved to the Underwood area with his parents in the 1940s. Kenneth Bertelsen served as a corporal in the United States Army Air Force in Japan just after WW II ended. Kenneth Bertelsen married Doris Christoffersen on 9 Jul 1950 at St. Paul’s. Doris Christoffersen was the daughter of Willie Christoffersen and Lillian Larsen of northeastern Hazel Dell Township and the granddaughter of St. Paul's early members Martin and Minnie Christoffersen. Kenneth and Doris Bertelsen had four children. Kenneth Bertelsen lived in Underwood. He worked as a carpenter for Robert Pingel Construction Company in Underwood, Robert Pingel being his brother-in-law. Kenneth Bertelsen died in a Council Bluffs hospital after an extended illness and is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

Sons of John Fred Bostedt and Martha Anna Brandt: The Bostedt brothers had only a very weak connection to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Boomer Township. Their second cousin, Donna Martin, married Gerald Hansen, a son of St. Paul. I decided to include the Bostedt brothers because the extraordinary sacrifice of this family should not be lost to time, and their story illustrates a tragic chapter in United States military history. The Bostedt family farmed in Lewis Township and Norwalk Township before moving to Mills County in the late 1920s. By the late 1930s they were living at 1017 28th Avenue, on the southern edge of Council Bluffs. John F. and Martha Bostedt are interred at the Plumer Settlement Cemetery at Salem Lutheran Church in Mills County. John F. and Martha Bostedt had five children. The youngest three, all graduates of Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, are listed below.

✫ Glen Charles Bostedt (about 1917 – 11 Oct 1942)

✫ John B. Bostedt (about 1923 – 7 Jul 1942)

✫ Joseph William Bostedt (about 1923 – 20 Sep 1942) On September 12 1940 Glen, John B., and Joseph Bostedt all joined the Army Air Corps. At their request, the three brothers were assigned to the same unit, the 3rd Pursuit Squadron at Iba Field in the Philippines. Captured after the fall of Bataan in April 1942, all three Bostedt brothers survived the infamous Bataan Death March but died in Prisoner of War camps later in 1942. ✫ Bracker, Thomas Allen (6 Jul 1917 - 11 May 1974), entered 9 Sep 1942

Tom Bracker was the son of Frederick William Bracker and Jane Woodruff and was one of ten children, two of whom died in childhood.


Tom Bracker was raised in south central Hazel Dell Township and was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1936. As a teenager and young adult he lived with his brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Georgia Bracker, in east central Boomer Township. Before the United States entered World War II, Tom Bracker served in headquarters of the 3rd Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Iowa National Guard, which was based in Neola. Tom left the service for 18 months and then rejoined the army. Tom Bracker served as a private in the United States Army in the Aleutian Islands in 1943 and 1944. Tom Bracker married Frances Lillian Magnussen at St. Paul’s on 16 Jan 1949. Frances Magnussen, my second cousin, was the daughter of Carl Magnussen and Esther Bondo of southeastern Boomer Township and the sister of Donald Magnussen who appears in this list. Tom and Frances Bracker did not have children. Tom Bracker farmed, trucked and did day work in the St. Paul’s area. Tom and Frances moved in with her mother west of St. Paul’s before his death. Tom Bracker died in an Omaha hospital after a long illness. Tom Bracker is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

✫ Carlsen, Owen Orville (11 Jul 1914 – 24 Mar 1987) Owen Carlsen was the son of St. Paul's early members Carl Christian Carlsen and

Alma Hulda Olsen who joined St. Paul's in 1910. Owen was one of fifteen children, of whom ten reached adulthood and married. Owen was raised on the Beh farm in Boomer Township two miles north of St. Paul's. In 1934 the Carlsen family moved to a farm in Norwalk Township two miles southeast of Underwood. Owen remained on the farm with his father until he was drafted in 1941.

Owen entered service at Fort Crook, Nebraska on 15 Aug 1941. Owen served as a sergeant in the United States Army Military Police, being stationed Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. He was discharged on 21 Feb 1944.

Owen married Margaret White from Hamburg, Iowa on 11 May 1946. Owen and Margaret Carlsen farmed in the Underwood area until 1949, and then

lived in Council Bluffs for some years. He subsequently farmed in the Oakland area for a few years and then southwest of Underwood from 1961 to 1973 before returning to Council Bluffs.

Owen and Margaret Carlsen had three daughters. Owen Carlsen is interred in the Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs. ✫ Christensen, Eldon Richard (6 Aug 1927 - 7 Jun 1992), entered 17 Jul 1945

Eldon Christensen was the son of Leon Emanuel Christensen and Emma Frances Bondo and was the older of two sons. Eldon's father, Leon Christensen, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Niels Jorgen Christensen and Maren Kathrine Andersen. Eldon's mother, Emma (Bondo) Christensen, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Peter Bondo and Alvina "Winnie" Rasmussen and the cousin of my father, Alvin Christiansen.


Eldon Christensen was born at home in rural Underwood, on the old Jacob Hansen farm in northeastern Hazel Dell Township, just northwest of the Peter Bondo farmstead. In the late 1930s ownership of this farm passed to the Peter and Anina Erickson family and the Leon Christensen family moved to Union Township in Harrison County. By 1943 the Leon Christensen family had returned to the Underwood area. Eldon was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1942 and graduated from Underwood, Iowa High School in 1944. Eldon Christensen entered the United States Navy at Des Moines, Iowa. He trained at the Naval Training Depot in Great Lakes, Illinois and then was at the Naval Replacement Depot in New Orleans before being assigned to the Naval Ammunition Depot at McAlester, Oklahoma. He was discharged on 20 Jul 1946. By 1949 Eldon was living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Eldon married Betty Lou Craig in Des Moines on 15 Jan 1950. Betty Craig, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Craig, was from Monticello, Iowa. Eldon and Betty Christensen had one child. Eldon and Betty lived in Dubuque, Iowa after marrying. Later they lived in Cedar Rapids and then in Iowa City. Eldon was a computer specialist in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. Eldon Christensen died in Iowa City of complications from heart surgery and is interred in Memory Gardens Cemetery, Iowa City.

✫ Christensen, Kenneth Myron (1 Aug 1923 - 27 Dec 2002), entered 13 Feb 1945

Kenneth Christensen was the son of Charles Theodor "Charley" Christensen and Laura N. Nielsen and was one of four children, one of whom died in infancy. Kenneth's father, Charley Christensen, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Lars Hansen Christensen and Laurentine Christine Christensen. Kenneth Christensen was raised in Dane Hollow in central Hazel Dell Township, where his parents lived on the Lars Hansen Christensen home place until 1939. Kenneth was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1938. Kenneth Christensen served in the United States Army, taking his basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. He was stationed in Yosu, Korea starting in October 1945. Kenneth was discharged as a sergeant in December 1946. Kenneth Christensen married Arlene Wilma Magnussen in Salem, Oregon on 7 Aug 1945. Arlene Magnussen, my second cousin, was the daughter of Carl Magnussen and Esther Bondo of southeastern Boomer Township and the sister of Donald Magnussen who appears in this list. Kenneth farmed and fed cattle east of Weston in the Downsville area of southwestern Norwalk Township. Kenneth and Arlene Christensen had five children. Kenneth Christensen died in a hospital in Clinton, Missouri and is interred in the Downsville Cemetery, Norwalk Township, south of Underwood.

✫ Christiansen, Arthur Charles "Chris" Jr. (3 Dec 1912 – 19 Dec 1986)


Chris Christiansen was the son of Arthur Charles Christiansen and Edith Rebecca Kretchmer of Council Bluffs and the great grandson of St. Paul's charter member Christian Christiansen.

Chris Christiansen joined the navy in October 1931 and served for thirty years, retiring as a Warrant Officer 3 in November 1961. Chris Christiansen served in naval aviation. He was on the ground crew when the Hindenburg exploded at Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937 and served in various locations in the Pacific before and during World War II.

Chris Christiansen is buried in the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.

✫ Clausen, Ralph Harold (18 Jul 1926 - 2 Oct 2004), entered 27 Jul 1945

Ralph Clausen was the son of Harold Arthur Clausen and Karen Christine "Carrie" Petersen and was one of eight children. Ralph's father, Harold Clausen, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Laarens Clausen and Ane Kirstine Jorgensen. Carrie (Petersen) Clausen was the daughter of Rasmus Petersen and Mary Anine Nielsen. Ralph Clausen was born and raised in Dane Hollow in north central Hazel Dell Township on the Clausen home place, which previously had been owned by John Madison. Ralph was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1940. Ralph Clausen served in the United States Army for 18 months and was discharged in January 1947. Ralph Clausen married Dorothy Alda Edwards on 8 Jul 1950. Dorothy Edwards was born in Mills County to Harold Ulysses Edwards and Alda Franklin. Ralph and Dorothy Clausen had three children, one of whom died as a teenager. Ralph farmed in south central Boomer Township and worked for the Northwestern Railroad for 32 years. Ralph Clausen died at home in Boomer Township and is interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township.

Sons of Nels Dideriksen and Anna Christina Hilstrum: The Dideriksen family lived in the St. Paul's area before moving to the Shenandoah area in Page County. Anna and their three oldest children were baptized at St. Paul's. Nels and Anna Dideriksen had eight children, including six sons. Five of their sons served in World War II, and three were casualties. In addition, their sixth and oldest son, Julius, worked in the navy shipyard in Bremerton, Washington during World War II. ✫ Nels Christian "Chris" Dideriksen (23 Jul 1910 – 8 Mar 1983) was a prisoner of war

for over two years. ✫ Harry A. Dideriksen (25 Jul 1918 – 28 Jun 2012) was a prisoner of war for over two

years. After returning from World War II, Harry resumed farming in the


Shenandoah and Clarinda area. Harry married Juanita Snyder on April 4, 1950. Harry and Juanita did not have children.

Chris and Harry Dideriksen were both noncommissioned officers in Company E., 168th Infantry Regiment of the Iowa National Guard and were captured in Tunisia on February 17, 1943, during the early states of the Battle of Kasserine Pass, and held in the Stalag 3B prison camp in Germany.

✫ Robert W. Dideriksen (1921 - 15 Jun 1944) was a pilot in the 14th Photo Squadron based in England. He was flying a Spitfire, an English fighter plane, when he was shot down. He is interred in the American Cemetery in Colleville, France overlooking Omaha Beach.

✫ James P. Dideriksen (10 Jan 1923 – 2 Oct 2000) served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

✫ Raymond I. Dideriksen (19 Sep 1925 – 11 May 1994) served in the U. S. Army from 1943 to 1946.

✫ Downs, Thomas G. (about Nov 1919 – 27 Aug 1944), entered 7 Apr 1942 Thomas Downs was the son of Thomas Lee Downs and Mary I. Pardee who lived

south of Underwood in the Downsville are area. His brother-in-law and sister, Valeo T. and Mary I. Christensen, were St. Paul's members, as were his brother-in-law and sister, Harold and Marjorie V. Anderson.

Thomas Downs was the second of seven children. He was born in the Underwood area, spent part of his childhood in the Persia, Iowa area, and graduated from Underwood High School in 1940.

After joining the Army Air Corps, Thomas Downs trained as a pilot. He was assigned to the 85th Squadron of the 437th Troop Carrier Group in the 9th Air Force and was stationed at Ramsgate, England, west of London.

Thomas Downs participated in the aerial invasion of Normandy, early on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He piloted a C-47 pulling a glider or carrying paratroops or supplies as needed.

After the German withdrawal from most of France in August 1944, the 437th Troop Carrier Group carried essential supplies such as ammunition from England across the channel.

Thomas Downs died over France. Before going overseas, Thomas Downs married Martha Mary Schorsch, the daughter

of John Paul Schorsch and Mary A. Niemann of Bentley, Iowa. In 1947 Martha (Schorsch) Downs married for the second time, to LaVerne W. Case of Hancock.

In 1949 Thomas Downs remains were returned to the United States and he now lies interred with his parents and many other extended family members in the Downsville Cemetery south of Underwood.

✫ Erickson, Howard Emanuel (10 Apr 1914 - 3 Apr 1987), entered 5 Feb 1944


Howard Erickson was the son of St. Paul’s early members Simon Peter "Peter" Erickson and Anina Christine Christensen. Howard was one of five children. Peter Erickson had emigrated from Denmark as a young man. Anina (Christensen) Erickson was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Nels Hansen Christensen and Andrea H. Clausen. Howard Erickson was born in Hazel Dell Township and grew up in Hazel Dell, Norwalk and Neola Townships. Howard was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 29 Jul 1928. Howard Erickson was living in Oakland, California before he entered the military. Howard served in the United States Navy attaining the rank of fireman 1/C. He received training at Farragut Navy Training Station in northern Idaho. When the war ended Howard was stationed on the LSM(R)-512, a new landing ship equipped to fire volleys of rockets. Howard Erickson and was discharged in November 1945. Howard Erickson married Ruth Alvera Ward on 11 Apr 1941. Ruth Ward was the daughter of Willard Ward and Nellie Stevenson of east central Boomer Township. Howard and Ruth Erickson had two children. Howard farmed west of Neola and worked for Hughes Auto in Council Bluffs, eventually moving to Council Bluffs around 1969. Howard Erickson died at home in Council Bluffs and is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

Sons of Charles William Gardner and Lillian Luella Elswick: The Charles Gardner family farmed in east central Boomer Township and had six children. ✫ Gardner, Merrill Eugene (23 May 1926 -), entered 20 Mar 1945

Merrill Gardner was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 28 Apr 1940 and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1943. Merrill Gardner served in the United States Army, being stationed on Okinawa with the 63rd Anti-Aircraft Battalion. He was discharged on November 30, 1946. By 1949 Merrill Gardner was living in the Beebeetown/Logan area and later lived in Missouri Valley, Iowa. Merrill owned the Gardner Implement Company, a John Deere dealership, in Missouri Valley, Iowa. Merrill moved to Logan, Iowa about 1995 and was still living in Logan in 2012. Merrill Gardner was married three times. Merrill's first wife, Marjorie C. Thomas, was the daughter of Chester Thomas and Myrtle Currie and was a classmate from Beebeetown High School. Merrill's second wife, Marjorie Louise Fisher, married on 13 Nov 1949, was the daughter of Mrs. Edna Fisher of Council Bluffs. In July 1994 Merrill married Linda Lou Legg, who was born in Anita, Iowa to Bernard and Muriel (Spies) Legg.

✫ Gardner, Orville Elswick (24 Jul 1924 - 30 Jan 1966), entered 1944

Orville Gardner was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 21 May 1939 and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1942.


Orville Gardner served in the United States Navy, being based at Farragut, Idaho when he married. Orville Gardner married Lois M. O'Neill on 30 Jul 1944 at the O’Neill home. Lois O’Neill was the daughter of Leslie O'Neill and Grace Warner of rural Logan. Orville and Lois Gardner had two sons. Orville lived in the Beebeetown/Logan, Iowa area in the 1950s. At one time he worked for the Gardner Implement Company, his brother Merrill's business, in Missouri Valley. Orville Gardner is interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township.

Sons and daughter of John Sigurd Gebuhr and Martine Nielsen: The John S. Gebuhr family lived in Council Bluffs. John S. Gebuhr was born in Denmark and immigrated with his family as a young man. Martine (Nielsen) Gebuhr was born in Denmark and immigrated with her family as a child. Martine was the niece of Rev. Laurits Mathiasen, who was pastor at St. Paul's in the 1890s. John Gebuhr was a building contractor who in the 1930s became a Lutheran Brotherhood insurance agent. John S. and Martine Gebuhr had four children, all born in Council Bluffs, of whom the three youngest, who are listed below, served in the United States armed forces during World War II. ✫ John Victor Gebuhr (23 Aug 1913 – 1 Oct 1991) was confirmed by the St. Paul's

pastor in 1928 and graduated from Iowa State College in Ames with a degree in electrical engineering in 1938. John V. Gebuhr married Agnes Othelia Nielsen, a native of Dane County, Wisconsin. After Agnes' death he married Mary Louise Welschmeyer in Marion County, Indiana on 22 Jan 1977. John V. Gebuhr enlisted in the United States Navy on 13 Aug 1943. He served as an ensign specializing in mine warfare and was stationed on the east coast John V. Gebuhr was an engineering consultant in Des Moines until 1965 and then served as director of the physical plant at Indiana University in Indianapolis until 1981. He remained in Indianapolis after retiring. John V. and Agnes Gebuhr had three children.

✫ Carl Leo Gebuhr (7 Jan 1917 – 30 Jul 2008) graduated from the University of Iowa in

1941. Carl Gebuhr married Saphronia Jane Harrison in Washington, District of Columbia on 21 Jun 1941. Later he married Fran Brandon. Carl Gebuhr served as a yeoman in the United States Navy and was commissioned an ensign in April 1944. After World War II, Carl Gebuhr worked for the United States Information Agency. He died in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Carl and Saphronia Gebuhr had a son and two daughters.


✫ Ellen Elizabeth Gebuhr (24 May 1920– 9 Aug 2000) attended Dana College and

Iowa State College. Ellen Gebuhr enlisted in the WAVEs, the female component of the United States Navy, in August 1943. She was stationed on the east coast and was discharged in December 1945. Ellen Gebuhr married Charles Osburn in Big Rapids, Michigan on 21 Dec 1952. Charles and Ellen Osburn remained in Big Rapids, Michigan after marrying.

✫ Handbury, Richard Ross (10 Aug 1925 -), entry date blank

Richard Handbury was the son of Ross Handbury and Helen Allphin and was one of two children. Richard was raised in east central Boomer Township and confirmed at St. Paul’s on 21 May 1939. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School before his military service. Richard Handbury probably enlisted in the Marine Corps in the spring of 1944. He trained at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego during the spring and summer of 1944. By January 1945 he was serving with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, which took part in the bloody Okinawa campaign from early April through mid June of 1945. After World War II ended, Richard's unit was sent to Tientsin, China where he served until April 1946. Richard Handbury married Norma Jeane Christiansen on 18 Jan 1948. Norma Christiansen was the daughter of Clarence Christiansen and Alice Lauridsen who lived in Missouri Valley before moving to Council Bluffs in 1937. Richard and Norma Handbury had five children, of whom the first two died in infancy. The Richard Handbury family moved to Rouge River, Oregon between 1950 and 1954. In 2004 Richard and Norma were running the Pioneer Square Mobile Park in Ashland near Rouge River. Richard Handbury was living in Rouge River in 2010. Sons of Niels Martin "Martin" Hedegaard and Kathrine Marie "Katie" Iversen: Martin Hedegaard immigrated from Denmark as a young man, and Katie Iversen as a child. The Martin Hedegaard family, early members of St. Paul's, lived on farms in Boomer, Norwalk and Neola Townships. There were six children in the family. One of the children, Mary (Hedegaard) Rasmussen, provided me with the list from which this report grew.

✫ Hedegaard, Alfred Immanuel (20 Jul 1917 - 5 Aug 2004), entered 15 Jul 1945 Alfred Hedegaard was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1931 and graduated from Underwood High School in 1935. Alfred Hedegaard married Melverine E. Lantz in Red Oak, Iowa on 9 Mar 1940. Alfred and Melverine Hedegaard had three children.


Alfred Hedegaard worked at the Martin Bomber Plant near Omaha before his military service. He joined the army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I currently don't know he nature of Alfred Hedegaard’s military service. I believe Alfred and Melverine Hedegaard lived in Omaha except for a few years in Atlantic, Iowa in the mid 1950s. Later they moved to Los Angeles. They returned from Los Angeles to Omaha, Nebraska around the early 1990s. Alfred Hedegaard died in Omaha and is interred in the Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Omaha.

✫ Hedegaard, Paul Orval (26 Jun 1920 - 28 Nov 1970), entered 2 May 1942

Paul Hedegaard was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 31 May 1936 and farmed with his father before entering the United States Army. Paul Hedegaard entered the army at Fort Crook, Nebraska and went overseas on 19 Nov 1943. He served in North Africa and Italy with the 330th Ordnance Depot Company, part of the 5th Ordnance Battalion, which in turn was part of the 5th Army. He also served with the 3269th Ordnance Company. He returned to the United States on 29 Aug 1945 and was discharged on 14 Oct 1945. He ended his service as a Tech/4 or a sergeant. Soon after returning to the United Sates, Paul Hedegaard married Edna Mabelle Ferris on 16 Sep 1945. Edna Ferris was the daughter of Everett Ferris and Jane Dennin of northwestern Boomer Township. Paul and Edna Hedegaard had four children, one of whom died in childhood. Paul farmed the Hedegaard home place in southwestern Neola Township east of St. Paul's. Paul Hedegaard is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

✫ Hjortsvang, Herbert Augustine (2 Jan 1924 - 10 Apr 2001)

Herbert Hjortsvang was the son of Athanasius Vaughn Hjortsvang, a Wisconsin native, and Agnes Jensen, who emigrated from Denmark as a young woman. Herb was an only child and was born and raised in Chicago. Herbert Hjortsvang served for three years in the United States Army Signal Corps. He was stationed in the Pacific Theatre in New Guinea and the Philippines and in the army of occupation in post-war Japan. He left the Signal Corps with the rank of Tech/4. Herbert Hjortsvang married Alvina Marie Larsen at St. Paul’s on 20 Dec 1950. Alvina Larsen, my second cousin, was the daughter of Oluf Larsen and Lillie Bondo of central Hazel Dell Township and the granddaughter of St. Paul’s early members Peter Bondo and Winnie Rasmussen. Herb and Alvina met when they were both students at Dana College after World War II. Herb and Alvina Hjortsvang had two children. Herb worked for Boys Town north of Omaha, Nebraska for 23 years. He was an English and chemistry teacher and a school administrator. Herb and Alvina lived in the Omaha and Council Bluffs areas.


Herbert Hjortsvang died in a hospital in Council Bluffs and is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

Sons of Myrtle (Hardesty) Honig: Myrtle (Hardesty) Honig ran the Boomer Township telephone exchange from before 1925 to around 1935 when she moved to Glenwood, Iowa and became the night operator at the Glenwood telephone exchange. Myrtle was married to Edwin Honig, who may have died between 1925 and 1930. Myrtle Honig had four sons and two daughters. All four of Myrtle’s sons served in World War II. ✫ Roy Lewis Honig (23 Aug 1914 – 6 Nov 1970) was born in Omaha and raised in

southwestern Boomer Township. Roy was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 5 Oct 1930. Roy Honig was a captain in the 709th Tank Battalion in Europe. He was wounded and won the Silver Star. Roy Honig married Lois Belle _____. Roy Honig lived in Council Bluffs and worked as a railroad engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. Roy Honig is interred in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

✫ Robert Edwin “Sully” Honig (13 May 1918 – 15 Jul 2008) was born in Omaha and

raised in southwestern Boomer Township. Robert was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 4 Jun 1933. Robert was a sergeant in the Glenwood, Iowa National Guard unit, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment. Robert was captured on 17 Feb 1943 west of Faid Pass in the early stages of the battle of Kasserine Pass. According to the on-line transcript of 168th Infantry prisoners of war, Robert was held in Stalag Luft 3. Robert Honig married Katharine Williams on 14 Feb 1941. Robert and Katherine had two children. Robert worked for the power company in Glenwood, Iowa after World War II. Robert Honig died at Tabor Manor in Tabor, Iowa.

✫ Richard Paul Honig (22 Jan 1920 – 10 May 1979) was originally a member of

Company I of the 168th Infantry Regiment along with his brother, Robert. Richard joined the 1st Ranger Battalion in Europe and then was transferred to the 4th Ranger Battalion. In 1945 Richard was transferred to the 1st Cavalry Division in the Philippine Islands, and after World War II ended served in the occupation in Japan.

Richard Honig remained in the army after World War II. Richard Honig was wounded three times while serving as a captain with the 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Korean War.

Richard Honig married Mary Ambrose in 1944. Richard and Mary had two children.


Richard Honig lived in Oceanside, California before his death. ✫ Herbert Henry Honig (20 Oct 1924 – 26 Jun 2010) graduated from Glenwood High

School in 1942 and joined the Merchant Marine as a teenager. Herbert made a number of voyages across the Atlantic during World War II, during which he survived two torpedo attacks.

Herbert Honig married Barbara Jean Dilts of rural Crescent, Iowa in Glenwood on 14 Sep 1946. Barbara Dilts was the daughter of Robert Dilts and Martha Voss. Herbert and Barbara Honig had four children.

Herbert Honig owned and operated Herbie’s Union 76 Truck Stop in Council Bluffs. Herbert Honig died in Council Bluffs and is interred in the Hazel Dell Cemetery. ✫ Iversen, Adolph Reuben "Reuben" (2 Jun 1921 - 24 Jul 2001), entered 1 Feb 1943

Reuben Iversen was the son of Alfred Iversen and Asta Marie Jorgensen and was one of three children. Reuben's father, Alfred Iversen, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Peter Christian Iversen and Marie Kirstine Mikkelsen. Reuben's mother, Asta (Jorgensen) Iversen, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Jens Jorgensen and Sophie Madsen. Reuben Iversen was raised in northwestern Norwalk Township, but his parents moved to rural Shelby, Iowa in 1945. Reuben was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 31 May 1936 and graduated from Underwood, Iowa High School in 1939. During World War II, Reuben Iversen worked in the Martin aircraft plant near Omaha, Nebraska and at the Curtiss-Wright aircraft plant in Buffalo, New York before joining the military. Reuben served in the Army Air Force as a B-29 co-pilot based on Guam in the Marianas. Reuben flew 35 missions over Japan. Reuben married Bernice Olga Benson at St. Paul's on 6 Jan 1946. Bernice Benson was the daughter of Willard Benson and Lila Peterson of northwestern Norwalk Township and was my first grade teacher. Reuben and Bernice Iversen had one child. In 1958 Reuben and Bernice settled in southeastern Harrison County west of Shelby and north of Minden. In addition to farming, Reuben owned a gas station south of Shelby on highway I 80 and later a gas station north of Minden on I 80. After Bernice’s death, Reuben married Laura (Tiarks) Behrens Christoffersen Niesz on 10 Oct 1987. Laura was the daughter of Anton Tiarks and Louisa Torneten of northwestern Garner Township and had buried three husbands prior to marrying Reuben. Reuben Iversen died in a nursing home in Council Bluffs and is interred in the Shelby cemetery.

✫ Jensen, Agnes Christine (9 Jul 1903 – 7 Nov 1995)


Agnes Christine Jensen was born in Lindsay, Platte County, Nebraska to Rev. Jens Peter Jensen and Vilhelmine "Minnie" Johnson. Her father became president of Dana Academy and Trinity Seminary. After her father's early death in 1908, Agnes, her mother and her siblings lived for several years in the St. Paul's community in northeastern Hazel Dell Township in a house owned by L. C. Bondo.

Agnes Christine Jensen became a nurse and joined the United States Army on October 20, 1942. At the end of World War II she was chief nurse at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. She left the service with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Agnes Christine Jensen is interred in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota under the name "A. Christine Jensen". Agnes Christine's parents are interred in the St. Paul's cemetery.

Son of Martin M. and Agnes (Junker) Jensen: The Martin M. Jensen family lived in south central Boomer Township on his father’s farm for a number of years around 1920 before moving to Garner Township. Martin Jensen was the son of St. Paul’s early members Jacob Jensen and Anna Dorthea Madsen and the cousin of my grandmother, Rasmine (Rasmussen) Christiansen. Martin and Agnes Jensen had seven children, of whom one, Orville Martin, died as a child and is interred in the St. Paul’s Cemetery. Martin and Agnes' son, Arthur Orville Jensen, died in World War II. ✫ Arthur Orville Jensen (19 Apr 1919 - 2 Dec 1942) was born in Boomer Township and

baptized at St. Paul’s in 1919. Arthur graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School.

Arthur served in the United States Army Air Force and died in a plane crash in Alaska. Arthur Jensen’s body was subsequently recovered and interred in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

✫ Jensen, Kenneth Ernest, (17 Jul 1911 – 13 Dec 1984), entered 19 May 1942

Kenneth Jensen was the son of Chris Jensen and Lena Madison and was one of seven children, one of whom died as a baby. Kenneth had two sisters, Mrs. Arthur Geise and Mrs. Ralph Klopping, both of Underwood. Kenneth's father, Chris Jensen, was the first cousin of my grandfather, Andrew Larson. Kenneth's mother, Lena (Madison) Jensen, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members John Madison (born Jorgen Madsen) and Ana Katherine Rasmussen. Kenneth Jensen was born in Council Bluffs but spent most of his teenaged years living with his parents on his grandfather John Madison's place west of St. Paul’s. This is the acreage where three generations of Bondo family widows, Winnie (Rasmussen) Bondo, Esther (Bondo) Magnussen and Frances (Magnussen) Bracker, later lived. Kenneth was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 28 Mar 1926. Kenneth Jensen served in the United States Army, and was released on 24 Dec 1945.


Kenneth Jensen married Zona Zoe Lynd, a Montana native who moved to Los Angeles in the late 1930s. Kenneth and Zona did not have children, but Zona may have had children by a previous marriage. Kenneth eventually lived in the Los Angeles area. He lived in Rosemead, California in his old age. Kenneth Jensen died in Los Angeles County. He may have died in Rosemead and may be interred in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Whittier, California.

✫ Jensen, Maynard Henry (6 Mar 1920 - 29 Jan 1998), entered 28 Oct 1942

Maynard Jensen was the son of Henry John Jensen and Tina Marie Nelsen. Maynard was one of three children, one of whom died in early childhood. Both of Maynard’s parents died before Maynard reached adulthood. Maynard's father, Henry Jensen, was the grandson of St. Paul’s early members John Madison and Anna Katherine Rasmussen. Maynard Jensen was raised in Dane Hollow in north central Hazel Dell Township and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1935. Maynard Jensen served in the Army Air Force. In February 1945 he was an aircraft mechanic in the Ferrying Division of the Air Transport Command stationed at the Reno, Nevada Army Air Base. Maynard Jensen married Gladys I. Sorensen, daughter of Chris Sorensen and Mary Christensen of west central Hazel Dell Township. Maynard and Gladys Jensen had two sons, both of whom predeceased their parents. Maynard and Gladys Jensen’s younger son, Dennis, was killed in Vietnam in 1967 at the age of 19. After Gladys’ death in 1981, Maynard married Ruby Massie, the daughter of John T. and Florence Massie. Ruby had earlier been married to Earl Jacobsen and Lester Armstrong. After Ruby’s death in 1985, Maynard married Thelma Mae (Schroder) Larson in 1986. Thelma, the daughter of Henry Schroder and Jessie Mae Shadden who lived in the Loveland, Iowa area, was divorced from my mother’s brother, Vernon Larson. Maynard lived in Council Bluffs and worked as a route driver for food product companies before retiring. Maynard Jensen died of cancer at his wife Thelma’s home in Hazel Dell Township. Maynard is interred in the Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs with his first wife, Gladys.

Sons of Peter and Nettie (Mackland) Jessen: Peter and Nettie Jessen lived two miles east and north of St. Paul’s. Peter and Nettie Jessen had five sons, Ellis, Max, Neil, Forrest Lynn and Owen, as well as five daughters. Three of their sons served in the military. ✫ Max Jessen (14 May 1908 – 3 Apr 1974) was a technical sergeant in the United States

Army. Max lost his right arm and two fingers from his left hand in France in 1944 and spent months in hospitals recuperating.


Max Jessen never married and farmed the Jessen home place with his brother, Ellis, who also remained single.

Max Jessen is interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township. ✫ Forrest Lynn "Stub" Jessen (15 Apr 1912 – 10 Feb 1986) served as a medic in the

United States Army during World War II. He was stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana in 1944 and was discharged in October 1945. Forrest Jensen married Lois Johnson before 1942. Lois was the stepdaughter of Arthur Kirkwood who lived in northwestern Norwalk Township. Forrest and Lois Jessen lived in Council Bluffs where he worked as a carpenter. They had at least one child. Forrest Jessen is interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township.

✫ Owen Elgin Jessen (22 Feb 1916 – 28 Jan 1999) was a corporal in Headquarters

Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment in Neola when his regiment went on active duty on February 10, 1941. Owen remained in Headquarters Company and was a staff sergeant when he was captured on 17 Feb 1943 west of Faid Pass in the early stages of the battle of Kasserine Pass. Owen was held in the Stalag 3B prison camp about 70 miles southeast of Berlin.

Also in Stalag 3B with Owen were Chris and Harry Dideriksen, brothers of Owen's brother-in-law, Julius Dideriksen, who farmed in Boomer Township after World War II. Chris and Harry were both sergeants in Company E of the 168th Infantry Regiment. Owen Jessen married Louise Shaw of Underwood on 6 Nov 1940. Louise Shaw was the daughter of Albert Shaw and Louise Schmaedecke. Owen Jessen managed the Stokely Lumber Yard in Underwood for over 40 years. Owen and Louise Jessen had two daughters. Owen’s daughter, Ann, married Douglas Benson, the grandson of St. Paul’s early members James Willard “Willard” Benson and Lila Anna Peterson. Owen Jessen is interred in the Fisher Cemetery in Underwood.

Son of Jokum and Lena (Nielsen) Jokumsen: Jokum and Lena Jokumsen lived in Neola Township, later over the county line in Harrison County, and eventually in northeastern Boomer Township. Jokum and Lena Jokumsen had five children, including a son, Julius. ✫ Julius A. Jokumsen (30 Oct 1910 – Jan 1963) was baptized at St. Paul’s on 13 Aug

1911. Julius Jokumsen was a technical sergeant in Headquarters Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment in Neola when his regiment went on active duty on 10 Feb 1941. Julius remained in Headquarters Company and was captured on 17 Feb 1943 west of Faid Pass in the early stages of the battle for Kasserine Pass. Julius was held in the Stalag 3B prison camp about 70 miles southeast of Berlin.


Julius Jokumsen married Marjorie _____ in 1941 in Alexandria, Louisiana. Julius and Marjorie had one child, Ronald Alfred, and divorced in 1945. Later Julius married Louise _____. Julius and Louise probably lived in Omaha and probably had children. Julius Jokumsen probably died in Omaha. He is interred in Omaha in Westlawn-Hillcrest Cemetery.

Son of George and Marion (Ham) Jorgensen: The George Jorgensen family lived in northwestern Hazel Dell Township before moving to his parents' farm in the Pacific Junction area in the late 1930s. George and Marion and their baby daughter are interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township. George Jorgensen was the brother-in-law of Nate Darrington, who farmed northwest of St. Paul's. The Jorgensen's three surviving children, all sons, were students of my Aunt Ethel (Larson) Torneten when Ethel taught the one-room Hazel Dell #3 school in 1930-1934. All three sons served in the United States Navy during World War II. Like the Bostedt family, which appears earlier, I know of no connection between the Jorgensen family and St. Paul's. Nevertheless I chose to include one of their sons, killed near the end of World War II, here.

✫ George Eugene "Junior" Jorgensen (7 Mar 1920 – 9 Apr 1945) was a navy signalman. He was the sole navy person of the 19-person crew on the army tanker Y-17, which a German midget submarine sank while the Y-17 was carrying aviation fuel from England to Belgium. In 1947 Junior Jorgensen's widow, Betty Anne Enselman, married Junior Jorgensen's younger brother, Wayne.

✫ Aloysius "Al" Kenealy (20 Mar 1922 -) was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd

Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, which was called up for Federal service early in 1941. Al Kenealy was born in Pottawattamie County to Bernard J. Kenealy and Honora F. Hannifan. He married Lois Jensen, the daughter of Sanning Chris Jensen and Julia M. Christensen. Lois Jensen was the granddaughter of Jens Christian "Kris" Jensen and Marie Kristine "Christine" Hansen, who are interred in St. Paul's Cemetery. Al Kenealy was captured by the Germans on 17 Feb 1943 during the early states of the Battle of Kasserine Pass. After his release from a prisoner of war camp, Al Kenealy returned to the Neola area where he met his wife, Lois. Al worked for Lois's father for a time, and then took up farming south of Minden.

Son of Christen "Chris" Larsen and Mary Henrietta Christiansen: Chris Larsen emigrated from Denmark as a young man. Mary Christiansen was born in Boomer Township to parents who were natives of Denmark. The Chris Larsen family farmed in central and west central Boomer Township.


✫ Larsen, Alvin Douglas (20 Mar 1922 - 3 May 2003), entered 25 Sep 1940

Alvin Larsen was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1938. Alvin Larsen served in World War II in the United States Navy as a medic in a Seabee construction battalion in the South Pacific. Alvin Larsen married Emma Naida Jeffers. Alvin and Emma Larsen had two children. A career United States Navy man, Alvin retired to San Diego in 1964 and subsequently taught English until 1984. Alvin Larsen died in Lemon Grove, California. Alvin’s ashes are interred in the Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, California.

✫ Larsen, Orville Robert (1 Nov 1927 - 28 Sep 2006), entry date blank

Orville Larsen was the son of Louis Marinus Larsen and Carrie Louise Christoffersen and was one of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. Orville's mother, Carrie (Christoffersen) Larsen, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Martin Christoffersen and Minnie Bondo. Orville was raised in the Underwood, Iowa area and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1942. Orville Larsen served in the United States Air Force for several years immediately after WW II ended. In September 1948 he was a baritone player in the 722nd Air Force band. Orville Larsen married Ioma Caldwell on 18 Dec 1948. Ioma had a daughter from a previous marriage, and Orville and Ioma had two children, one of whom is deceased. Orville married Gloria Elaine Gardner, the daughter of John Jacob Gardner and Mamie Alice Hollings, on 3 Apr 1972. Orville and Gloria had three children. Orville lived in Council Bluffs for much of his adult life. Orville Larsen died in Council Bluffs and is interred in the St. Paul’s Cemetery.

✫ Magnussen, Donald Bondo (6 Jun 1925 - 7 Aug 2001), entered 6 Mar 1945

Donald Magnussen was the son of Carl Emil Magnussen and Esther Henrietta Bondo and was one of five children. Carl Magnussen had emigrated from Denmark as a young man. Esther (Bondo) Magnussen was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Peter Bondo and Alvina Rasmussen and the first cousin of my father, Alvin Christiansen. Donald Magnussen was raised in southeastern Boomer Township. Donald was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1939 and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1943. Donald Magnussen served in the United States Navy in the Pacific as a fireman second class. Navy records indicate that Donald B. Magnussen, with serial number 958 17 56, was assigned to the battleship USS Iowa on November 5, 1945 and


transferred to the heavy cruiser USS Chicago on January 4, 1946. The Chicago sailed from California to Shanghai, China early in 1946 and later spent most of 1946 based in Sasebo, Japan. Donald was transferred to the heavy cruiser USS Columbus on March 30, 1946 and probably returned to the United States on the Columbus. Donald Magnussen married Olive Winifred Johnsen on 2 Jun 1945. Olive Johnsen was the daughter of John C. Johnsen and Bess Jenson who lived in the Underwood area before moving to the Logan, Iowa area. Donald and Olive Magnussen had three daughters, one of whom is deceased. After Olive’s death, Donald married Marjorie Elaine Smith on 25 Oct 1997. Marjorie Smith was the daughter of Homer Smith and Evelyn Olsen who lived in south central Boomer Township until 1944 and then moved to northwestern Neola Township. Donald farmed his parents’ home place until around the end of 1952 and then moved to the Council Bluffs area. Donald was living in north central Lewis Township just southeast of Council Bluffs in 1971 and later lived in Council Bluffs. Donald was a diesel mechanic for Fehr’s Tractor and Equipment Company in Omaha, retiring in 1986. In addition, Donald and Olive operated the DOWash car wash business in Council Bluffs, selling it in 1997. Donald Magnussen died of cancer at a nursing home in Council Bluffs and is interred in the St. Paul’s Cemetery.

✫ Nelson, Stanley Clifford (18 Sep 1920 - 11 Apr 1978), entered 9 Oct 1942

Stanley Nelson was the son of Hans Rasmus Nelson and Hilma Matilde Sandberg and was one of three children. Stanley's father, Hans Nelson, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Peter Nielsen and Caroline Petersen. Stanley's mother, Hilma (Sandberg) Nelson, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Andrew Sandberg and Christena Karen Knudsen. Stanley Nelson was raised in central Hazel Dell Township. Stanley was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1935 and graduated from Underwood High School in 1937. Stanley Nelson served in Detatchment A of the 3rd Radio Squadron, leaving for Europe on 20 Aug 1943 and returning to the United States on 5 Jun 1945. His squadron was a signal intelligence unit attached to the 9th Air Force and Stanley presumably traveled with his unit from England to France and then on to Germany before returning to the United States. Stanley Nelson married Selma Edna Vorthmann in 1948. Selma Vorthmann was the daughter of William Albert Vorthmann and Minnie Heithoff of the Treynor, Iowa area. Stanley and Selma Nelson had two children, one of whom is deceased. Stanley was in the International Harvester implement business in Neola as of 1949 and in Council Bluffs as of 1956 with his brother-in-law, Clinton Erickson. Stanley Nelson died with his son, Rowan, in a light plane crash near Gulfport, Mississippi. Stanley was piloting and Stanley and Rowan were returning from an International Harvester convention in Gulfport.


Stanley Nelson is interred in the Ridgewood Cemetery in Council Bluffs. ✫ Oamek, Norvin Clarence (25 Nov 1922 – 28 Oct 2007), entered 29 May 1944

Norvin Oamek was the son of Clarence E. Oamek and Theda M. Hatton and was one of three children. Norvin was born in Colorado but was raised in west central Hazel Dell Township. Norvin was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 21 May 1939 and attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs. During World War II, Norvin Oamek worked in defense industries in Texas and Nebraska and worked as a farmhand in Pottawattamie County before joining the United States Navy. Norvin Oamek served on the U. S. S. Bowie, joining the Bowie on the day it was commissioned on the west coast, 23 Dec 1944, and remaining until it was inactivated on the east coast early in 1946. The Bowie was an attack transport ship that participated in the battle for Okinawa. Norvin was discharged in February 1946 with the rank of Seaman 1/c. Norvin Oamek married Alice Elaine Larson in Omaha, Nebraska on 27 Oct 1941. Alice Larson was the daughter of Andrew Larson and Karen Margrethe Hansen of central Hazel Dell Township and the sister of my mother, Leona Larson. Norvin and Alice Oamek had two daughters. Alice died of leukemia in 1954. After Alice’s death, Norvin married Marcella "Mickey" (Gates) Bogle in Papillion, Nebraska in 1955. Mickey was the daughter of Alvin E. and Bessie Gates who lived in Omaha. Norvin and Mickey had one daughter. Norvin was a fireman in Council Bluffs, joining the fire department just before his navy service and retiring as a fire captain. Norvin Oamek died at home in Council Bluffs of cancer. Norvin’s ashes were interred in the Hazel Dell Cemetery in Hazel Dell Township.

Sons of John H. Olsen and Dagma Thomsen: The John Olsen family farmed in north central Boomer Township. Of the eight children in the family, one died in infancy. ✫ Olsen, Dean Howard (28 Mar 1926 – Jan 2012), entered 23 Jan 1945

Dean Olsen was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1940, and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1943. Dean was inducted into the United States Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and after training was stationed in the Philippine Islands. He was discharged from the army on November 25, 1946. Dean Olsen married Nadine Christina England at St. Paul’s on 12 Jun 1949. Nadine England was the daughter of Edward England and Ada Fike and the foster daughter of Donald Hansen and Leona Spencer who lived in northeastern Hazel Dell Township. Dean and Nadine Olsen had nine children.


Dean Olsen farmed during the early years of his marriage. He may have had a Logan, Iowa address in 1950, farmed the Brunow place in southern Boomer Township around 1952-1953, and farmed east of Beebeetown. In 1954 Dean took a job at Armour and Company, a meat packing plant in South Omaha. The Dean Olsen family may have been living in Council Bluffs in 1956. Eventually Dean moved his family to Omaha. In the 1960s the Dean Olsen family lived at 3318 South 20th Street in Omaha. Dean and Nadine Olsen divorced in 1969 and Nadine and the four youngest children subsequently lived in various locations in Kansas and Missouri. Dean remained in Omaha, where he was living in 1988, 2007 and 2009.

✫ Olsen, Glen Arthur (8 Oct 1919 – 27 Dec 2007), entered 8 Jun 1942

Glen Olsen was confirmed as an adult at St. Paul’s on 31 May 1936, and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1936. Glen Olsen served in the United States 8th Air Force as a radio operator in England. Glen Olsen married Lucille Clementine Craig in Omaha, Nebraska on 4 Apr 1942. Lucille Craig was the daughter of Edward Craig and Cynthia Fox who lived near Missouri Valley and later near Modale, Iowa. Glen and Lucille Olsen had five children, one of whom died in infancy. Glen initially farmed in the Boomer Township area. The Glen Olsen family moved to a farm in rural Persia, Iowa in 1952 and to the town of Persia in 1975. Glen Olsen died at Persia and is interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township.

Sons of Hans and Hilma K. (Larsen) Pagh: Hans and Hilma Pagh were Danish immigrants. The Hans Pagh family was living in Audubon, Iowa in 1915 and in Coulter, Franklin County, Iowa in 1920. The Hans Pagh family moved to Council Bluffs between 1920 and 1925 and then moved to Omaha in 1936. Later most of the family moved to Los Angeles County, California. Hans and Hilma Pagh had six children. The St. Paul’s minister confirmed their three oldest children, Carl, Ruth and Esther, in 1930. In addition to losing their son, Amos, in World War II, a great-grandson of Hans and Hilma Pagh, Lance Corporal Richard P. Slocum, was killed in Iraq in 2004. ✫ Carl Ernest Pagh (22 Apr 1913 – 23 May 2004) was the oldest child of Hans and

Hilma Pagh. Carl Pagh enlisted in the Army Air Force at Camp Dodge, Iowa on 5 Nov 1942 and served overseas.

Carl Pagh married Rose Peters at Solon, Iowa on 15 Feb 1941. ✫ Amos C. Pagh (about 1920 – 14 Nov 1944) was the fourth child of Hans and Hilma

Pagh.


Amos Pagh graduated from Central High School in Omaha in 1937, attended Dana College, and worked in the accounting department of the Federal Land Bank in Omaha before joining the army on March 21, 1942.

Amos Pagh served in the Pacific working with unit record systems, which before computers were used for accounting and record keeping purposes. He returned to the United States, presumably to attend Officer Candidate School, and was sent to Europe in October 1944.

Lieutenant Amos Pagh served in eastern France with the 3rd Battalion, 397th Infantry Regiment, of the 100th Infantry Division. Amos Pagh, a Silver Star recipient, was killed at Raon L’Etape, Vosges, France and is interred in the United States military cemetery in Epinal, France.

Sons of Melvin and Louise Christine (Petersen) Paulson: Louise Christine Petersen was the was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Hans Andersen Petersen and Christine Marie Christoffersen and the aunt of Calvin Peterson who is listed later in this report. Louise was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1915 and attended Iowa State College in Ames where she met and married Melvin Paulson. Louise and Melvin Paulson had six children, Gertrude, Ralph, Roland, Rodney, Leonard and Franklyn. Three of Louise’s sons served in World War II. Roland and Rodney Paulson were identical twins who joined the Army Air Force. Despite army regulations, they both managed to serve on the same B-17 bomber crew with the 301st Bombardment Group of the 15th Air Force at Lucera, Italy in 1944. ✫ Ralph Lloyd Paulson (4 Apr or 4 May 1923 – 27 Nov 1943) was a private first class

in the Second Marine Division. Ralph Paulson was killed during the battle of Tarawa in the Central Pacific and is

interred in the Punchbowl Cemetery in Honolulu. Ralph Paulson served with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd

Marine Division. On the final day of the battle, the 2nd Battalion attacked the last Japanese stronghold, Buakiri. The battalion suffered 32 killed in action and killed about 175 of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Force.

By coincidence one of the other 31 Marines killed on the 27th was Max Rommel of the Council Bluffs and Tabor area, also of Echo Company. Max's older sister, Margaret, was a schoolteacher in the Boomer Township area before marrying Edwin Bertelsen in the mid 1930s.

✫ Rodney Allen Paulson (25 Apr 1924 – 29 Mar 1954) was a tail gunner. After World War II, Rodney Paulson received a degree in forestry from Iowa State

College, and then rejoined the Air Force. Rodney died in a B-36 bomber crash at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington.

✫ Roland Arthur Paulson (25 Apr 1924 - 9 Jan 2016) enlisted in the Army Air Force on

25 Feb 1943. Roland was trained as a bombardier.


Roland Paulson received special training to guide the VB-1 AZON bomb, the United State's first guided bomb, and was the lead bombardier on a raid that damaged the Avisio viaduct six miles north of Verona in northern Italy on May 13, 1944. (The railroad over the Avisio viaduct led to the Brenner Pass, and was the main German supply line into Italy.) Later Roland was transferred to Corsica where he was a bombardier on a B-25 medium bomber.

Like his twin, Roland Paulson studied forestry at Iowa State College after World War II and then rejoined the Air Force. He left the Air Force after his brother’s death. As of 2007, Roland Paulson was living in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Louise (Petersen) Paulson raised her six children in meager circumstances in Ames. Her twin sons, Roland and Rodney, had a special relationship with each other. In the book Valley of the Skunk, Roland Paulson has written a moving story of the life that he and his twin, Rodney, shared. ✫ Pedersen, Laurits Hans Peder (11 Apr 1901 – 13 Jul 1978)

Laurits Hans Peder Pedersen was born in Ore parish, Odense county, Denmark to Carl and Anna Kirstine Pedersen. When Laurits was eight, his family immigrated to the United States, buying a small fruit farm near Fresno, California. In 1915 his family sold their California farm and returned to Denmark. In 1919 Laurits returned by himself to the Fresno area, working on a farm for a year before beginning the seminary preparatory program at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska in the fall of 1920. Laurits worked as a student pastor in Ontario, Canada before graduating from Trinity Seminary in Blair in 1929. Laurits Pedersen married Ellen Alberta Bondo in Albert Lea, Minnesota on 1 Jul 1930. Ellen Bondo was the daughter of Rev. Henry Wilhelm Bondo and Lilly Hansine Henriksen and the granddaughter of St. Paul's charter members Christian Bondo and Karen Jensen. Before World War II, Laurits Pedersen ministered to congregations in Ringsted and Harlan, Iowa. In 1942 Laurits Pedersen volunteered to serve in the United States Army. Laurits Pedersen was an army chaplain with the 406th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion in North Africa, Sicily, Corsica and France. After World War II ended, Laurits Pedersen was a chaplain in Veteran’s Administration hospitals in Fort Meade, South Dakota, Waukesha, Wisconsin and Omaha, retiring in 1971. Laurits Pedersen retired as a lieutenant colonel in the army reserves. Laurits and Ellen (Bondo) Pedersen had one child. Laurits and Ellen Pedersen died in Omaha and are interred in the St. Paul’s Cemetery, as are her parents.

✫ Petersen, Andrew Anton (15 Feb 1909 - 13 Jul 1983), entered 8 Jun 1942


Andrew Petersen was the son of Rasmus Petersen and Mary Anine Nielsen and was one of five children. Andrew was the first cousin of Ralph Clausen who is listed earlier. Andrew Petersen was raised in south central Neola Township and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1933. After reaching adulthood, Andrew remained on his parents’ Neola Township farm with his widowed mother and younger brother, Elmer. Andrew Petersen was a sergeant in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in February 1944. Andrew Petersen married Ruth B. Schamp in 1951. Andrew and Ruth Petersen had no children. Andrew was living in Council Bluffs in 1978. Andrew Petersen died in Council Bluffs and is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

✫ Petersen, Donald Eugene (26 May 1927 – 16 Jan 2015)

Donald Petersen, the son of Louis and Edna (Larson) Petersen, was born in Council Bluffs. In 1933 Donald Petersen's family moved from the Council Bluffs-Omaha area to the farm of his grandparents Petersen, in south central Neola Township. Donald attended Neola Township #8 School and was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1940. Donald's father, Louis Petersen, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Hans Andersen Petersen and Marie Christine Christoffersen. His mother, Edna, was the oldest sister of my mother, Leona Larson. In 1944 Louis Petersen moved his family from the Hans Andersen Petersen home place to eastern Iowa to be nearer his wife, who was a patient at the Oakdale tuberculosis sanitarium near Iowa City. Shortly after graduating from Columbus Junction High School in 1945, Donald joined the navy. He was stationed in the Philippine Islands and discharged late in 1946. Donald Petersen attended Coe College under the GI Bill, where he played football with Marv Levy. Later Donald taught physical education and coached at Prescott High School in Arizona for 37 years. Donald married Lorraine Ware, a fellow teacher in Prescott, in 1957. Donald and Lorraine Petersen had three daughters and remained in Prescott after he retired.

✫ Peterson, Calvin Philip (9 Mar 1926 - 2 Nov 1976), entered 26 Dec 1944

Calvin Peterson was the son of Henry Theodore Peterson and Edna Matilda Nelson and was one of five children, one of whom died at birth. Calvin's father, Henry T. Peterson, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Hans Andersen Petersen and Christine Marie Christoffersen. Calvin's mother, Edna (Nelson) Peterson, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members C. P. T. Nelson and Jennie Nelson.


Calvin Peterson was raised in north central Hazel Dell Township and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1940. Calvin Peterson served in the army field artillery, training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He departed for the Pacific on 30 Jun 1945, where he joined the 57th Field Artillery Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division on Okinawa, which was preparing for the invasion of Japan. After Japan surrendered, the 7th Division was sent to Korea to help disarm Japanese military forces and was then sent to Japan. Calvin returned from overseas military service on 6 Oct 1946 and was discharged on 27 Nov 1946. He left the army as a sergeant. Calvin Peterson married Elvera Esther Magnussen, my second cousin, at St. Paul’s on 16 Mar 1947. Elvera Magnussen was the daughter of Carl Magnussen and Esther Bondo of southeastern Boomer Township and the sister of Donald Magnussen who appears on this list. Elvera was my second and third grade teacher. Calvin and Elvera Peterson had two daughters. After marrying, Calvin and Elvera Peterson farmed for a time, first living in southeastern Boomer Township. Later they moved to town where Calvin worked as a mechanic for the Union Stockyards in Omaha and Elvera taught in the Carter Lake, Iowa schools. Calvin Peterson died in the Veterans Hospital in Omaha after a long illness. Calvin Peterson is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

✫ Peterson, Leslie Norman (22 Nov 1916 - 11 Aug 1969), entered 6 Jan 1943

Leslie Norman Peterson was the son of St. Paul’s early members Thomas Christian Peterson and Maria Elisabeth "Mary" Bondo. Leslie Norman was one of eight children, one of whom died in infancy. Leslie Norman Peterson's mother, Mary (Bondo) Peterson, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Christian Bondo and Karen Jensen. Leslie Norman Peterson was raised in southwestern Neola Township and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1931. Leslie Norman Peterson served in the United States Army (perhaps the Army Air Force) during World War II. He was stationed in Abilene, Texas in late 1944 and sent to the southwest Pacific as a staff sergeant early in 1945. He was discharged around March 1946. Leslie Norman Peterson married Irene Marion Cooley in 1940. Irene Cooley was the daughter of Roy Cooley and Lulu McBee of Council Bluffs. Leslie Norman and Irene Peterson had no children. Leslie Norman Petersen worked as an insurance salesman, moving from Pottawattamie County to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada around 1964. Leslie Norman Peterson died in Edmonton of a heart attack. Leslie Peterson is interred in the Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs as Leslie N. Peterson.


✫ Peterson, Marvin Luther (10 Nov 1919 - 4 Nov 1986), entered Dec 1940 Marvin Peterson was the son of St. Paul’s early members Peter S. Peterson and Lydia Elisabeth Bondo. Marvin was one of eight children, one of whom died at birth. Marvin was the first cousin of Leslie Peterson who is listed above. Marvin's mother, Lydia (Bondo) Peterson, was the youngest child of St. Paul’s early members Christian Bondo and Karen Jensen. Marvin Peterson was born in Ruskin, Nebraska and raised in Underwood, Iowa. Marvin was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1935. In April 1940 Marvin was living with his parents in Underwood, Iowa and working as a fuel oil truck driver. During World War II, Marvin Petersen served in the United States Army Air Force as a master sergeant in New Guinea. Marvin also served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Marvin Peterson married Frances Carol "Carolyn" Nolen of Texas in 1942. Marvin and Carolyn Peterson had two daughters. Marvin lived in various locations in Iowa and in Omaha before moving to Arlington, Texas in 1972. Marvin worked in the sales department of General Tire Company for 26 years, retiring in 1981. Marvin Peterson died in Arlington, Texas and interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

✫ Peterson, Wayne Willard (8 Aug 1922 - 18 Dec 1981), entered 25 Feb 1943

Wayne Peterson was the son of Henry Christian Peterson and Elsie Betty Benson. Wayne was one of four children, one of whom died in infancy. Wayne was the nephew of Leslie Norman Peterson who is listed above. Wayne's father, Henry C. Peterson, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Thomas C. Peterson and Mary Bondo. Wayne was raised in Norwalk Township and in central Boomer Township but his family moved to the Shelby, Iowa area around 1946. Wayne was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 11 Apr 1937 and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1940. Wayne Peterson served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945. Wayne Peterson married Leona Irene Nielsen on 10 Nov 1946 in Shelby, Iowa. Irene Nielsen was the daughter of Otmann Nielsen and Ida Johnson of Shelby. Wayne and Irene Peterson had seven children. Wayne lived in the Corley, Harlan and Marne areas early in his marriage. However, Wayne lived in Shelby for most of his married life. Wayne operated Peterson Lawn and Garden Service in the last years of his life. Wayne Peterson died in Council Bluffs and is interred in the Shelby cemetery.

✫ Randall, Robert Dale 20 May 1925 – 5 Apr 1975

Robert Randall was the son of Murray Randall and Gertrude Bramman. Robert was born and raised in Avoca and graduated from Avoca High School in 1943.


Robert Randall served in the United States Merchant Marine from 1943 to 1950. Unfortunately World War II service in the Merchant Marine did not exempt young men from subsequently being drafted. Robert Randall was drafted and served in the United States Army in Germany from 1950 to 1952. Robert Randall was confirmed at St. Paul's on 10 Jun 1951 and married Ruth Evelyn Larsen at St. Paul’s the following Sunday, 17 Jun 1951. Ruth Larsen, my second cousin, was the daughter of Oluf Larsen and Lillie Bondo of central Hazel Dell Township and the granddaughter of St. Paul’s early members Peter Bondo and Winnie Rasmussen. Robert and Ruth had met while Ruth was teaching the seventh and eighth grade in the Avoca Public Schools in 1949-1950. After leaving the army, Robert Randall ran a motel and service station in Sioux City, Iowa for two or three years and then became a truck driver, operating a transport for several companies that distributed petroleum products. Robert died in a traffic accident near Burns, Kansas while carrying a load of liquid asphalt. Robert and Ruth Randall had three children. Robert Randall is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery.

Sons of Nels Peter Rasmussen and Inger Marie Nielsen: The Nels Rasmussen family farmed in northwestern Norwalk Township, between St. Paul's Lutheran Church and the town of Underwood. They had four children, and Inger Marie had four sons by an earlier marriage. The Rasmussen children were first cousins of the Leslie and Raymond Warren who are listed below. ✫ Rasmussen, Erven Nels (8 Aug 1915 – 6 Jan 2013), entered 12 Apr 1938

Erven Rasmussen served in the United States Navy, enlisting in Omaha before World War II began. He was a machinist on the battleship California in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on 7 Dec 1941. The California was sunk but later raised, repaired, and returned to duty. On 13 Dec 1941, Erven was assigned to the seaplane tender Tangier. He served in the Pacific on the Tangier for the next two and a half years. Erven was promoted to chief machinist's mate in June 1944 and transferred to shore duty as an instructor at Bremerton, Washington in July 1944. Erven left the navy in October 1945. Erven Rasmussen married Agnes Marie Christoffersen in Osceola, Nebraska on 15 Feb 1941. Agnes Christoffersen was the daughter of St. Paul's early members Otto Christoffersen and Anna Christensen of south central Neola Township. Erven and Agnes Rasmussen lived in Council Bluffs after World War II and Erven and worked as a steamfitter. In 1970 Erven founded Rasmussen Heating and Air Conditioning in Council Bluffs, which later became Rasmussen Mechanical Services. Erwin and Agnes Rasmussen had three children.

✫ Rasmussen, Leonard Edward (18 Feb 1912 - 19 Feb 1995), entered 28 Oct 1942

Leonard Rasmussen was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1926.


The nature of Leonard Rasmussen’s military service is currently unknown. Leonard Rasmussen married Ruth May Johnson on 12 Oct 1932. Leonard and Ruth Rasmussen had two children and subsequently divorced around 1952. Leonard married Olive Caroline Larsen around 1960. Olive had a child, Allen Howard Taylor, by a previous marriage to Howard H. Taylor. Leonard Rasmussen lived northwest of Oakland, Iowa and farmed until 1954. Leonard then lived in the McClelland area before moving to Underwood, being a resident of the Underwood area when he died. Leonard was a truck driver for Hansen Oil Company for 28 years before retiring. He served on the Underwood City Council and as Underwood mayor. Leonard Rasmussen died in the Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs and is interred in Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Council Bluffs.

✫ Rasmussen, Junior Marion (24 May 1924 – 17 May 2015), entered 8 Jun 1945

Junior Rasmussen was the first and only child of Marion Rasmussen and Katrina Maren Steffensen. Junior’s mother died shortly after Junior’s birth and Marion subsequently married Marie Jensen. Junior had four younger brothers and a younger sister. Junior's father, Marion Rasmussen, was the son of St. Paul’s early members Lars Christian Rasmussen and Karen Marie Andersen and was the brother of my grandmother, Rasmine (Rasmussen) Christiansen. All four of Junior’s brothers did some form of military service after World War II ended. Moreover, when World War II ended Junior’s future wife, Mary Hedegaard, had just begun nurses training at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, at the completion of which she would have been commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Nursing Corps. Junior Rasmussen was born at home in Council Bluffs and raised in southeastern Boomer Township. He was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1938 and graduated from Beebeetown, Iowa High School in 1943. Junior Rasmussen served in the United States Army in Berlin where he developed his welding skills by welding armor plate onto the bottom of scout cars. Junior was discharged in November 1946. Junior Rasmussen married Donna Lee Larson at St. Paul’s on 28 Feb 1949. Donna Lee Larson was the daughter of Floyd Larson and Irene Anderson of south central Boomer Township and was the cousin of my mother, Leona Larson. Junior and Donna Lee Rasmussen did not have children and divorced in 1954. Junior married Mary Elizabeth (Hedegaard) Urban at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs on 19 May 1956. Mary Hedegaard was the daughter of Niels Martin "Martin" Hedegaard and Kathrine Marie "Katie" Iversen of southwestern Neola Township and the sister of the Hedegaard brothers listed earlier. Junior adopted Mary’s had a daughter by her previous marriage and Junior and Mary had three sons.


Junior farmed in Boomer Township and worked in a machine shop in Underwood, Iowa. For most of his working life, Junior was a welder in the Omaha area. Junior Rasmussen lived in Boomer Township and southwestern Hazel Dell Township. Junior and Mary Rasmussen moved to Council Bluffs before 1998 and in 2010 moved to Bethany Heights on North Broadway.

✫ Albert James "Beebee" Sanderson (23 Jul 1907 – 19 Mar 1945)

Albert Sanderson was the son of Joseph Sanderson and Ida Billerbeck and the grandson of St. Paul's charter members John Sanderson and Lena Jensen. The Joseph Sanderson family lived in the northwestern Pottawattamie County area before moving to the Sioux City area between 1925 and 1930. Before entering the United States Army Albert Sanderson worked as a foreman on road construction projects, including the improvement of County Road J west of St. Paul's around 1940. Albert Sanderson was a tank commander with the 3rd Armored Division in Germany when he was killed. His body was returned and he is interred in Westlawn-Hillcrest Cemetery in Omaha.

Sons of Charles and Grace (Christiansen) Schroder: The Charles Schroder family lived on the Schroder home place in southwestern Boomer Township. Charles and Grace Schroder had two children, Dean and Donald. Dean died in World War II and Donald was a prisoner of war. ✫ Dean Charles Schroder (1 Jun 1926 - 8 Jul 1945) was the younger of the two

Schroder boys. Dean Schroder served in the United States Army and was sent to the Pacific Theater

in February 1945. Dean Schroder died of wounds while being returned to the United States.

Dean Schroder was interred on 10 Aug 1945 at the Grange Cemetery with the service conducted by Rev. Clarence Paulsen from St. Paul's.

✫ Donald Lewis Schroder (17 Jul 1924 - 25 Jan 2004), date entered service blank

(around 26 Jun 1944) Donald Schroder was the older of two children of Charles Chester Schroder and Grace Margaret Christiansen. Donald was raised in southwestern Boomer Township. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs in 1942. Donald was confirmed at St. Paul’s as an adult in 1946 after his marriage. Donald Schroder served in the United States Army. He trained at Ft. McClellan, Alabama and was sent to Europe as a replacement in the 35th Infantry Division late in 1944.


With many others in his company, Donald was captured on 6 Jan 1945, near the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Donald and those captured with him were not held in a prisoner of war camp but rather were held under grueling conditions as forced laborers with a unit of the German army. Don and his fellow prisoners escaped on 29 Mar 1945. Don has lost 50 pounds during his three-month captivity. After his release and a leave at home, Donald was assigned to guard German prisoners of war working on riprap along the Missouri River near Onawa. Donald Schroder married Olga Marian Clausen at St. Paul’s on 6 Jun 1945. Olga Clausen was the daughter of Harold Clausen and Carrie Petersen of north central Hazel Dell Township and the sister of Ralph Clausen who appears earlier in this report. Donald and Olga Schroder had three children, one of whom died as a baby. Donald lived in Honey Creek and worked for the Pottawattamie County roads department, retiring as a foreman in 1987. Donald and Olga moved to Harmony Court in Council Bluffs in 1998. Donald Schroder died at home in Council Bluffs and is interred in the St. Paul's Cemetery

✫ Smith, Everett Leroy (23 Nov 1915 – 16 Apr 2002), entered 17 Jul 1945

Everett Smith was the son of William Anthony Smith and Julia Marie Jensen and was one of two children. Everett's mother, Julia (Jensen) Smith, was the daughter of St. Paul’s early members Lars Jensen and Phoebe Rief. Everett Smith was raised in southeast Boomer Township and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1931. Everett Smith enlisted in the United States Army on 21 Jul 1945 at Ft. MacArthur, San Pedro, California. Everett Smith married Bernice Hope Parish at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs on 8 Jan 1938. Bernice was the daughter of Rozel Parish and Mary Jensen of north central Hazel Dell Township. Everett lived in Woodland, California after his marriage and later moved to Carson City, Nevada. Everett and Bernice Smith had three sons when Everett joined the army in 1945. There may have been additional children born later. Everett Smith may have died in Carson City, Nevada.

✫ Smith, Warren Olsen (21 Nov 1924 – 22 Sep 2012), entered 24 Mar 1943

Warren Smith was the son of Warren H. Smith and Christena Margaret Olsen and was one of three children. Warren was raised in Omaha and in Boomer Township. He was confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1939.


Warren Smith was a corporal in the United States Army. He was stationed at Camp Polk, Louisiana in 1943 and 1944 and served with the 10th Armored Division. Warren Smith married Frances Pauline "Pauline" Witt in Jan 1947. Pauline Witt was the daughter of Fred Witt and Nellie French of south central Boomer Township. Warren and Pauline Smith lived in Council Bluffs. Warren worked at the Union Pacific, Panitorium (cleaning plant) and then retired from Independent Metal (Fruehauf). Warren and Pauline Smith had a son and a daughter. Warren Smith was living in Oakland, Nebraska in 2009 and in Council Bluffs in 2011.

✫ Spencer, Ralph Edward Jr. (24 May 1920 - 5 Jun 2001), entered 20 Apr 1942 Junior Spencer was the son of Ralph Edward Spencer and Johannah Madison and was one of six children. Junior was the brother of my stepmother, Lila Ferne (Spencer) Bertelsen Christiansen. Junior Spencer was raised in southeastern Boomer Township a mile east of St. Paul's and confirmed at St. Paul’s in 1935. Junior Spencer served in the 3rd Division, United States Army in Morocco, Tunisia, Italy and France. He returned to the United States in December 1944, and was reassigned to the Army Air Force and stationed in Phoenix until his discharge on 6 Oct 1945. Junior Spencer married Donna Lou O'Neill at St. Paul’s at 30 Dec 1944. Donna Lou O’Neill was the daughter of Clinton O'Neill and Ellen Divelbess who lived in the Beebeetown area in Harrison County. Junior and Donna Lou lived on the old A. H. Beebee farm just north of Beebeetown, Iowa before moving to Lake Manawa south of Council Bluffs in 1973. Junior farmed and worked for Vickers, Griffin Pipe and American Beef. Junior and Donna Lou Spencer had three children. Junior Spencer died in a nursing home in Missouri Valley and is interred in the Grange Cemetery in Boomer Township.

Sons of Francis "Frank" Warren and Mary Rasmussen: Frank and Mary Warren had five children. Leslie and Raymond Warren were twins and were first cousins of Erven and Leonard Rasmussen who are listed above. They were raised in the Underwood area and worked for farmers in the Underwood area before joining the military. ✫ Warren, Leslie George (8 Sep 1913 - 27 Nov 1982), entered 8 or 15 Oct 1943

In 1940 Leslie Warren was a hired man for Herman Sandburg on the west edge of Underwood. Leslie Warren served in the United States Army in the Asiatic-Pacific area as a technician 4/g, the equivalent of a sergeant. He was discharged in February 1946.


Leslie Warren lived in the Los Angeles area. Leslie Warren was living in Huntington Park, California at the time of his death.

✫ Warren, Raymond F. (8 Sep 1913 - 5 May 1999), entered 20 Sep 1940

In 1940 Raymond Warren was a hired man for Fred B. Peterson just south of Underwood. Raymond Warren enlisted in the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army at Fort Des Moines before the United States entered World War II and later became a specialist in tracked vehicle chassis maintenance. Raymond ended World War II as a technician 5/g, the equivalent of a corporal. Raymond Warren lived in the Los Angeles area after World War II. Raymond Warren was living in Los Angeles at the time of his death.

✫ Welbourn, Eldred Orville (5 Jan 1923 – 24 Dec 1944) Eldred Welbourn was the son of Harvey L. Welbourn and Sadie Marie Vallier and

was one of three children. Around 1930 the Harvey Welbourn family lived on the Ralph Spencer rental place in

southeastern Boomer Township on the county road (then County K, now L34). This farmstead was ¾ miles east and 3/8 miles north of St. Paul's. In 1930 Pearl Graybill, the local schoolteacher, boarded with the Welbourn family. My step-grandfather, Ralph Spencer had acquired this farm from Harvey's uncle, John Henry Powell, sometime around 1915.

While living in Boomer Township, Eldred attended the Boomer #7 one-room school ¾ miles east of St. Paul's.

I believe that around March 1, 1933 the Harvey Welbourn family moved about five miles south, to a rental farm west of Hazel Dell #6 school, where Eldred finished his elementary school education.

Eldred graduated from Underwood High School in 1938 at the age of 15 and from the University of Iowa in 1943.

Eldred joined the army in September 1943, trained at Fort Benning, Georgia and then joined the 66th Infantry Division at Camp Rucker, Alabama. In November 1944 Eldred sailed to England with the 262nd Infantry Regiment of the 66th Division.

On Christmas Eve day, December 24, 1944, Eldred Welbourn was on the Belgian liner Leopoldville, converted to a troop ship, which was carrying American troops across the English Channel from Southampton, England to Cherbourg, France. Five to seven miles off of Cherbourg the Leopoldville was torpedoed by the German submarine U-486. Of the 2200 American soldiers on board, around 763 died.

Sgt. Eldred O. Welbourn's name appears on the Tablet of the Missing at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France above Omaha Beach. Eldred's official death date is given as December 25, 1944.

Eldred Welbourn's brother-in-law and sister, Dallas and Velma Guill, may have attended St. Paul's around 1960.


✫ Welsh, Jack (25 Aug 1925 – 9 Feb 2009), entered 6 Mar 1945

Jack Welsh was born in Council Bluffs to James M. Welsh and Nellie E. Cutler and was one of four children. When Jack was a child, his parents divorced. In April 1940 Jack was living at Grandview Farm, on Bennett Avenue in the east end of Council Bluffs. Through the auspices of William and Opal Petersen, the superintendent and matron at Grandview Farm, Jack went to live with the William Driver family who lived just north of St. Paul's. Jack was confirmed at St. Paul's in 1943. Jack Welsh served in the United States Navy. Jack Welsh married Orpha Peterson at St. Paul’s on 2 May 1945. Orpha Peterson was the daughter of Henry T. Peterson and Edna Nelson of north central Hazel Dell Township and the sister of Calvin Peterson who appears on this list. Jack Welsh was a civil service employee at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska for 25 years. Jack and Orpha lived in Council Bluffs. Jack and Orpha Welsh had three sons. Jack Welsh died at the Bethany Home in Council Bluffs and is interred in Memorial Park Cemetery in Council Bluffs. Both of Jack Welsh's brothers also served in the United States armed forces. Jack Welsh's brother, Jimmy F. Welsh, had his right hand shattered while serving in the European Theater. Jimmy Welsh drowned in 1953 while swimming in Georgia.

✫ Wurtz, Stephen Harvey (12 Oct 1921 – 29 Sep 2011), entered 7 Apr 1942

Stephen Wurtz was the son of Joe C. Wurtz and Marie S. Jensen. Stephen, the oldest of four children, had three younger sisters. Stephen was born in Council Bluffs and raised in Lewis Township, in northern Hazel Dell Township and northwest of Underwood on what later became the Alma Darrington farm. Stephen was confirmed at St. Paul’s on 11 Apr 1937 and graduated from Underwood High School in 1940. Stephen Wurtz served in the 8th Air Force as a bombardier stationed in England. On 18 Jun 1944, 890 B-17s of the 8th Air Force attacked targets in the Hamburg/Bremen/Hanover area of north Germany. Ten B-17s were lost, including the command B-17 of the 305th Bombardment Group, which was based in Chelveston about 70 miles north of London. Ten members of the eleven-member command B-17 crew, including the group commander, Colonel Ernest H. Lawson, were killed. You can view the tombstone of most of the crew at http://mighty8thaf.preller.us/gallery/Claymore/scan0024. The only survivor of the command B-17 was the bombardier, First Lieutenant Stephen H. Wurtz. Lt. Wurtz was captured and sent to Stalag Luft III about 100 miles southeast of Berlin, and then, as the Russians approached, moved to other prison camps. He was probably liberated in April 1945.


Stephen Wurtz’s unit, the 305th Bombardment Group, had been taken to England by Curtis LeMay in October 1942. LeMay led the group until May 1943 when he was promoted out of the group. Curtis LeMay was instrumental in developing the box formations used by B-17 and B-24 bombers over Europe during World War II. Later Curtis LeMay led the 1944 and 1945 B-29 bombing raids over Japan. After World War II, Curtis LeMay commanded the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha from 1948 to 1957. After World War II Stephen Wurtz remained in the Air Force Reserve and retired with the rank of major. Stephen Wurtz married Marjorie Ann Johnson in 1945 in Omaha, Nebraska. Stephen Wurtz married Herta (14 May 1926 – 14 Jan 1966) in Wiesbaden, Germany on 19 Oct 1954. Hertha had been born in Cieszyn, Poland west of Krakow and was one of the many Germans displaced after World War II. Hertha immigrated to the United States with Stephen in January 1955 on the SS United States and became a United States citizen in 1959. Either Marjorie or Herta may have died in a traffic accident. Stephen Wurtz subsequently was married to Virginia Barry. In 1996 Stephen H. Wurtz and his wife, Virginia Barry, wrote a memoir of his life in a P.O.W. camp entitled Barley and Kohlrabi. Stephen Wurtz lived in Sun City West, Arizona during the last years of his life.


Casualties from the St. Paul's List This report includes around 75 individuals, most with connections to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, who served in World War II. Below I list those who were casualties (died, wounded, prisoner of war or missing). The Bostedt, Dideriksen, Honig, Jessen, Paulson and Schroder families suffered multiple casualties. This exemplifies how, even during World War II, the burden of war fell unevenly on families. Died While in Military Service ✫ Frederick August "Bud" Baraks (served under the surname "Barracks") ✫ Glen Charles Bostedt ✫ John B. Bostedt ✫ Joseph William Bostedt ✫ Robert W. Dideriksen ✫ Thomas G. Downs ✫ Arthur Orville Jensen ✫ George Eugene Jorgensen ✫ Amos C. Pagh ✫ Ralph L. Paulson ✫ Rodney H. Paulson (died while on active duty after World War II) ✫ Albert James "Beebee" Sanderson ✫ Dean Charles Schroder ✫ Eldred Orville Welbourn Wounded While in Military Service (this list is probably incomplete) ✫ Richard Paul Honig ✫ Roy Lewis Honig ✫ Max Jessen ✫ Roland A. Paulson Prisoner of War ✫ Nels Christian "Chris" Dideriksen ✫ Harry A. Dideriksen ✫ Robert Edwin “Sully” Honig ✫ Owen Elgin Jessen ✫ Julius A. Jokumsen ✫ Al Kenealy ✫ Donald Lewis Schroder ✫ Stephen Harvey Wurtz


The 168th Infantry Regiment and the Battle of Kasserine Pass The battle of Kasserine Pass in North Africa in 1943 was the first major engagement between American and German ground forces in World War II. It was fought in west central Tunisia between the 14th and 23rd of February. The battle began early on February 14th with a German attack on the 168th Infantry Regiment, which occupied positions west of Faid Pass and east of Kasserine Pass. The 168th Infantry Regiment of the 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division was part of the Iowa National Guard. The 34th Division was activated on February 10, 1941 and was the first U.S. division sent to Europe after Pearl Harbor, with advance elements arriving in Northern Ireland in January 1942. Most of the 168th Infantry Regiment came from Des Moines and southwestern Iowa. In 1938 it was organized thusly: Regimental Headquarters Company: Jefferson; Service Co.: Council Bluffs; Howitzer Co.: Clarinda; Medical Detachment: Des Moines. 1st Battalion Headquarters Co. and Companies A, B, C & D: Des Moines. 2nd Battalion Headquarters Co.: Audubon; Company E: Shenandoah; Company F: Villisca; Company G: Centerville; Co. H: Marshalltown. 3rd Battalion Headquarters Co.: Neola; Company I: Glenwood; Company K: Atlantic; Company L: Council Bluffs; Company M: Red Oak. On February 14, 1943 the 168th Infantry Regiment occupied two hilltops west of Faid Pass, with regimental headquarters and the 3rd Battalion on one hilltop and the 2nd Battalion on a hilltop about five miles to the north. The 1st Battalion was out of harms way in reserve. On the morning of February 14 the German army attacked from the east through Faid Pass. Within three days the 168th positions were overrun and by the end of February 17 nearly half of the 168th Infantry Regiment were prisoners of war. The prisoner of war count would have been higher except that half of the 2nd Battalion, which was commanded by Lt. Colonel Robert Moore, a druggist from Villisca, managed to slip through German lines during the night of February 16/17. The prisoners included Lt. Colonel John Waters of the First Armored Division, General George Patton’s son-in-law. I know of six men in my above report on World War II veterans with St. Paul’s connections who had been members of the ill-fated 3rd Battalion when it entered active duty in 1941. Four of the six, Owen Jessen, Julius Jokumsen and Al Kenealy of Headquarters Company and Robert Honig of Company I were captured. Two others had left the 3rd Battalion before it went to North Africa: Thomas Bracker of Headquarters Company was discharged for physical reasons on February 23, 1941, but later rejoined the army. Richard Honig left Company I while it was in the British Isles to join the newly formed 1st Ranger Battalion.


In Company E of the 2nd Battalion two men who appear in my report, brothers Chris and Harry Dideriksen, were also captured. The men mentioned above who were captured in the Battle of Kasserine Pass were held at Stalag 3B prison camp southeast of Berlin. After the debacle near Faid Pass, the Battle of Kasserine Pass continued until February 23, 1943, when allied resistance stiffened and German forces, low on supplies and worried about the British 8th Army's advance in their rear, began to withdraw. Even though the Germany army gave up the territory it had occupied, Kasserine Pass is considered an American defeat because of substantial American losses in men and material compared with minimal German losses. General Eisenhower soon replaced the hapless commander of II Corps with General George Patton, thus beginning General Patton's ascent into the mythology of World War II.


Epigraph from Veterans Plaza Memorial, Bayliss Park, Council Bluffs On previous pages I sketched the lives of twelve World War II veterans who lost their lives while in military service: Frederick A "Bud" Baraks/Barracks; Glen, John and Joseph Bostedt; Robert Dideriksen, Arthur Orville Jensen; George Eugene "Junior" Jorgensen; Amos C. Pagh; Ralph L. and Rodney H. Paulson; Dean C. Schroder; and Eldred Welbourn. In honor of these men, most of whom were grandsons, spouses or siblings of St. Paul's community members, I have included the following eloquent and moving epigraph by the late Richard W. Peterson of Council Bluffs.

In his own words: The Glory of Their Spirit When destiny demanded and country called, they in answer left our rolling hills and great river valley, and learned the arts of war. Then, on and beneath restless waves of the deep, in endless skies and across vast oceans to island shores, on broad plains and barren hillsides, in dark forests, on snow-covered mountains and in the rubble of smashed villages and cities they faced and fought, with valor and dedication, those who challenged our ideals and freedom and, in the very vortex of combat, were then greeted and embraced by Death. The soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen were not born to die in the youth of their lives – yet they did. They were not born to die death of violence – yet they did. By cruel and brutal circumstances of war, they gave their lives that we might live our lives and years in liberty and peace. Never should we forget their ultimate sacrifice. We now in their memory carve their names in stone, and enshrine them in our hearts; we now cast in eternal bronze, figures who in sorrow and in the long, long thoughts of youth reflect on the last measure of devotion given by those we now honor, and we join their mute and motionless yet eloquent presence in their silent meditation, Thinking not only of the passing of the departed patriots, But remembering the glory of their spirit. © Richard W. Peterson, reprinted with permission of Kip (Peterson) Sherbondy.


Sources and Acknowledgments for St. Paul's Boomer-Neola World War II Veterans

• As mentioned at the beginning of this report, Mary (Hedegaard) Rasmussen

provided the original list of St. Paul's World War II veterans. • The families of most veterans sketched herein appear in my St.Paul's database,

which I have compiled over the years for use with my family and local history research.

• I gleaned some information from interviews with Derald Blois, Helen Dideriksen, Herbert Hjortsvang, Jim Iversen, Donald Magnussen, Donald Pedersen, Alvin Petersen, Donald Petersen, Junior and Mary Rasmussen and Donald Schroder.

• Most Council Bluffs Nonpareil issues from Dec 1943 – Feb 1950 and Jan 1952 - Oct 1956 are available on-line through ancestry.com, a subscription service. Current issues are on-line at www.nonpareilonline.com.

• Data for the Ervin Rasmussen and Donald Schroder sketches and limited data for several other veterans came from Heroes Remembered (Council Bluffs Nonpareil, 2003).

• Additional data came from ancestry.com and the google search engine. In particular, many World War II personnel records from navy ships are now available through ancestry.com. Also available through ancestry.com are completed application forms for the State of Iowa World War II Service Compensation, commonly referred to as the veterans' bonus.

• Confirmation dates came from St. Paul's Lutheran Centennial, Neola, Iowa 1881 - 1981.

• The sketch of Laurits H. Pedersen in Part 1 uses material from Laurits H. Pedersen – A Brief Biography by his son, Donald B. Pedersen.

• The story of the 305th Bombardment Group and the last mission of Stephen Wurtz (Section 2) is pieced together from various internet sources, including http://mighty8thaf.preller.us/gallery/Claymore/scan0024.

• Much of the material on Rodney and Roland Paulson in Part 2 comes from Roland Paulson's memoir, Valley of the Skunk (National Writers Press, 1996).

• Major sources for The 168th Infantry Regiment and the Battle of Kasserine Pass were the 1938 Iowa National Guard Yearbook, Chapters 9 and 10 of Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn (Henry Holt 2002, 2003 Pulitzer prize for history winner), and the on-line site 34thdivdeathcasualties.homestead.com/files/POW_168INF.htm.

This report lists about 75 World War II veterans most with direct or familial connections with St. Paul's. You can find more about the older relatives or the spouses of many of these veterans in one of my two reports listed below, available at the Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society in Council Bluffs or the Family History & Genealogy Center of the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa or, as of March 2016, on-line.


• St. Paul's Boomer-Neola Early Families (About half of the veterans listed herein were descended from an early St. Paul's family.)

• Older Relatives of Robert Christiansen – Christiansen, Rasmussen, Larsen/Larson and Hansen (Six of the veterans listed herein are my relatives. Another five married relatives.)

Epilog

As of March 2016 it appears that the only living veterans from the above list are Merrill Gardner, Richard Handbury, and Aloysius "Al" Kenealy.


St. Paul’s World War II Veterans from the January 1947 List (I copied this list from a small memento given out at St. Paul’s services on January 1, 1947 that Mary (Hedegaard) Rasmussen gave me in 2006.) Name date entered service Ervin Rasmussen April 12, 1938 Paul Banther June 1940 Raymond Warren September 20, 1940 Alvin Larsen September 25, 1940 Marvin Petersen December 1940 Stephen Wurtz April 7, 1942 Ralph Spencer, Jr. April 20, 1942 Paul Hedegaard May 2, 1942 Kenneth Jensen May, 1942 Andrew Petersen June 8, 1942 Glen Olsen June 8, 1942 Thomas Bracker September 9, 1942 Stanley Nelson October 9, 1942 Leonard Rasmussen October 28, 1942 Maynard Jensen October 28, 1942 Norman Peterson January 6, 1943 Reuben Iversen February 1, 1943 Wayne Petersen February 25, 1943 Warren Smith March 24, 1943 Leslie Warren October 15, 1943 Howard Ericksen February 5, 1944 Norvin Oamek May 29, 1944 Orville Gardner 1944 Donald Schroder blank Calvin Peterson December 26, 1944 Dean Olsen January 23, 1945 Kenneth Christensen February 13, 1945 Donald Magnussen March 6, 1945 Jack Welsh March 6, 1945 Marion Rasmussen Jr. June 8, 1945 Alfred Hedegaard July 15, 1945 Eldon Christensen July 17, 1945 Everett Smith July 17, 1945 Ralph Clausen July 27, 1945 Richard Handbury blank Merrill Gardner blank Orville Larsen now enlisted in the regular army


World War II Veterans from St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Boomer Township, rural Neola, Pottawattamie County, Iowa

The following is a photocopy of the document given out at St. Paul’s services on Wednesday, January 1, 1947. (Photocopy provided by Mary (Hedegaard) Rasmussen.)

Documents

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Boomer-Neola, Iowa, …kirstenpedersen.weebly.com/uploads/5/2/7/5/52755035/st...St. Paul’s WW II Veterans (St.Paul’sWWIIVets.docx) 3/26/16 page 2