Armed Forces Day 2010

On Saturday, May 15th, the men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered for our annual Armed Forces Day display at the Strategic Air & Space Museum. This year I spent several months putting together the beginnings of a really solid Vietnam War collection. I created an 11 foot long "Vietnam Wall" dedicated to the 395 brave Nebraskans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. My version of the wall listed each man's rank, his hometown and branch of service, as well as his birthday and the day he was killed. It was very well received by a lot of veterans and their families. It was just my little way to say thank you to all of them for their many sacrifices made on our behalf. My display included some uniform and equipment pieces from the Advisory era, some basic U.S. Army gear, a number of personal and paperwork items, and then a nice grouping of U.S. Marine Corps uniform and equipment items. I was really excited to have an M-16 and an M-14 which I was able to borrow for the day from a really nice restoration volunteer at the museum. My special guests for the day were my mom's friend Karen McGrane and her mother. Their son/brother was SP4 Donald Steven Waite. He was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division and was killed in South Vietnam on February 9, 1968. For me, this exhibit and the countless hours put into creating my Nebraska "Wall" were all dedicated to Donnie... a soldier who I will never meet, but to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

My Uncle Bob

As promised, here is the story of my Great Uncle Bob Lauritsen, or as everyone in our family always called him, "Uncle Bob." Bob is my Grandma Marion Krelle's youngest brother by eight years. I only spent time with him once as an adult sometime back in the year 2000 when he came back through Omaha. I showed him some of my World War II gear and he got a real kick out of it. One thing about hanging out with Bob was that you practically had to yell at him. Bob had a very authoritative booming voice, but he was pretty much deaf from all of his time in the artillery. I wish now that I had asked him more questions then, but I didn't. But years later we had a lengthy letter correspondence back and forth in 2006 and 2007 where I really got to know Bob and the role he played as a Marine through two wars. I started it all just by writing to him and asking him a simple question, "What did you do during World War II?" Boy, was I in for a surprise! He was so open and willing to share his story, his humor, and the few mementos he had left from the war. He got a real kick out of that fact that I was so interested in the war and learning about what he did. One thing is for sure, he was truly one-of-a-kind!!

Robert Wayne “Bob” Lauritsen was born on August 29, 1926 to Milton and Edith Lauritsen in Omaha, Nebraska. He was educated in the Omaha Public School system graduating from Central High School in 1943 where he was an outstanding athlete, especially in football. Bob was all of 17 years of age when World War II was at its height and he badgered his parents for permission to enlist in the US Marine Corps. On December 8, 1943 he left home for eight weeks of boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at San Diego. After basic training Bob was consigned to Camp Pendleton and entered artillery training with the then forming new 5th Marine Division. Fourteen months later he made the D-Day landing on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. Bob’s best friend in the Marine Corps was Cpl. Cliff Ryan of northern California who drove a radio jeep. Cpl. Ryan landed on Iwo Jima three days after the initial assault - a detail that Bob had kidded him about. On his first day on Iwo, Cpl. Ryan received an order to drive a forward observer as close to the front as possible. During the drive up to the line he was shot right between the eyes and died instantly. Bob was devastated. On Feb. 23, when the “famous” second flag raising took place on the top of Mt. Surabachi, someone in Bob’s gun pit saw it happen and yelled out to the gun crew. By the time Bob looked up to see it the big flag was already waving. Bob recalled that it was no big deal at the time - but it meant that the Marines were winning. About seven days into the battle, the Japanese hit one of the battalion’s ammo dumps and all hell broke loose. Bob recalled that it was the best fireworks show he ever saw. Their 105 Howitzers were close to the ammo dump so their gun crew was showered with all kinds of schrapnel and debris. Bob said it suddenly felt like someone kicked him in the hip and when he reached down his right leg was all wet. There was no blood. So he took off his pistol belt to find that a piece of schrapnel had tore through his canteen. A corpsman patched up his hip and Bob was back in the fight. Wounds were so common during the battle that you had to be evacuated off the island to qualify for a Purple Heart. Another horrific incident occurred when a Japanese soldier snuck his way into Bob’s gun pit. Unable to reach his carbine, Bob immediately grabbed has entrenching tool and swung it so hard that it decapitated the Japanese soldier. Bob ended up miraculously making it through the entire Iwo Jima campaign. Of the 164 men in his unit, he was one of only four who wasn’t killed, wounded or missing in action. Shortly after the Iwo Jima campaign his regiment landed at Sasebo on the southern tip of Kyushu. Bob stayed there for ten months in the occupation of Nagasaki, Japan with the 2nd Marine Division.

After the war, Bob was sent home for discharge and immediately returned to the young girl he always described to his family as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He fell in love with Anita while training at Camp Pendleton in 1944 and they were married on September 22, 1946 in Pasadena, CA. Bob had to have his mother’s signature on the marriage license because he was still a minor. After the war, Bob and Anita had two sons, Robert and Jack. Bob was called back to the Marines in 1951 and served with the 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division as part of a Special Weapons Company. Bob enjoyed an eventful life after Korea. He was a 50 year life member of the Masonic Order with long and rewarding activities with the Shriners and the Royal Order of Jesters. He was an accomplished commercial pilot, and became involved with his two sons in outboard hydroplane racing. After powerboat racing the family got into sailing. They owned a Catalina and spent several years in the Pacific off the Southern California coast. Anita and Bob became empty nesters after Robert joined the Air Force and Jack was in the planning stages of getting married. Convinced that they had had it with the fast lane of Southern California they bought a rundown 125 acre apple ranch in western Colorado. After 2 1⁄2 years of steady crop failure they threw in the towel and moved back to Southern California and Bob rejoined his old company as sales manager. Bob spent the remaining years of his working life in marketing eventually rising to president and general manager of his company and retiring in August 1988. With all those wonderful retirement years he got his fill of playing golf. He and Anita spent many happy days touring the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. He had a great life. Bob passed away at his home in the company of his dear wife, Anita, on October 22, 2009 after prolonged and extensive health problems.

This photo is of Bob back home in Omaha after the war. He's looking pretty sharp with that tall hat cocked to the side.
This photo has a hand-written inscription, possibly done by my Grandma Krelle. It read: P.F.C. Bob Lauritsen - Camp Pendleton - Oceanside, Calif. - Feb. 13-44. This photo was taken almost one year to the week before Bob would land on Iwo Jima.
Here is a photo of Bob, on the right, and his best friend Cpl. Clifford Ryan of California. Bob and Cliff were best of pals during their time in the Corps.
This photo is of Bob and his band on some island in the Pacific. I wish I knew which island it was. It could be Hawaii, Eniwetok or Japan - probably not Iwo Jima. Bob is standing in the middle of the back row holding the saxaphone. I guess this photo earned Bob the nickname of "The Look." I wish I knew more about that mysterious title...
And finally a photo of Bob and his beloved wife Anita. As he described her to his family, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

Spring Training... Army Style!!!

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association met for an April spring training event on Saturday, April 10th. The site of this month's training day was just northwest of Modale, Iowa on some state land near the Missouri River. In attendance were me, Big Dave, Jeff, Cody, Kevin and his son Tyler, and Darrell Canfield who is a new member. We began our training in a wooded area, but after only a few minutes we spotted several nasty little ticks on our uniforms, so we conducted the rest of the training on a gravel road and grass embankment. We drilled for hours going over both the school of the soldier without arms and the manual of arms for the rifle. We spent some time on unit hand signals as well as a quick course on field stripping the M-1 rifle. I was the acting drill instructor for the day and I thought all of the guys did really well, especially our new "replacement" Pvt. Canfield. We had fun throwing in a few "Jody calls" as we marched in cadence up and down that ole' country road. It was a beautiful day and another great training event. Our next unit event will be a 2nd Infantry Division veterans reunion in Newton, Iowa on Saturday, May 1. Looking forward to it!!! Oh and incidentally, the photo is actually from World War II and not us... I only wish we had that many guys!!!

A Tribute To Rosie!

Dawn Wade, a friend and coworker of mine, dressed up as "Rosie the Riveter" for a recent fun day we had a work called "Time Traveler Day." Everyone was supposed to show up to work that day dressed in costumes and attire from different time periods. Naturally, I showed up in a full World War II combat uniform with all the fixins'. Dawn decided to do a 1940's look as well and boy was it awesome! She found a blue work suit and her grandmother's original red bandana from the World War II era. The bright red lipstick and the rolled up hairdo were right on target as well. She printed out a "We Can Do It!" sign and spray mounted it on a piece of foam board to use as a backdrop. As you can see, the results were pretty impressive. A fitting tribute to one of World War II's most iconic women! Nice job, Dawn!

Iwo Jima Veterans Reunion

Six U.S. Marines who served in the 28th Marine Infantry Regiment with the men who raised the U.S. flags on Iwo Jima were in Nebraska at the Strategic Air & Space Museum on March 26th and 27th. Pictured below are the six men who signed autographs and spoke at the event. The veterans are from top left, Dave Severance of La Jolla, California; Robert Galloway of Gadsden, Alabama; Melvin Duncan of San Angelo, Texas; William Wayne of Yorba Linda, California; John Scheperle of Mission, Texas; and Ralph Griffiths of Girard, Ohio.
These brave veterans served side-by-side with flag raisers Harlon Block, Ira Hayes, Michael Strank, Rene Gagnon, Franklin Sousley and John Bradley. Their stories are recorded in the James Bradley best-seller, "Flags of Our Fathers." Dave Severance who was Captain Severance at the time, was in command of Easy Company whose marines raised the flag. And Ralph Griffiths was wounded by the same shell that killed Mike Strank and Harlon Block. I had the opportunity to meet all of these men, get their autographs and shake their hands. It was an amazing experience for someone like me who will never forget the price that men like these paid for our freedoms.
Here is a posterboard that I designed for the Iwo Jima event to commemorate the life and World War II exploits of my great uncle, Bob Lauritsen. I compiled Bob's story based on several letters that we exchanged back in 2006 and 2007. I was also given access to a few photos of Bob in his Marine Corps uniform that my parents had hidden away. I will post his complete story on this blog in the next few weeks.
This is Melvin Duncan, a tough-as-nails Marine who served as a BAR man on Iwo Jima. He stopped by our unit's display after the event to get his hands on Big Dave's BAR. His eyes lit up when he felt the weight of that big gun back in his hands again. It was a real hoot to see an old Marine get reconnected with his favorite rifle of the war.
Cody Williams is a strong member of our 2nd I.D. Living History Association who also shares a real interest in the Marine Corps during WWII. One of Cody's relatives fought with the 5th Marine Division on Iwo Jima, so we both share that in common. This was Cody's first event decked out in his new USMC utility uniform.
Here's Cody and I manning our Marine Corps display tables. Not a bad looking bunch of gyrenes if I do say so myself! We're both wearing the sage green utility uniform and the helmet cover with brown side out.
And finally, a look at some of my Marine Corps display that I pulled out for the event. The mannequin head is sporting my latest purchase, a HBT Daisy Mae utility hat. At the lower left of the photo is my complete set of 5th Marine Division "Spearhead" magazines that were given to me by Uncle Bob. It was a great event and I had a great time honoring the Marines of World War II. Coming up May 21-22 is another incredible Marine Corps event at the Strategic Air & Space Museum. The May event will mark the largest reunion of veterans of K/3/5 in conjunction with their portrayal in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific." Hugh Ambrose, author of the best-selling book, "The Pacific," is also confirmed to attend. This will be a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that I don't want to miss. Come on out and see us!

Battle of the Bulge 2010

The men of Item Company braved the elements and headed down to Camp Clark, Missouri for our annual winter battle on Friday, January 15th. The further south we drove the snow seemed to melt away, but the fog grew more and more ominous. We awoke Saturday morning to a thick blanket of fog covering the barracks and the grounds at the old National Guard base. At 0700 we downed some coffee and donuts and then geared up for a long day of battling the Germans. This first photo is Gus, Sean and Dave gazing out over the bleak and foggy fields. Wow, what a great day for a Battle of the Bulge reenactment!
This next scene is a great shot that I captured as a platoon of the 84th Division "The Railsplitters" marched past. Seeing a full platoon of young men dressed up in authentic World War II uniforms and gear marching past you can really give you goosebumps.
At 0830 we fell in for authenticity checks, weapons inspection and instructions for the day. In attendance at the event were roughly 150 Allied soldiers and 120 Germans. The Allied and German groups were both broken down into three platoons each for the day's battle scenarios. It was pretty impressive to see that many dedicated reenactors all out on that field together.
This photo was taken during our platoon's first scenario of the day. The day began with a long brisk march uphill and then into the field to patrol for contact with the Germans. Staff Sergeant McCue took charge and moved us out to track down the hidden hun.
He's a great photo of our little squad early in the day. We had just gotten done sweeping a hill of Germans with some soldiers from the 36th Division. As you can see there was still some snow on the ground. From the left are David Jameson, Sean Cheek, Kirk Gustafson, Jeff McCue, me and Casey Sill.
Here's a cool photo of a jeep and trailer that was attached to our platoon throughout the day. Be sure to note the name "MARIE" painted just below the windshield. We saw plenty of jeeps, a German motorcycle and a Kubelwagen zipping through the roads and fields of the battle.
We broke for a quick lunch in the field around 1130. We hunkered down just outside of the village of Malmedy where the Germans had gunned down a bunch of G.I.s about a month earlier. Here's a picture of me washing down my K-Ration with a swig of water from my favorite canteen.
Here's a really neat photo of a bunch of soldiers and airborne from different units showing off a captured Nazi flag. Check out the .30 caliber light machine gun laying in front of the flag. The tall G.I. standing in the center of the flag was a guy named Jordan from K.C. This was his first World War II reenactment and he seemed to enjoy it a lot!
This photo was taken from a little hole where we fought off the Germans just south of the bridge. Gus stands resolutely watching the line for any oncoming enemy.
Here's our squad after the battle for "Heartbreak Bridge". Sean is looking over some of our hand grenades which came in handy more than once throughout the day. Our new grenades are really awesome because we just have to pull the ring and they instantly begin to shoot smoke.
Here's a rather serious looking photo of me at "Heartbreak Bridge". I'm wearing my M43 Field Jacket which I loved wearing in the field. You can pretty much load the pockets up with so much gear and ammo that you don't need a pack. Our squad fought the battle with light gear and no haversacks so that we could be more maneuverable.
And finally, a charming photo of our beloved "Wilhelm von Yukon", otherwise known as Cody Williams. Cody went to the battle dressed as a German and he fought with the regular German Heer platoon. We met up with him at the bridge and had a few chuckles about the day's events. It was an awesome battle and we had a lot of fun. I have to tip my cap to the 137th Infantry Regiment who puts on this event every year. They do a great job and are extremely well organized and friendly hosts.

Dinner at The Bohemian Cafe

Several members of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered together on the night of Saturday, December 9 at one of Omaha's favorite restaurants, the Bohemian Cafe. A local legend and 13th Street landmark, the "Bohunk Cafe" has been serving up some of the areas finest European and Czech favorites since the 1920's. Our group has made several memorable visits to the Bohemian Cafe throughout our six years of existence. We once dined with the late great Bob Fowler of Nebraska's own 134th Infantry Regiment at this restaurant. On Saturday, the members in attendance were David Jameson, Kirk Gustafson and his son Logan, Jeff McCue, Scott Rowe, Cody Williams and myself. David and Jeff's wives were also in attendance. Decked out in our Class A uniforms, everyone looked pretty sharp... even "Tech Sergeant Butter Knife"! We had some great (and very filling) food and a round of tasty Pilsner Urquell beers served up in frosty porcelain mugs. I had the liver dumpling soup with Polish sausage, dumplings and sauerkraut. Mmmmm!!! We then spent the end of the meeting talking over our group's upcoming schedule of events for 2010. It was another great night with the guys and another wonderful time at the Bohemian Cafe