S LUTE November | 2021
VETERANS DAY 2021
A CENTURY OF HEROISM REMEMBERING WALT STRAKA
LASTING IMPRESSIONS DAUGHTER FOLLOWS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS INTO MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD
A publication of the Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal
Honoring All the Men and Women Who Have Selflessly Served Our Country
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
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CONTENTS ‘21 Staff PUBLISHER Pete Mohs ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Susie Alters Eller LAYOUT DESIGNER Sara Slaby SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR/COPY EDITOR: DeLynn Howard CUSTOMER SERVICE/ PHOTO SUBMISSIONS: Stacey McSweeney For content ideas, please contact DeLynn Howard at delynn.howard@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5850.
S LUTE CONTACT US: Advertising@BrainerdDispatch.com (218) 855-5895 ATTN: Salute Brainerd Dispatch, P.O. Box 974, Brainerd, MN 56401 Veterans Day Salute is an annual publication of the Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal. Copyright© 2013 VOLUME 9, FALL 2021
On the cover:
S LUTE November | 2021
Walt Straka laughs in 2017 at the Brainerd National Guard Armory open house. Straka was an American war hero born in 1919, came of age during the Great Depression, survived pitched battles and years as a prisoner of war. Nearly 80 years after his ordeal, at the golden age of 101, he died at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, July 4, 2021. With his death, Minnesota bid farewell to its last survivor of the Bataan Death March, when Japanese soldiers forced American prisoners of war on a brutal 60-mile trek through the Philippines that claimed tens of thousands of lives. We salute you, Walt!
VETERANS DAY 2021
A CENTURY OF HEROISM REMEMBERING WALT STRAKA
LASTING IMPRESSIONS DAUGHTER FOLLOWS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS INTO MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD
A publication of the Brainerd Dispatch and Echo Journal
Photo illustration by Sara Slaby
LASTING IMPRESSIONS • 6
Daughter follows father’s footsteps into Minnesota National Guard By Tim Speier, Brainerd Dispatch
For Master Sgt. Chris Strangstalien, of Baxter, an unlikely development gave him the opportunity to be present for something very few parents get to take part in — his child’s first deployment.
Features
PEOPLE MUST CONTINUE TO THANK AND SUPPORT OUR VETERANS • 10 By Nancy Vogt, Echo Journal
Gail Smith grew up in a patriotic family and served with the Army Nurse Corps. While she’s thankful the United States isn’t part of big world wars anymore, Smith worries that the public’s awareness of military experiences is waning.
WORLD WAR II VETS TAKE TO THE SKIES • 14 By Travis Grimler, Echo Journal
A CENTURY OF HEROISM • 32 By Gabriel Lagarde, Brainerd Dispatch
Also in this issue
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
Local photo submissions of Brainerd lakes area veterans — past and present.
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A proud-of-your-daughter selfie, Master Sgt. Chris Strangstalien, left, and Spc. Becca Strangstalien. Contributed / Carrie Strangstalien
Lasting impressions BY TIM SPEIER Brainerd Dispatch
6
Daughter follows father’s footsteps into Minnesota National Guard
S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
W
hen someone puts decades of service into the military, people will often talk about all that has been accomplished during their time served.
No one likes to think of everything that has been missed as the world kept turning while they were away on a deployment or off somewhere training. For Master Sgt. Chris Strangstalien, of Baxter, an unlikely development gave him the opportunity to be present for something very few parents get to take part in — his child’s first deployment. When Spc. Becca Strangstalien was only 1 1/2 years old, she insisted on standing next to her father, Chris Strangstalien, as he stood in formation before leaving on his second deployment, said Becca’s mother and Chris’ wife, Carrie Strangstalien. “They’re all in formation and Becca wouldn’t even stay by me,” Carrie Strangstalien said. “She had to stand next to Chris and then she had to do what he was doing.” A few deployments later and Chris Strangstalien was preparing for retirement after an illustrious
“I didn’t want to do anything else besides follow in his footsteps.” - Becca Strangstalien
30-year career in the Minnesota National Guard. As he prepared to start the next chapter of his life, one of his daughters prepared to start a new chapter of her own. Probably since she was 7, Becca Strangstalien would follow her father to work when she was allowed and would look forward to family days
on base. From that time on, Carrie Strangstalien knew her daughter found her calling. “I didn’t want to do anything else besides follow in his footsteps,” Becca Strangstalien said for a March 10 story about Women’s History Month written by Sgt. Bob Brown, of the Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs, for the Minnesota National Guard news site. A few days after her 17th birthday, it was no surprise to Carrie
continued on page 8
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continued FROM page 7
Spc. Becca Strangstalien receives the Army Commendation Medal from Lt. Col. Jacob Helgestad. Contributed / Carrie Strangstalien
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
Strangstalien that Becca Strangstalien signed her paperwork, joining the Minnesota National Guard, and was slated for boot camp later that summer. “She hasn’t had a summer for three years, here with her friends,” Carrie Strangstalien said. “After she finished her junior year, she went to ... basic training and then after her senior year, she (was at) AIT(job school) ... and then this last summer, she was in Kuwait.” Knowing she did not have enough time to attend college prior to deploying, Becca Strangstalien decided to make use of that time by signing activation orders. Working full time in the Guard, she helped the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor prepare for their deployment to Kuwait and gave her the time to learn her new position. As many have come to know, there are only two things that are certain in the military — cleaning and waiting. With that level of certainty, things change at a moment’s notice and are dealt with accordingly. That’s where Chris Strangstalien found himself. “On this deployment, he wasn’t even supposed to go,” Carrie Strangstalien said. “Another guy was slated to go but then he had some health issues. They called Chris and asked him to step up and go. So he had two months (to prepare) before they left. That was a whirlwind.” After helping her husband prepare and going through four prior deployments, she said getting ready for this one has “been very interesting.” From preparing for her husband to retire in less than a year to going completely in reverse and getting ready for an overseas deployment in less than two months, Carrie Strangstalien said, no two deployments are the same and the short preparation time made this one the most hectic one to date.
As many have come to know, there are only two things that are certain in the military — cleaning and waiting. With that level of certainty, things change at a moment’s notice and sometimes you are given the opportunity to deploy with family. “Some people are like, ‘Oh (after four deployments), you’re like a professional now,’” Carrie Strangstalien said. “And it’s like, ‘No, they’re not all the same you know.’ The kids are different ages. I’m not young anymore. It’s all different. Every single one is different. I kind of know what to expect but that doesn’t mean I know how it’s gonna go.” During the course of their deployment, part of Task Force 1-194 was sent to Afghanistan to assist with the evacuation.
“(Chris Strangstalien) was one of the (soldiers) that got sent to Afghanistan for the evacuation,” Carrie Strangstalien said. “And that was really hard. I think that was one of the harder times of all of the deployments in that, you know, week and a half, two weeks that he was there.” As members of Task Force 1-194 work through the second half of their deployment, Carrie Strangstalien said she is proud of her husband and daughter and what they have
accomplished in their lives but is looking forward to having them both home again.
TIM SPEIER
may be reached at tim.speier@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5859
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
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Capt. Gail Smith, of Crosslake, poses in uniform at her parents’ home in Barnesville with the U.S. flag flying behind her after returning from a four-month deployment to the United Arab Emirates during the Gulf War. She served with the Army Nurse Corps. Contributed 10
S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
People must continue to
thank and support our veterans
They sacrifice much to serve our country
BY NANCY VOGT Echo Journal
G
ail Smith grew up in a patriotic family. “We always had an American flag flying at the farm,” she said of the home where she grew up in Barnesville.
Smith, a registered nurse who works at the Minneapolis Heart Institute in Baxter and as the parish nurse at Crosslake Lutheran Church, took that patriotism to heart. Her mother came to the United States from Germany and became a U.S. citizen at age 16, and her parents never failed to impress the importance of this country upon their children. “My mother loved this country and the opportunities it gave her,” Smith said. Smith, who served for 14 years as a reservist with the Army Nurse Corps and at Brooke Army and Walter Reed medical centers in the intensive care unit, shares her mother’s love of her country and for those who serve this country. While she’s thankful the United States isn’t part of big world wars anymore, Smith worries that the public’s awareness of military experiences is waning. Even now, military groups deploy in small groups of 30-40 and they don’t all know each other. When Smith deployed for four
months during Operation Desert Storm (from December 1990 to March 1991) to the Middle East as a military nurse, groups could total up to 400 soldiers who all knew each other and connected to each other. She didn’t realize at the time she deployed how it would affect her life afterward. “People who come back from war aren’t the same,” Smith said. “They have things to recover from that others don’t understand.” No one knows that more than her husband, Larry, a Vietnam War veteran whom she married 25 years ago. “We both know how important it is to support veterans,” Smith said. Smith advocates for more help for and awareness of soldiers returning from deployments, saying they and their families need to be supported. Her deployment was four months; now continued on page 12
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continued FROM page 11
“You sign up to serve. You don’t have choices. You sacrifice a huge amount of freedom other people take for granted. You do what you’re told and what’s expected. You just do your mission to the best of your ability.” - Gail Smith, Crosslake
military personnel deploy for a year, and they’re young. “People in the community have to realize these people are giving up everything to serve their country,” she said, noting they’re putting their lives on the line every day, even when not on deployment. And it’s not just the soldiers. It’s their families too. Families who experience a loss or who are caring for veterans who come home from war also need support. Smith said there are still many opportunities where people can support military personnel in ways that are meaningful. Wars don’t completely end for them. “Do more than say thanks. Send a card. I still have the cards I got,” she said. “It means people took time to say ‘thanks’ and acknowledge sacrifice. “Everyone can serve their country,” she said.
A dream realized
Smith was in her 30s when she joined the military in the mid-1980s. “I always wanted to serve in the military,” she said, noting she took the military exam at age 18, but then wasn’t sure of the time commitment. Instead, she began a career as a nurse, then married and became a wife and mother. She eventually realized her dream, joining the Army Nurse Corps as a first lieutenant. Smith believed she’d serve as a reservist one weekend a month and two weeks each summer. The military offered her the ability to see the world, and she was told she’d never go to war. Four years later, the Gulf War happened. Smith was working in the 311th Evacuation Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, at the time. “We were put on notice we’d probably deploy to the Middle East,” she said, noting most health
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care resources for war are in the reserves or guard. Smith felt a blend of all kinds of emotions. Her two sons were just 7 and 9 at the time. “I was honored to serve yet worried,” she said, adding it was difficult to tell her young children that Mommy would be OK when she didn’t know what would happen. She thinks news of her deployment was hardest on her dad. “You expect sons to go to war, but not your daughter,” Smith said. She had no qualms. “You sign up to serve. You don’t have choices,” she said. “You sacrifice a huge amount of freedom other people take for granted. You do what you’re told and what’s expected. You just do your mission to the best of your ability. You’re a soldier first, then an officer, then a nurse.” Smith already had leadership ability from her years working as a nurse, and she was a good nurse. She had to learn to be a soldier. When you experience the same difficult situation with a group of people, you come together and connect, developing a different relationship with that group, she said. “That really gets you through,” she said. Smith served for four months in the United Arab Emirates helping that nation get ready for the potential trauma of biological warfare and a ground war. The goal was to create structure and build resources in case of casualties on the front line. She helped take care of prisoners of war, people injured taking part in military exercises and people trying to commit suicide. She was one of 350 U.S. soldiers working with an all-Arab staff as the chief training officer for the medical unit and for the United Arab Emirates joint medical team. “So as a petite, blonde female nurse, it was one of the most amazing experiences,” Smith said. They worked in partnership, learning the Arab culture and creating successful relationships. “We were in danger all the time,” she
said, though not under direct attack. Smith earned an expert marksmanship qualification badge shooting an M16 and had fun in the military. Growing up on a farm as a tomboy, Smith worked with heavy machinery and creeped around in the dark with her brothers, which she said prepared her for military service. Smith said they trained continuously because there were so many opportunities for terrorism. “We train and train for the things we pray never happen,” she said. She was awarded an Army Commendation medal for her service in the Gulf War and a special award from the United Arab Emirates Royal Guard for her work in training. Smith ended her military service after 14 years and as a captain. She’s a member of the Crosslake-Fifty Lakes American Legion Post 500, and expressed her appreciation of service organizations for veterans. She’s most passionate about remembering veterans and
supporting them as the population becomes less aware of what it means to serve - and not only on Veterans Day, but always. “If we do not remember as a nation, who’s going to put up those flags? Who’s going to be in the color guard?” Smith asked. “Remember who sacrificed life for our country. “It was a privilege for me to serve,” she said, reiterating it was an amazing experience that taught discipline, teamwork, responsibility and survival skills.
NANCY VOGT
may be reached at nancy.vogt@pinelandlakes.com or 218-855-5877. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
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World War II veteran Wes Cline, of Hackensack, had his big day Aug. 17, 2021, when he was a passenger in a Boeing-Stearman open cockpit biplane through the Dream Flights program. Contributed / Marika Olivier
World War II vets
take to the skies W BY TRAVIS GRIMLER Echo Journal
14
es Cline is a 95-year-old World War II veteran from Hackensack who was a Naval Air Corps bombardier during the war. So when his family learned a group was offering veterans flights in BoeingStearman open cockpit biplanes, they quickly reached out and arranged a trip at the Pine River Regional Airport.
S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
“Maybe it’s the smell of the av gas or the wind in their hair. I don’t know what it is, but it brings back memories.” — Mike Sommars
The nonprofit organization Dream Flights has been providing flights to residents of nursing homes since 2011 (under the name ACES Aviation Dream Flights), retirement villages and the like, but this is special. Not only did they want to get back on the right foot after COVID-19 grounded their usual operations, but there was an important anniversary. “Normally we go about 11 months of the year, but this year we cut it
down to just August and September, and we did it just for World War II veterans,” said pilot Mike Sommars. “And that’s in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Peace with Japan, which occurred in September. They actually surrendered in August, but the documents weren’t signed until September.” They had over 1,000 signed up, and shortly after flying Cline, they had
flown 300 already. In March, they interviewed Cline about his time in the service as a bombardier during the war. Cline enlisted in June of 1943 in the Navy because his brother said they ate better than the other branches. He trained at Cape Canaveral, what they called “Banana River.” continued on page 16
Thank You
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continued FROM page 15
“I told the pilot it reminded me of a cedar strip canoe, because the inside of the cabin framework was wood and fabric. I’ve flown in a lot of military airplanes as a passenger, but nothing like that experience.” — Harley Kaiser
After the Japanese bombed Adak, Alaska, he was stationed on the westernmost Aleutian Island air base from which they would fly 200 miles to Russia, then across Kamchatka Strait on bombing runs around the Japanese island of Hokkaido under anti-aircraft fire before turning around and flying 11-12 hours back to base. “I made several missions over Hokkaido bombing,” Cline said. The craft he flew in was called a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber based on the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. They weren’t much like the open cockpit plane he went up in with Dream Flights, but he said he was familiar with that type of plane. “When I was training, we trained in B-25s, which is what Jimmy Doolittle bombed Tokyo in and then in Liberators,” Cline said. “I never did train in a little fighter plane, but our pilot of our bomber would train
in a little plane just like we flew in.” Cline said he felt honored by Dream Flights. “It was really touching to see an outfit honoring us vets,” Cline said. “During World War II there was 16 million of us and now I see there’s around 300,000 or so left of us and we’re losing around 1,100 or 1,200 a day. But they treated me like royalty and gave me a real nice ride.” Cline wasn’t the only one to leave the ground that day. World War II veteran Harley Kaiser, of Backus, caught wind of the flight while banking in Backus, where Cline’s son - Jay Cline - is. “I just happened to be in the bank there three or four weeks ago and he said his dad was going to go on this flight,” Kaiser said. “He said, ‘Come on down to the airport.” When Kaiser showed up, continued on page 18
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
Wes Cline autographs the tail of the Boeing-Stearman he flew in Aug. 17, 2021, at the Pine River Regional Airport. The tail will be removed at the end of the year and displayed in a museum. Contributed / Marika Olivier
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Wes Cline’s excitement is visible after taking a flight in an open cockpit BoeingStearman airplane Aug. 17, 2021. Contributed / Marika Olivier
continued FROM page 16 Sommars was more than willing to give him a flight too. Apparently it’s not uncommon for others to arrive the day of the event and get a chance to fly. “Wes’ family knew of another person,” Sommars said. “His daughter was there and we said we had time and we could fly her dad, so she went back to grab him and he went flying too. That happens quite often. We go ahead and fly them as long as our schedule allows.” Kaiser said he’d seen planes like that before, though he never flew in one. “I used to see the same planes flying around in 1942 or ‘43,” Kaiser said. “They used them for basic instruction in flying for prospective 18
S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
“It was really touching to see an outfit honoring us vets. During World War II there was 16 million of us and now I see there’s around 300,000 or so left of us and we’re losing around 1,100 or 1,200 a day. But they treated me like royalty and gave me a real nice ride” — Wes Cline
Navy Air Force pilots.” The open cockpit experience was new for Kaiser as well. “I thought it was pretty neat,” Kaiser said. “It was an experience. I’ve never flown in an open cockpit before.” The flight reminded Kaiser of the first airplane flight he ever took around the age of 6. “I told the pilot it reminded me of a cedar strip canoe, because the inside of the cabin framework was wood and fabric,” Kaiser said. “I’ve flown in a lot of military airplanes as a passenger, but nothing like that experience.” Sommars asked them about their homes, and in no time at all they were looking down at their backyards. The significance of the 75-year anniversary is important to Kaiser as well. He remembers the days leading up to the surrender clearly. He remembers seeing a ship anchored 300 meters away that was hit by kamikazes and he remembers suddenly when two days later, on Aug. 15, word came down that Hirohito called an end to the war. Sommars said his passengers often open up and start remembering the past while on the flight. “(In the beginning) they are a little bit hesitant to get in the airplane,” Sommars said. “They’re a lot better once we get in the airplane, but there’s a little of the quiet side and when they come off the flight, we take off the helmet and they are so excited and they have memories that flight sparked. I’m constantly amazed.” Sommars said families often hear
memories their parents have never shared with them before after a Dream Flight. “Maybe it’s the smell of the avgas or the wind in their hair,” Sommars said. “I don’t know what it is, but it brings back memories.” Kaiser and Cline both signed the tail of the plane, which Cline’s granddaughter, Marika Olivier, said will be put into a museum at the end of the year.
TRAVIS GRIMLER
may be reached at travis.grimler@pineandlakes.com or 218-855-5853. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Travis.
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
RAY LEETCH NATIONAL GUARD 1963-1969
ROBERT PERRY COOK ARMY AIR CORPS WORLD WAR II
GILBERT BITTNER MARINES KOREAN WAR 12/28/2014
STEVEN KUHN ARMY 4/24/99
DANNY PRICE MARINES 1973 - 1977
JASON PRICE MARINES & ARMY GUARD 1997-2003, 2003-2005
HERBERT ZANKE ARMED FORCES 1950-1956 DECEASED 1979
ALEX EBERTOWSKI AIR FORCE WORLD WAR II 1/2/2017
JOHN P. AKOTCHIK AIR FORCE KOREA; VIETNAM; 1950-72 2/23/09
NICHOLAS D. CONDIFF AIR FORCE 2014-2020
“So Long As There Are Veterans, The Benovolent And Protective Order Of Elks Will Never Forget Them”
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Disabled Veterans Turkey Hunt and the Disabled Veterans Deer Hunt at Camp Ripley Educational Resources for Community Based Outpatient Clinic Veterans
Offer a free week of camp to 9-13 year old children of deployed soldiers at the MN Elks Youth Camp during Troops Week Every other month a visit to St. Cloud Veteran’s Hospital to play BINGO
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RICK FARGO ARMY 1970-1973
VERN FARGO ARMY 1943-1946 1/5/2019
DON SANDBERG ARMY 1954-1956
BILL WEIK ARMY 1969-70, VIETNAM
E. JOHN RABOIN AIR FORCE 1953-1983
ART SCHUSTER ARMY WWII
BILL SCHUSTER MARINES WWII
DERALD E. WATSON AIR FORCE 1946-1950
DUANE HOEFS ARMY 1970-1972
GERALD HOEFS ARMY WWII 11/12/2011
KENNETH SCHUSTER ARMY WWII
RAY SCHUSTER ARMY WWII
DUANE BLANCK MARINE CORPS 1960-1963
HOWARD “JIGGS” BLANCK ARMY 1956-1958
GERALD KIEHLBAUCH ARMY 1953-1955 DECEASED
KEVIN KIEHLBAUCH ARMY 1976-1982
PRESTON CARLSON ARMY 2018-PRESENT
BRANDON STAFFORD NATIONAL GUARD 2009-PRESENT
JIM STAFFORD NAVY 1984-1988
MERYL ALTERS ARMY 1950-1953; KOREAN WAR 6/15/1997
22
S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
ROD WILCOX AIR FORCE 1964
ROBERT G. HURST 1951-1954; KOREAN WAR
JOSEPH NELSON NATIONAL GUARD 2020-PRESENT
CAILEE KACHUCK AIR FORCE 2017-2021
WILBERT GILDART ARMY 1972-1973
JOHN FRANZEN MARINES 1985-1989
DENNIS G. HAVEL ARMY 1967-1968; VIETNAM
EUGENE MUNSON NAVY WWII DECEASED
GUNNARD FREDEN NAVY WWII DECEASED
JACKSON KNAPP MARINES 2016-2021
JEFF KNAPP MARINES 2008-2012; AFGANISTAN
JOELLE KNAPP MARINES 2018-PRESENT
JOHN E MUNSON ARMY WWI DECEASED
MILTON MUNSON NAVY 1942-1945; WWII 6/1/1977
OSCAR MARSCH ARMY WWI DECEASED
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MORT ALLEN NAVY WWII DECEASED
LEONARD W. BADE NAVY 1944-1946; WWII DECEASED
BRIAN BADE NAVY 1969-1973
CHRISTOPHER KRAUS NAVY & ARMY 1992-PRESENT
RICHARD L. KRAUS ARMY 1969-1990
RAYMOND J. GEISLINGER ARMY WWII 5/30/2012
CLARENCE L. KRAUS ARMY WWII 5/5/1996
EUGENE R. WORMS NAVY 1964-1969
BARRY MUDFORD ARMY VIETNAM; 1967-1968
RONALD CHISHOLM ARMY 1957-1960 DECEASED 1994
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S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
JOHN MUHAR ARMY WWII DECEASED 2006
DOUGLAS STENBERG ARMY 1975-1995
HAROLD CARLSON NATIONAL GUARD 2020-PRESENT
HOWARD DOUCETTE ARMY
ARLAND SPEER ARMY
JULIUS ST JOHN KNUDSEN ARMY WWII- MIA FROM BATTAAN DEATH MARCH
WILBUR L. KNUDSEN NAVY DECEASED 2009
RONALD W. HOBSON NAVY AIR CORP.
CHESTER S. WEGLARZ ARMY 1942-1944; WWII 8/12/1944
FRANK REMINGTON ARMY 1951-1953 8/14/2011
KARL REMINGTON AIR FORCE 1974-1978
ROBERT REMINGTON NAVY 1976-1982
WILLIAM SKEESICK ARMY WORLD WAR II 11/29/2002
DOUG LUNDQUIST NAVY 1964-1970
KEVIN L. HOULE NAVY 1972-1997; VIETNAM; GULF WAR
EUGENE HOULE NAVY 1965-1968
MARIO A. ROY COAST GUARD 2002-PRESENT
WESTON BRENT HOULE NAVY 2003-2009
MICHAEL H. BOLZ NAVY 1957-1961
ROBERT A. ROY NAVY 1966-1970
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BOB MCNERNEY NAVY 1962-1966
JONATHAN W. SPITZ MARINES 2021-PRESENT
ALVIN L. HOULE ARMY 1957-1959 DECEASED
DANIEL KITZEROW AIR FORCE 2015-PRESENT
ANGIE KITZEROW AIR FORCE 2017-PRESENT
JACK NORDLING MARINES 21 YEARS OF SERVICE DECEASED 2002
JESSICA BEIREIS MARINES 1965-1975 4/30/2013
MATT HAUGE ARMY 2016-PRESENT
GENE (BUD) KERGER AIR FORCE 1951-1955
DAVID TREES AIR FORCE 1965-1969
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Those Who Served
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KEVIN GOEDKER MARINES 1990-1995
BRYAN RAGUSE ARMY / NATIONAL GUARD 1985-2010
ROY CHENEY ARMY 1955-1958 9/27/2020
BRUCE LAPKA NAVY 1968-1972; VIETNAM
BARRY G. JACOBSON ARMY 1973-1976
PETER EUGENE CLABO NAVY KOREAN WAR 7/1/2019
RICHARD REZANKA ARMY 1917-1919; WWI 8/2/90
RICHARD B. RAZANKA AIR FORCE 1943-1945; WWII 3/23/1992
ROBERT J. CLARK AIR FORCE 1943-1945; WWII 8/11/2018
HOWARD DELK AIR FORCE 1946-1949
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ARTHUR JOSEPH BAAKKONEN ARMY WWII; BATTLE OF THE BULGE 9/1975
RONALD RAY BAAKKONEN NAVY 20 YEARS OF SERVICE 01/2015
JEFFREY A. MCCARTHY ARMY 1973-1976
DAVE MEYER ARMY 1968-1969; VIETNAM
CHIP BORLE ARMY IRAQ 2002
PAT WING ARMY KOREA 1975
MARK PERSONS ARMY 1968-1969; VIETNAM
MICHAEL WILLIAMS NAVY 1972-1973; VIETNAM
DON RASMUSSEN ARMY 1966-1969
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BRIAN T. REESE AIR FORCE 2003-2016
HAROLD E. COOK NAVY 1962-1965 8/11/2021
DANIEL MITCHELL BUBALO SR AIR FORCE WWII 3/26/2019
DAN LONG AIR FORCE 1952-1972; KOREN WAR; VIETNAM
RICHARD CAMERON SR. ARMY AIR CORP WWII 3/12/2003
HERB DAIGLE ARMY 1973-1977
CHAD MERO AIR FORCE
CODY LEE RANDALL ARMY 4/3/2020
CHRISTOPHER GROENWOLD MARINES 2003-2007; IRAQ
ROBERT LERAY GALLAGHER NATIONAL GUARD 1959-1967
ROBERT SCHAUER MARINES 1952-1957; KOREA 12/1/2019
VICTOR GUERRA AIR FORCE KOREA 2/6/1981
ORLANDO GUERRA AIR FORCE 3/20/1996
MONROE (PETE) HEANEY ARMY 1955-1958
CHUCK HOLST NATIONAL GUARD 1953-1986
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THE STAR- SPANGLED BANNER O say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave
thank you,
veterans We remember and honor all who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Enjoy the life you have earned at Gracewin Living Cooperative of Baxter. Very soon breaking ground, we are accepting reservations and now onboarding residents. Don’t miss out! www.gracewinliving.com (855) 472-2396 S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
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Brainerd’s Walt Straka, a 99-year-old World War II prisoner of war and Bataan Death March survivor, was honored at the Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday, Nov. 4. File photo by C. Morgan Engel
Veterans Day Honoring All Who Served We stand with you!
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A century of heroism From Brainerd to Bataan, the life of Walt Straka was the story of a diehard fighter and American hero BY GABRIEL LAGARDE Brainerd Dispatch
How’s this for a storybook ending? An American war hero is born in 1919, comes of age during the Great Depression, survives pitched battles and years as a prisoner of war, then returns home to marry his sweetheart, raise seven children and chase the American Dream. Then, nearly 80 years after his ordeal, at the golden age of 101, he dies on the Fourth of July. If a Hollywood screenwriter pitched this, they’d be laughed out of the room, yet this is no less than the life of Walt Straka. Straka died at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, July 4, 2021. With his death, Minnesota bids farewell to its last survivor of the Bataan Death March, when Japanese soldiers forced American prisoners of war on a brutal 60-mile trek through the Philippines that claimed tens of thousands of lives. The United States also says goodbye to one of its few remaining World War II veterans and the last tangible links
‘M
y life, from day one, if I could put it all down on paper I could write one hell of a book,” Walt Straka said on his 100th birthday. “I could write a book that you couldn’t put down and quit reading it.”
Honoring all who served. Thank you 2 locations:
505 NE Washington St. 521 W Washington St.
continued on page 35
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Walt Straka (second from left) shown in the dedication of the Brainerd National Guard Armory on Wright Street July 17, 1989. He is shown on the stage with other Bataan Death March survivors and veterans of Japanese “Hell Ships.” Brained Dispatch file photo
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE & SACRIFICE With gratitude, we honor America’s veterans and military personnel
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continued FROM page 33 to a century of change. The Straka family is making arrangements with Nelson-Doran Funeral Home. Details on memorial services are forthcoming. It is, in a way, fitting that Straka was born in the year 1919, while the city’s iconic water town was under construction, because he was there, witnessing the turmoil and triumphs of the 20th century, always as a lifelong resident of Brainerd. No one was more surprised that Walt Straka reached the age of 101 than Walt Straka himself. For a man who admitted he “should have been dead a thousand times” during his horrific war experiences, the fact Straka reached such a venerable age speaks to a kind of serendipity, filled with the miraculous and absurd in equal measure, that only he could appreciate. This strange sort of serendipity was to remain with him, much like a guardian angel, throughout his life. There was an element of the miraculous, certainly. How else can a man survive a firefight — isolated, trapped and nearly cooked alive in a tank — and not chalk it up to blind luck? Or, when the bullets shrieked and split the air between his legs, a hair's breadth from killing him, is it strange to wonder if divine intervention had something to do
No one was more surprised that Walt Straka reached the age of 101 than Walt Straka himself. with it? In the darkest, most incomprehensible moments of horror, there was absurdity as well. As Straka recalled, there were points during the march when he and his comrades had to dive to the ground, lest they fall victim to slashing katanas wielded by laughing Japanese soldiers as they drove past on a jeep. It was a twisted, demented game of drive-by beheadings, said Straka, who could only shake his head, shrug, and chuckle mirthlessly at the memory. How else would a rational person respond? Is there a rational response to that degree of inhuman cruelty? Every one of his comrades who died was a hero in their own way, Straka said. What separated those who made it from those who didn’t had nothing to do with bravery, toughness or moral character. Strong, physically robust athletes were just as likely to collapse and die during the march as comparably scrawny men were to hang on and survive.
In Bataan, Straka said, what separated the living from the dead was a simple matter of chance, little more than a roll of the dice. There were these experiences, and much more, during Straka’s captivity as a prisoner of war during the Bataan Death March.
Bataan
His introduction to war was an early one. At the tender age of 17, Straka lied about his birthdate and signed up with the U.S. Army National Guard — a decision that proved fateful, altering his life forever. He, alongside many sons of Brainerd, was placed in the 34th Tank Company. In 1941, the 34th were ordered to Fort Lewis, Washington, for training, where they were combined with units from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Salinas, California, to form the 194th Tank continued on page 36
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continued FROM page 35 Battalion. Company A of the 194th received orders to reinforce troops in the Philippines in September of 1941, three months before the United States entered WWII. Stationed near Clark Field on the island of Luzon, the 194th represented the first tank unit in the Far East before WWII. Isolated and without supplies, they fought on until ordered to surrender with the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942. Straka and his comrades in the 194th were among the approximately 75,000 American and Filipino troops who walked more than 60 miles to Japanese prison camps in what became known as the Bataan Death March. Of the 64 Brainerd men from the tank company that went with the 194th to the Philippines, three were killed in action and 29 died as POWs. Thirty-two survived captivity. It’s important to remember how grounded in Brainerd this outfit was. Long before they stepped foot on Luzon, the men of Brainerd’s 34th Tank Company shared an incomparable bond. Peers. Classmates. Cousins. Neighbors. Friends. It’s the kind of vital, seemingly commonplace relationships that form the bedrock of every small town community. Like tempering steel, the trauma of Bataan transformed this bond into
In an undated photo, Walt Straka poses with his wife Cleta (center), as well as Cleta’s sisters Helen (left) and Marge. Submitted photo something beyond anything the folks at home could understand. In a way, these men were both torn apart and joined together by what happened. And, it resulted in something beautiful — even while the survivors passed, one by one, over the years — that remains undying long after they're gone. Former state Sen. Don Samuelson, whose father Walter Samuelson died during Japanese captivity, described the close-knit fabric of the 34th. The men and their families were intertwined, Samuelson said,
and he knew many of them for decades. Amid all this was Straka, who Samuelson described as a kind, simply decent man. There were many conversations over the decades, Samuelson said, but it seems to be human nature that even while his friend died at the venerable age of 101, no amount of time is enough to ask everything that needs to be asked, to say everything that needs to be said. “It’s pretty sad seeing the last man in that outfit having passed now,” Samuelson said. “All that history
Thank You
to all past and present military. We give you our thanks and owe you our freedom.
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Today we pause to honor the brave men and women who have made great sacrifice to protect our families, our country, and our freedom.
Walt Straka (center) stands at attention during basic training at the young age of 17. Having lied about his birthdate, Straka singed up with the U.S. National Guard, a fateful decision that would ultimately change his life forever. Submitted photo
gone. I think about those guys a lot. To think that Walter could last nearly 102 years, after surviving what he survived? It’s simply phenomenal.” Mere words aren’t up to the task of expressing what happened in April 1942. The Bataan Death March rests in the historical record as a sibling of atrocities like the Rape of Nanking or the Holocaust, and it’s there for a reason. Interviewing Straka, the conversation was often fragmentary, if vivid, with passing comments that alluded to the horror, but rarely explored it further. It was like a glance through a peephole at some howling nightmare on the other side, but what he left is more than enough. "Nobody could make up a more horrible story,” Straka said at a wreath-laying ceremony in 2015. "I couldn't lie and make up a worse story." Straka spoke of starvation, disease and killings that occurred with the clockwork regularity of a continued on page 38
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continued FROM page 37 slaughterhouse. He described how, in April 1942, captured American soldiers were forced on a grueling trek, 65 miles through Luzon over the course of six days. Straka was fortunate to avoid a bullet during that time. His luck didn’t save him from a rifle butt to the spine that rendered him paralyzed for days. He mentioned being hollowed out by dysentery during 42 months of captivity. He talked about brutal slave labor in Japanese work camps, desperately trying to sleep in the grass each night while mosquitoes gathered and his body burned with malaria. Later, he was forced to eat rotting fish in the bowels of a Japanese “hell ship” while fellow prisoners withered and died around him. “What one human being is capable of doing to another human being,” Straka confided in a friend after a Bataan Memorial Death March ceremony in 2019. He shook his head. “Animals. It boggles the mind.” Perhaps one of the most striking images from Straka’s life was his brush with history in mid-August 1945. Just three days after the desolation of Nagasaki by the second atomic bomb, Fat Man, Straka found himself on burial detail. The city was flattened. Shadows lingered — many of them faint, radioactive impressions of human beings erased in a flash. The bodies he carried were blackened husks of their former selves. And the buildings, he said, were like melted wax. It’s the kind of horrific, mindboggling image that belongs in a H.P. Lovecraft story, but while Lovecraft could only imagine it, Straka lived it. It was there, in Japan, that Straka learned of the Japanese surrender to the Allied forces on Aug. 15, 1945. A Japanese guard approached Straka and ordered him to start up the camp’s intercom system to make an announcement. Straka was well aware some Japanese soldiers used such a command as a ruse to shoot American prisoners on the pretext they were trying to stir up dissension or looking to escape. Naturally, Straka thought he was 38
He was always strong-willed and assertive, with a tendency to be domineering and a wild streak that mellowed as the years passed. about to die. It speaks to the kind of man he was, that indomitable, wrought-iron will, that Straka clenched his fists, straightened his emaciated frame — over 6 feet tall, yet whittled down to a pathetic 89 pounds — and defied the order. “You can go to hell,” he spat. After the war ended and Straka returned home, he was so battered and broken he didn’t give himself much of a chance. “When I got back, I had so many things wrong with me I just got on my knees and prayed to God,” Straka, a lifelong Catholic, said. “I
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said, ‘Please give me 10 years.’” Let’s just say God granted Straka’s request and then some.
Brainerd
Born Oct. 23, 1919, Walter B. Straka was 10 years old when Black Tuesday hit and the Great Depression descended on the world. Much like the rest of America, the Strakas of Brainerd struggled to put food on the table and heat their home — though, Straka noted his was a humble, if stable childhood. As such, it wasn’t unusual when, decades later, Straka heard
Thank you for your service!
On County Road 3 in Downtown Crosslake • 218-692-2711
The crowd applauds Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, after former Brainerd mayor Ed Menk proclaimed the day to be Walter Straka Day. Straka is seated in the center with the plaque. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch file photo he was to be honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, he quipped, “Is it real gold?” A touch of humor, yes, his son Paul said at the time, but it also spoke to the fact that for Straka — the son of a shoemaker who came of age during the worst economic crisis in American history and later worked as the bread-winner for a family of eight — the symbolic often took a back seat to the material. To Straka’s children, their father was a firm-handed provider with a disciplinarian streak. He could be quiet, no-nonsense, and very reserved at times — though, there were always those moments of uncharacteristic behavior, or his penchant for being outspokenly blunt, that hinted at a different internal life. He was always strong-willed and assertive, with a tendency to be domineering and a wild streak
A very heartfelt thank you to our veterans and their families. From the staff at Martin’s Sport Shop in Nisswa.
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continued FROM page 39 that mellowed as the years passed. Shortly before they shipped out, the 194th took a company photo in full-dress uniform and, upon closer inspection, one of the soldiers sported a visible black eye. That’s Straka and his black eye was courtesy of a bar brawl the night before. This, Greg said, was perfectly in keeping with his character. He was always outspoken and time did little to soften the sharp, acerbic edge. After experiencing what he experienced, Straka wasn’t inclined to view the Japanese in a sympathetic light and his deep-seated rage at what they did to his friends was to remain with him until death. “A man once asked me, ‘During the march, did the Japanese ever show you kindness?’” Straka said, smiling tightly as his rich, warbling voice took on an edge. “I told him, I said, ‘I once looked in a Japanese dictionary. I couldn’t find a word for kindness.’ That shut him up.” In the twilight years of his life, Straka was invited on a goodwill tour of Japan, all expenses paid to the tune of $60,000. In typical Walt Straka fashion, Straka — who freely professed he could forgive, but not forget what the Japanese did to him and his friends — told them, in much less polite language than used here, to shove the proposal where the sun doesn't shine. In contrast, Straka’s wife Cleta served as a counterweight that kept his life in balance. Where Straka could be strong-willed and demanding, Cleta was gentle and sweet, a natural caretaker and mother. They were inseparable, always involved in each other’s lives from day to day, moment to moment, and together they shared seven children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and 64 years until Cleta died in 2009. In death, Straka leaves behind six children — Gregory, Paul and Peter Straka, as well as Marsha Kate Haaf, Sarah Porter and Elizabeth Miles. His daughter Jane Straka preceded him in death in 1976, having died at the age of 19 in a head-on collision by 40
Escorted by Staff Sgt. Jade Caponi, Bataan Death March survivor Walt Straka lays a wreath to remember the soldiers of the 194th Tank Battalion Company A who died in combat, as prisoners of war, or on the Death March. The April 9, 2018, ceremony included family members in the Col. E.B. Miller room at the Brainerd National Guard Armory. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch file photo Lum Park that also claimed the life of his young grandson, Willie. It was a tragedy that literally brought Straka to his knees. The specter of Bataan loomed in the background of daily life, Greg
S LUTE Veterans Day • November, 2021
said, and history sometimes coaxed it out in the open. When his eldest son Greg didn’t have his number called during the lottery in 1969 and they learned he hadn’t been conscripted into the Vietnam War, his father
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It was only late in life, in roughly the last decade, that Straka ever spoke openly regarding Bataan and his experiences during the war. reportedly jumped up and down with exuberant joy. Straka was a proud veteran and regularly attended events involving the 34th Tank Company, but he remained adamant none of his children should join the military. In his mind, his trauma was enough service to one’s country for the whole family put together. Physical health issues lingered for Straka years after the end of the war, but the dark hells of the mind never ceased to haunt him. When he was young, Straka aspired to be a lawyer, but that just wasn’t a realistic possibility when he returned. He couldn’t find the frame of mind to pursue a career in law as he hoped, so he settled as a used car salesman with a construction outfit on the side. Starting in 1950, until he retired in 1976, Straka was a fixture at East Side Auto on 113 NE Washington St. But, then, sometimes the weight of his experiences in Luzon were debilitating, rendering him unable to work altogether. His children sometimes wondered why he and Cleta never shared the same bed through decades of marriage. It was only when they were older and wiser that they realized Straka’s violent nightmares simply made it an impossible arrangement. He didn’t dwell on what happened. He settled down. He married Cleta. He raised and put his children through college without them paying a nickel. He was a member of St. Francis Catholic Church all his life and he was active in numerous local nonprofit organizations like the Elk’s Club and American Legion. He worked hard until he retired and sold the dealership to Greg. He remained active, so uncommonly
spry he could be spotted shoveling his own sidewalk well into his golden years. Straka also opened up. It was only late in life, in roughly the last decade, that Straka ever spoke openly regarding Bataan and his experiences during the war. It was simply a topic he didn’t broach, Greg said, and when he finally did, as an older man, the vivid experiences he relayed to them were nothing short of astonishing. Yes, the memories were horrific and painful to hear, Greg said, but it was good his father was losing his filter, that he didn't care anymore
and he was in a place to talk freely about what happened. “I don’t know if time ever did anything to heal it, if that was why he was able to talk about it,” Greg said. “I kept looking at him, when he would sit there and he wouldn’t respond. You know his brain is working, so you wonder ‘Is he reliving it?’ He couldn’t share a bed with my mom because he’d wake up in a cold sweat, flailing, because he was still in the war.” It was something of a bittersweet revelation in Straka’s twilight years. Tragic, because while World War II came to an end on Aug. 15, 1945, it never quite ended for Walt Straka, who had to fight his own battles in his dreams. Beautiful, because even in the darkest moments of despair, Straka never lost that tenacity, that fighting spirit that sustained him right until the end. “The only thing that bugs me these days are those darn nightmares, but I just have to get up and fight them off,” Straka said Oct. 24, 2019. “That’s just life, I suppose.”
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001785398r1