Father, daughter share joy of a lifetime

JoAnne Kelley of Midland poses for a picture with her father, Bill Berg Sr. of Saginaw, and the war medals he recently received in honor of his deceased father. Kelley arranged for the delivery of the honors.

DAVE SHANE

for the Daily News

In March, JoAnne Kelley, 59, of Midland, experienced one of the happiest moments of her life. It came when she gave her father, Bill Berg Sr., 82, of Saginaw, one of the happiest moments of his life. nearly a dozen World War II medals that were earned by his father, Pvt. 1st Class Harold P. Berg, who died in that war while serving with the U.S. Army’s 38th Infantry Division in the Philippines. brought to tears just talking about it during a recent interview with the Daily News.

“My father was killed when I was 4 years old, and I have no recollection of my father whatsoever,” he said. “I really have nothing of my father’s. I really don’t.”

The only information Berg had about his dad came from a couple of brief newspaper clippings that said he had been awarded a Purple Heart medal, and a letter from the Army informing his family that he had been

killed in action.

It seemed like that was all he would ever have, too.

But, a little more than a year ago, that all changed.

His son, Bill Berg Jr., of Freeland, was making a training presentation at his job at Nexteer Automotive in Saginaw. Before the meeting began, a stranger who was attending the training approached Bill Jr.

He asked, “Was your grandfather Harold Berg?” Bill Jr. said.

“I said yes, and then he said: ‘I think we’re related.’”

The man was Matt Berg of Midland. And, yes, they were related. They both had the same grandfather, which made them cousins. “I knew there were some other Bergs out there, but we had never met,” said Bill Jr.

Yet, there they were, talking to each other in a chance meeting at a company that employs nearly 3,000 people in the Saginaw area.

Because Harold had died so young and there had been a divorce in the family, some of the extended family members had not stayed in touch. But all sides of the family knew their grandfather had died after serving honorably in World War II.

The meeting at Nexteer left family members wondering about their family history, and that led to renewed discussion of the Purple Heart award. Bill Berg Sr. also has a half-brother, and that side of the family apparently had possession of the medal. That led to another family reunion as Bill Berg Sr. then located his half-brother, Harold P. Berg Jr., 78, of Crystal, Michigan.

While family members were meeting and reuniting, that wasn’t enough for JoAnne Kelley. She began to wonder if her side of the family could be entitled to a “replacement” medal of her grandfather’s Purple Heart.

She had to know.

So she decided to apply through both a national military records center and, at the same time, through her local congressional office.

The process got off to a good start. But then, it appeared to slow down. Weeks dragged into months as a pandemic gripped the national workforce. She also was notified that a fire in 1973 had destroyed some Army personnel records – and Pvt. 1st Class Harold P. Berg, who was killed while serving his country in World War II.

In the early 1940s, Pvt. 1st Class Harold P. Berg of Saginaw flanked by his two young sons; Duane Berg, left, who died in 1993, and Bill Berg Sr., who still resides in Saginaw.

her grandfather’s records could have been among those that were missing.

“I was getting disappointed,” Kelley said. “(I wondered), is this ever going to happen?”

Kelley is an administrative assistant at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland. She knew U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar’s office was only two blocks away. She said his office went to bat for her.

Marla Conover, a constituent relations representative at the office, contacted federal officials to see what could be done – and forwarded copies of the congressman’s letters to Kelley.

“Moolenaar’s office was instrumental in getting this done. It was a good experience,” Kelley said.

Senior Scope • May / June 2022