Cook County News Herald

Don Sivertson: honored to serve





Above: Private First Class Don Sivertson (right) with his wife Mary and friend Private McClusey seeing the Washington, D.C. sights while stationed there in 1951. Left: Paul Sivertson (left) accompanied his father, Don Sivertson on the June 2015 Honor Flight.

Above: Private First Class Don Sivertson (right) with his wife Mary and friend Private McClusey seeing the Washington, D.C. sights while stationed there in 1951. Left: Paul Sivertson (left) accompanied his father, Don Sivertson on the June 2015 Honor Flight.

When a friend told Don Sivertson of Lutsen, a Korean War-era veteran, that he should apply to take part in the 2015 Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., he did so, but he didn’t think that he would be selected. When he learned he was going—and that his son, Paul Sivertson could accompany him— he was surprised. But that seems fitting for the soldier who had an unusual military career.

Don didn’t plan to join the service. He grew up in Menominee, Michigan and later in Wisconsin, north of Green Bay. He wanted to be an engineer, but those plans seemed in doubt when his father passed away when Don was in high school. He got through that tough time thanks to two uncles who said they would help him get to college if he went to Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

Don did and it was there where he met his future wife, Mary. They both graduated in 1950, Mary as a nurse; Don with a math and physics degree. They planned to work for a year and then get married. Don planned to go back to college for an advanced engineering degree.

 

 

He was working as a draftsman for Mid- Continent Airlines when he received his draft notice. He was to report to the induction center at Fort Sheridan, Illinois on January 10, 1951, where he learned that he would be assigned to H Company.

Don didn’t know what to expect, he told the News- Herald in a recent interview at his home in Lutsen. “You know what they say, the H is for ‘hell,’” he said.

However, it turned out to be a military hurry-upand wait scenario. He spent three weeks with the original group of recruits before they were shipped out. Don remained there, pulling duty as a fire guard, watching the coal stoves that heated the barracks. Another group arrived and left and then another. Each time when orders were issued, Don was left behind “I don’t know why,” he said.

Finally, he got word to pack up and go to headquarters. There, he and two other soldiers learned that they were being transferred to Washington, D.C. Don had one problem—he had never been issued proper gear. He boarded the train with his belongings in a gunny sack instead of a duffel bag, wearing a Class A Eisenhower jacket with a Class B shirt and wearing combat boots instead of dress shoes.

Don chuckled as he recalled that as soon as they got off the train in Washington they were met by the Military Police who hauled them to base. Since they arrived on the weekend, the sergeant didn’t know what to do with them, so he gave them a pass into town— where they were again met by the MPs and escorted back to base.

He was assigned to Fort Myer, South Post, across from the Pentagon, where he spent three weeks before again being told suddenly to pack up. He was put on a bus to Fort Belvoir, Virginia where he attended Advanced Engineering Basic Training—and where he finally got a proper uniform.

At the end of basic training, nine or 10 of the soldiers, as Special Professional Personnel (SPP), were assigned to the Engineer School. Most of the group were civil engineers and were sent to the Philippines to complete the land survey of the islands, which had never been surveyed before. Don was assigned as an instructor in the School of Topography, teaching astronomy.

“Using sightings on stars, we were able to calculate the longitude and latitude of that spot on earth, which is part of the map making process,” Don said, adding, “We were the paper and pencil GPS guys.”

He became a section head in the unit, a role that should have been a Sergeant First Class position, but none of the SPP saw rank higher than Private First Class because promotions all went, appropriately, he said, to the guys coming back from Korea.

In August of 1951, the Army let Don take leave back to Minnesota and he and Mary got married, honeymooning on the North Shore. They traveled back to the East Coast together and they lived in Washington, D.C., just 13 blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Mary worked as a psychiatric nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.

Don carpooled with the other people who worked in the engineering school. “I met some extremely interesting guys, all went on to have distinguished careers. Bottom line, it was a small, close-knit group. We had exceptional camaraderie.”

“I’m pleased that I had the opportunity to serve,” said Don, adding humbly, “I did have it soft. Every month they took someone to Korea.”

However, he added, “I really enjoyed the teaching job. Wherever they went, they were given the opportunity to use their training.”

Don was honorably discharged January 9, 1953. He returned to Minnesota and got a job with Univac in Minneapolis, working on the first internally stored computer system. He worked there 32 years, before retiring with Mary to Lutsen. Honor Flight an honor

Don was thrilled when he got notice that he was invited to take part in the Honor Flight. Each veteran has a “guardian” to accompany him or her and Don’s son Paul served as his guardian.

They were both impressed with how wellplanned the trip was, with organizers coordinating stops at the World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Women’s Veterans Memorial and the Air Force Memorial for 186 people. Paul said the Air Force Memorial was especially touching, with the curved three stainless steel sculptures, offset to represent the missing airmen.

“As impressive as it was to see these things, the most overwhelming thing was the people who work to put all this on and the people who come out to welcome the vets,” said Don.

Paul said the motorcycle escort through Washington, D.C. was amazing. He said the motorcycle officers leapfrogged from traffic light to traffic light, stopping traffic. “The bus never stopped,” said Paul. “We got from one monument to another in 10 minutes!”

Paul added that the airport even got in on the celebration of the veterans, coming and going, with an honor guard and bands playing. “They had their fire trucks on the runway, spraying a water salute. It was really neat to see,” he said.

Don nodded, “The whole thing was unbelievable. Especially meaningful was ‘mail call’ on the plane.”

Don received letters from Sawtooth Elementary School students and from family members. Paul had to sneak the letters aboard. “I had to take a couple of days to read them,” said Don. “It was all just overwhelming.”

Honor Flight Northland will be taking about 90 veterans to Washington, D.C. to see their Memorials on Saturday, April 30, 2016.

Donations and applications are now being accepted for this flight. For more information, visit www.honorflightnorthland.org.


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