On Veterans Day, remembering Lars Larson and his 'devotion to duty'

Nov. 11—LAKOTA, N.D. — Gordon Nelson has fond memories of his uncle, Lars Larson, who served in a special U.S. military unit, sometimes referred to as the "Viking Battalion," during World War II.

He and his family are rightly proud of his service in the military, but even more so were "thrilled" when he returned home after the war ended in 1945, he said.

"He was a favorite uncle," Nelson said. "He was everybody's favorite uncle — very patient, a kind person."

Today, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day, intended to "honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was made a legal holiday in 1938 to honor veterans of World War I. In 1954, it was changed to Veterans Day, honoring all veterans.

The name change came after — as the Department of Veterans Affairs notes on its website — World War II saw "the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the nation's history."

Among them was Larson, a native of Brocket, North Dakota, who served in the U.S. Army's 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate), a unit of about 1,000 Norwegian-Americans and Norwegians in exile. They were recruited to the unit because they could read, write and speak Norwegian.

They trained as ski troopers at Camp Hale, Colorado; fought in battles across Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge; and helped to liberate Norway near the end of the war.

After the German army was defeated, the unit served as the Honor Guard that ushered the ship carrying King Haakon VII and his family back from exile in England to Oslo, Norway, on June 7, 1945, exactly five years after they had been evacuated from Tromso.

As the war ended, Larson's battalion was tasked with "routing out Germans who were hiding out in Norwegian homes," Nelson said. While doing so, he met a young relative, Lars Bjella, and later other members of his father's family in Hallingdal. Some visited him later in North Dakota, and he returned several times to visit family in Norway.

In Gordon and Darlene Nelson's home in Lakota, the medals Larson received for his service are displayed under glass in a beautifully framed wooden case. They include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, Battle of the Bulge, Overseas Service medals and the 1941-1945 WWII Veteran patch.

Larson received the Purple Heart for a shrapnel wound after being shot in the leg. He received the Bronze Star for heroic achievement in September 1944 in Belgium after he was wounded, but "refused available medical aid and evacuation, stating his wound was slight and that his services manning the Browning Automatic Rifle were too urgently needed by his squad," the citation read. "(He fired) on the enemy, causing 12 Germans to surrender to members of his platoon. His courageous spirit of self-sacrifice and his devotion to duty were an inspiration to his comrades."

The Viking Battalion, dubbed an "ethnic" unit, was originally formed by the U.S. War Department in 1942. It was first organized at Camp Ripley, near Little Falls, Minnesota, and then sent to Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the first few months of its existence, according to a synopsis of a book on the Battalion.

In late 1942, the U.S. Army sent the unit to Camp Hale, Colorado, to begin a rigorous training regimen in the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains, where they were trained in mountain climbing, skiing and winter survival, with the original mission of liberating Norway.

Larson wrote letters home, describing the hours of ski training with a 70-pound backpack.

"Was a damn hard trip the last 4 miles or so," he wrote. "We were going through a snowstorm. It wasn't blowing very hard, but it sure was snowing. So they are letting us have it."

A highly publicized visit by President Franklin Roosevelt to Camp Hale was meant to convince the Germans that the U.S. was preparing to invade Norway, which would force Hitler to keep his 350,000 soldiers, plus planes, tanks and ships, in Norway, rather than deploying them to other likely continental invasion sites, such as the Normandy region of France.

Instead, the Viking Battalion would serve in Europe and participate in some of the most important and significant events there.

After returning from military service, Larson was employed by Johnson Stores Company as a truck driver for 18 years, until he purchased a Johnson Store in Portland, North Dakota, which was one of several company stores in the area. He operated that store for 13 years, until he retired to Lakota. He never married.

Larson did not speak much, if at all, about his experiences in the war, Gordon Nelson said. "We were told as kids not to bother him about it."

The only thing he talked about were friends he served with during the war. Another man from Nelson County was also in the unit and, after the war, the two would get together.

"He went to some of the battalion reunions, too," Gordon Nelson said. "And he enjoyed that."

Generally, he was a quiet man, a "very kind man," said Darlene Nelson. He was "a joy" to be around.

Larson was quietly generous too, she said. "At Christmastime, he would take boxes of gifts to families he knew needed them."

He died in 1984 at age 73 and is buried at Whitman Cemetery in Whitman, North Dakota.

Larson is also the focus of a chapter in the book, "The Viking Battalion: Norwegian American Ski Troopers in World War II," which was released this past summer. The book was edited by Olaf Minge, Kyle Ward, and Eric Brun. The latter is the head of the Viking Battalion's WWII Educational Foundation. Ward is a faculty member at Minnesota State University Mankato.

Larson is included in a new general exhibit on the history of the Historic Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minn. The exhibit, which opened Sept. 16, features the stories of dozens of men and women in uniform to illustrate the breadth and depth of military experiences at Fort Snelling, reaching back to 1820.

The WWII section includes a large cutout photo of Pvt. Larson, a brief biography, along with some quotes from letters he wrote, a "Viking" shoulder patch of the type worn by soldiers of the 99th Battalion after the war, and several panels depicting the history of the battalion. The exhibit is scheduled to run at Historic Fort Snelling through at least 2031, William Convery, an official there, said.

The book chapter and exhibit capture letters he wrote home to family members in North Dakota and photos of him in the service.

Mark Nelson, of Denver, Colorado — Gordon Nelson's nephew — is an ex-officio member of the 99th Infantry Battalion's WWII Educational Foundation, which, he said, "is always looking for donations and stories about the Battalion members."

Mark Nelson, whose grandmother was Lars Larson's sister, said his family is very proud of Larson's service — as well as that of other family members who served in WWII and, thankfully, all came back — but particularly about his service in the liberation of Norway.

"That connection to Norway is very special," he said.