Tag: Otter Tail County Minnesota

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Nord, Charles P.
Minnesota National Guard Chief warrant officer 2

Charles P. Nord, age 30, of Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Spouse: Kaley Nord

Child: Lydia, 2; also expecting a child.

Schools: Perham High (2007), Minnesota State Community and Technical College Moorhead (2011)
Military history: 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, assigned to Company C, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, St. Cloud, Minnesota

Date of death: Thursday, December 5, 2019
Death details: A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying him crashed in Kimball, Minnesota, killing three guardsmen. They were conducting a maintenance test flight

Source: WCCO, Pioneer Press (2019), Detroit Lakes Trubune (2019)

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Guck, Ralph Stephen
Air Force Staff sergeant

Ralph Stephen Guck, age 27, from Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, Otter Tail county.

Spouse: Dianne (Kirschenmann (married November 30, 1968)
Children: Edward Jerome

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Moorehead State College

Date of death: Sunday, November 29, 1970
Death details: Ten minutes after his departure from Phan Rang Air Base, the pilot started the descent to Cam Ranh Bay via a steep valley (3 km wide and 15 km long) at an altitude of 2,700 feet via heading 30°. Shortly later, ATC instructed the crew to change heading to 100° when contact was lost. The airplane struck trees with its both wings, stalled and crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located few km from Cam Ranh Bay Airport. Rescuers arrived on the scene five days later and found two men still alive while 42 other occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was nil due to low clouds.
Cemetery: Black Hills National

Source: National Archives, Cottonport Leader (1970), Pensacola News Journal (1970)

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Jenson, Michael Gregory
Army Staff sergeant

Michael Gregory Jenson, age 25, from Fegus Falls, Minnesota, Otter Tail county.

Parents: Henry Jenson

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Moorhead State College

Date of death: Saturday, May 9, 1970
Death details: Hostile, South Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Minneapolis Star (1970)

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Harworth, Elroy Edwin
Air Force sms

Elroy Edwin Harworth, age 24, from Elizabeth, Minnesota, Otter Tail county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: October 22, 1966
Death details: On October 22, 1986, the Central Identification Lab-Hawaii (CILHI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Senior Master Sergeant Elroy Edwin Harworth, missing from the Vietnam War.

Senior Master Sergeant Harworth, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Minnesota, served with the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron. On May 31, 1966, SMSgt Harworth served as a loadmaster aboard a C-130 Hercules (tail number 64-0511) that departed Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, on a classified bombing mission using special weapons against the Thanh Hoa Bridge in North Vietnam. During the bombing run, the Hercules was shot down and SMSgt Harworth was killed. Hostile presence in the area prevented immediate recovery efforts. In 1986, the Vietnamese government repatriated remains that were later identified as those of SMSgt Harworth.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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Strom, John Oscar
Army Private 1st class

John Oscar Strom, age 27, from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Otter Tail county.

Parents: John Strom

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: On April 11, 2005, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now DPAA) identified the remains of Corporal John Oscar Strom, missing from the Korean War. Corporal Strom entered the U.S. Army from Minnesota and served with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 1, 1950, Company D was supporting elements of the 1st Cavalry Division near Unsan, North Korea. That day, Chinese Communist Forces struck the 1st Cavalry Division’s lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. CPL Strom’s battalion withdrew to friendly lines south of the Kuryong River, but he was killed in action during this movement. Details surrounding his loss are unknown, and his remains were not recovered at the time. In 2002, a joint U.S./North Korean investigation team visited a site near Unsan where they recovered human remains, and U.S. analysts subsequently identified CPL Strom from these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Norman, Orris Nate
Navy Fireman 2nd class

Orris Nate Norman, age 26, from Otter Tail County Fergus Falls, Minnesota .

Parents: Oscar Norman

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Utah

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Minneapolis Star (1942)