For the next five weeks leading up to Memorial Day, the Star Eagle will present an article a week attempting to reconstruct the military history of five brothers from a farm near New Richland, Minnesota. Each article will focus on one brother and their service as can be determined based on incomplete research, conjecture, and the fading memories of surviving siblings. Those who know more about the boys and their military history are welcome to share their insight with the Star Eagle.  

By COLBY ROOT

Contributing writer

Introduction

Between January 1942 and December 1972, five of Burchard Bailey Root, born 1889 and Esther (Gehring) Root, born 1900, five of seven sons served in the US military. Of the two who didn’t serve, one died shortly after birth and the other sacrificed his wishes of fighting in Korea to the responsibility of maintaining the home farm during a time of family crisis. In order of age, the brothers are: Vern Russell Root born in 1921, US Navy WWII; Marvin “Hans” “Tiger” Curtis Root, born 1923, US Navy, WWII, Korea, Vietnam; William “Bill” Burchard Root, born 1927, US Navy WWII, US Army Occupation of Germany and Vietnam War; Donald Jack Root, born and died 1928; Orville “Buck” Keith Root, 1931 farmer; Gene “Buzz” Harlan Root born 1933, US Marines, Korean Conflict; and David Wayne Root born 1938, US Navy 1956 to 1959.

In January 1942, only a few weeks after Pearl Harbor, Vern Russell Root struggled with a hernia. He knew the Military wouldn’t take him. His younger brother, Marvin, enlisted in the Navy and Vern wanted to do the same, but it had to wait. He needed an operation first. While his brother, Marvin, was in basic training, Vern was being operated on and then convalescing. By the time Vern was ready to enlist, six months had passed and his 19 year-old brother, Marvin, was about ready to ship out to the South Pacific. They would likely not see each other for the rest of the war.

Vern went to basic training in July of 1942. After that, mine training to learn how to set mines at sea. After that, only six months after leaving home, he was back on furlough. On the day after Christmas 1942, he married his sweetheart, Berniece “Bern” Hein. Nine months later, while he was off for more technical training, his new bride, Berniece, would have the first of their children—Shirley Jeanne Root. Vern would not lay eyes on his daughter until two years later when he was discharged at the end of the war after seeing substantial fighting. Throughout 1943 and 44, Vern was stateside learning the ins and outs of setting mines at sea and going to landing-craft training, perhaps for the possible invasion of Honshu. But on January 1, 1945, he was stationed on the USS Thomas E. Fraser (DM 24) in Pearl Harbor. From there things would accelerate quickly. Aboard the Destroyer/Minelayer, he would start a rudimentary journal, one that is both matter of fact but riveting. By Feb 19, 1945 he is manning his battle station while on submarine patrol near Iwo Jima. These are his first two entries:

Feb 20, 1945—We manned our battle stations at 0400 and commenced bombarding the beach again. On our third salvo we knocked out a Jap gun emplacement. After that, our planes bombarding, and strafing. We fired some white phosphorus projectiles and received word from the beach that after we put a projectile in a cave that the Japs came running out and the marines mowed them down. What they didn’t get our machine guns did. We got word that we did the best firing they had ever seen and boy! That sure made us feel good.

Feb 21, 1945—Sometime in the morning we saw light and went to investigate. We found three marines in an amphibious craft. They had been drifting since yesterday morning. They said that when the first wave of marines hit the beach that nearly all were killed. We went in for bombarding. This time we relieved the cruiser Vicksburg. We knocked out a pill box and 2 houses today. Then we went back on patrol. We had an air raid about dark. We didn’t get to fire at them, but they got one of our big carriers.

Throughout the Journal, Vern describes how lucky he and the crew of the USS Thomas E. Fraser were, how they were near to destruction on numerous occasions, but somehow made it through while other ships and crews are severely damaged. Not only does he describe the battle at Iwo Jima and later Okinawa from a sailor's perspective, seeing Admiral Halsey and being one of the first US vessels to enter Tokyo Harbor for the Japanese surrender. Finally he describes watching General Douglas MacArthur pass in a small boat as he headed to the Japanese surrender on USS Missouri.

The last two of his Journal entries are particularly telling about the grind of the Military:

Nov 1, 1945—Arrived in Minneapolis this morning. Went out to Wool Chamberlain field for discharge. It will take about three days.

Nov 14, 1945—Received my discharge papers this morning about 11:30 and left for home. Got to Bern’s about 1500.

Vern finally got to see his daughter, Shirley Jeanne, for the first time. In the ensuing years he and Berniece would have five more children: Teddi, Butch, Sharon, Scott, and Randy. The family would farm in Owatonna and later in Pine City. But for Vern being home, farming and raising a family did not make everything alright. He suffered from alcohol abuse until 1960, when at his youngest brother Dave’s wedding, he became drunk and Berniece issued an ultimatum—seek help or she would leave. He joined AA and later turned adversity into service by becoming a substance abuse counselor. He helped organize an alcohol treatment center at Pine Manor. In the 1980’s he accepted a counselor position in Bozeman Montana. Due to ill health, he returned to Minnesota and settled in Moose Lake in 1985. He died in Dec 27, 2005. Bernice died three months later on March 3, 2006. Both are buried in Saint Peter’s Cemetery near New Richland.

Part 2 next week. 

Editorial Note: The girls of the Root clan were no less patriotic than their brothers and bear mentioning here as their names may be scattered throughout the coming articles: Anita (Root) Jewison born 1922 who quit her job as a beautician to work at a factory making radio equipment for the military during WWII; Barbara (Root) Tolzmann, 1925 who was training to be a teacher at the time of WWII; Nona (Root) Smith, January 1929,  who married David Smith a sailor in WWII, and whose son George was wounded in Vietnam; Iola "Odie" (Root) Schroeder Borchert December 1929; Thelma (Root) Yess 1934; Opal (Root) Hofius 1935, who married Charles Hofius, US Army Korea. Opal Hofius, her two sons also servved in the military, Donnie Hofius and Chad Hofius.