Washington Island Military Archive
American Legion Post #402 - Gislason-Richter Post of Washington Island
Welcome to the Washington Island Military Archives
This is a collaborative effort to remember those who served in the United States military from Washington Island, and to a small extent the few who came from Rock Island during the time when people lived and worked on that island.
It should be noted that the Military Archive was assembled from a trove of material, much of it in the Island Archives, as well as from family memorabilia and genealogical material. Attached to some of the names is also a set of interviews that I, John Gay, did with a number of members of the American Legion. These interviews were done in league with a major archival effort currently being conducted by the Library of Congress and where copies of these interviews are stored. They may be accessed at the Library of Congress by simple inquiry.
The Washington Island Military Archives is a result of my original effort of working with a Chicago area library on the Library of Congress initiative to record the stories of our people in service for posterity. Members of the military, from whatever war or period of service, would be interviewed for at least a half hour to tell their story of service. Most interviews were about an hour in length. These interviews were then converted by a very patient transcriber into a document which was then presented to the service member for editing and correction. The final copy was then sent in both audio and transcribed form to the Library of Congress as a repository of history. More than 100,000 have been recorded so far, some two dozen from Washington Island.
In the midst of that undertaking it seemed that maybe an effort should also be made to record in one grouping the stories of all the Islanders who served in our military from the time of human occupation. The pictures in the American Legion hall seemed to want to tell a story, but there was no story. So we began to search the Island Archives. I called the Wisconsin Military Museum in Madison hoping for help, but was told, "No problem, there are only five who were in service." I said, "Well there happen to be over 200 of them buried in our cemetery." And I went to work scouring any trove of information I could find. We are above 540 at the moment with some still unaccounted for, I am sure. The material includes a tribe of Indians who were led to fight the British General Braddock in the French and Indian wars, and a few who are only names supplied by the original Island settlers and about whom there is no other information. Many were from the Civil War where documents are scarce and sometimes misleading.
This archive is incomplete. We need the input from our readers to fill out the great vacuum of facts about many of these men and women. Please do what you can to complete the small bios presented here. They deserve it. They are all important, they all served. To add to these files send or bring your material to the American legion, to the Island Archives or to the Island Library. Additionally, you may use the contact form below to email us. These men and women of our military will appreciate it.
Thank you for your consideration.
—John Gay | November 2016
One of 20 charter members of the American Legion Post 402. Commander of the Post in 1943. Except for the year he was Post Commander (1943), he was Post Finance Officer from 1935 (the inception of the post to 1948. Chris Soldum’s brother. Son of Jorgen (George) and Mitta Anderson. Married Erma Foss Feb 28, 1945 in a double ring ceremony at the Sunset Resort. Later there was a dance at Tom Nelson’s Hall.
Serial number – 988192.
Entered service 2/24/1943 Ft. Sheridan. Discharged 2/21/1946. Battery A 797th AAR-AW-BN, Also Basttery D 864th AAR-AW-BN. Sailed from US 10/21/1944, arriving
He moved to the Island with his parents as a young lad, Thor and Mae Williamson in the Spring of 1965. He attended the Island school, graduating with the class of 1967.
Entered service Feb 13, 1942 at Camp Grant, IL. Discharged October 13, 1945 at Camp Grant, IL, earned the Victory Medal. He was stationed at Ontario Field, CA; AAF Chanute Field, IL; Hunter Field, GA; Camp Robinson, Little Rock, AK, where he won a medal for being the best shot in the company. Also Auto Drivers and Maintenance School, Heavy Equipment Operator School, and refueling driver for lighter planes. Corporal ASN #36235078. APO address was 461st Service Squadron 149, Postmaster NY. Married Edith Jensen on March 17, 1942. Worked on the Ferry later in life. He was a commercial fisherman and had two brothers, Victor and Jim. His parents were Newell and Stella Lehner. Related to Aileen Marie and Wally who lived on Main Road. He had two sons, David, and Earl, who was a painter, and had works in the Art and Nature Center.
