ND Veterans Affairs News: State

Staff Sergeant Ralph Bender was born in Berlin, LaMoure County, North Dakota on September 19, 1922.

Ralph served as a Staff Sergeant & Ball Turret Gunner on B-17G "Paper Doll" #42-31112, 710th Bomber Squadron, 447th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

He resided in Maricopa County, Arizona prior to the war.

He enlisted in the Army on October 15, 1942 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a sheet metal worker and also as Single, without dependents.

Born Lehr, NDak 25 Jan 12; resident Logan County, NDak; entered US Army Ft Lincoln, NDak 21 May 39; served Asiatic Pacific Theater; KIA 27 Nov 50 Chosin, Korea; buried/memorialized at the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial

born Fredonia, NDak 6 Jun 19; resident Logan County, NDak; entered ABS Ft Snelling, Minn 26 Apr 41; served Asiatic Pacific Theater; died in service 13 Feb 45 Southwest Pacific; buried in Block 5, Lot 6, Grave 2 at Geckle Cemetery, Geckle, NDak. 

Robert Arnold Bergman was born in Mooreton, Richland County, North Dakota on March 7, 1919, to Ben Bergman and Bertha Bjornstad Bergman. He graduated from Wahpeton High School in 1936 and entered the United States Army in Wahpeton, North Dakota on February 10, 1941. He started with Company I and continued with local company through training in Camp Clairborne, Louisiana, then guard duty in Idaho and into action in the South Pacific where he was wounded at Guadalcanal.

born Ada, Minn 24 Nov 17; resident Cass County, NDak; entered US Navy Cass County, NDak 3 Jan 42; o/s theater unk; died in service 19 Aug 44 Kiska Island; remains not recovered.

born Bismarck, NDak 14 Apr 21; resident Burleigh County, NDak; entered AUS Bismarck, NDak 1 Apr 41; served European African Middle Eastern Theater; died in service 24 Dec 43 European Area; buried in Plot E, Row 3, Grave 107 Cambridge, England

Private First Class Jack C. Beckwith was born on March 12, 1924, in LaMoure, North Dakota. Jack was the second child of Norman and Verlie Beckwith. He had an older sister, Norma Jean Beckwith. His parents divorces when he was five and at age seven his mother remarried to Severt Ohnstad. He has a half-brother named Samuel. He used the surname Ohnstad until entering the military.

He sang in the church choir and played guard on his high school football team. He wanted to become a minister and spent a semester at Jamestown College in ND before being drafted.

born Benson County, NDak 19 Apr 22; resident Benson County, NDak; entered US Army Ft Snelling, Minn 22 Dec 42; died in service 15 Dec 44 Galveston, Tex; buried in Warwick Cemetery, Warwick, NDak.

born Weyburn, Canada 15 Jun 15; resident Benson County, NDak; entered AUS Ft Snelling, Minn 6 Nov 43; died in service 17 Dec 43 Lake Pontchartrain, La; burial place unk. 

born Dickinson, NDak 30 Sep 34; resident Stark County, NDak; entered USAF place unk 15 Apr 53; served European African Middle Eastern Theater; died in service 9 Jul 55 in France; buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Dickinson, NDak.