GaryOsberg.com

Dad served in the Pacific during World War II. Like a lot of veterans, he did not talk about it very much. After he died I found a notebook that he had written in, beginning with, “I have a closet full of regrets”. It was an unusual collection of thoughts, ending with a reference to December 13, 1983, the day that he finally decided to quit drinking. On that final page he also noted, “I am no big believer that battle fatigue was the cause of my drinking, but there were the 2 ½ months at Okinawa that I do not care to talk about. It was so unreal, like bad television”. The battle of Okinawa proved to be the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. A total of 219,000 persons lost their lives in that one battle. 12,000 of our troops died and 36,000 were wounded.

A few years ago a coffee shop buddy and I donated a framed print of the U.S. Navy painting that is hanging in the Committal Hall at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls.   We donated it to the American Legion Post 328 in St. Joseph. My buddy Phil’s father served on the destroyer USS Converse in the Pacific during the war and my dad served on the USS Vammen, a destroyer escort. The limited edition print was presented in honor of Norman P. Ringstrom and William E. Osberg and all other Navy Veterans.

There are five original 8 foot x 10 foot paintings in the Committal Hall. One for each of the five branches of the United States Military. They were painted by a native of Little Falls, Charles Gilbert Kapsner. You can view the art of Charles Kapsner at www.buonfresco.com   If you are interested in visiting the Committal Hall at the Veterans Cemetery, simply give Eric Sogge a call at 320-616-2527.

“Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free”. General Dwight Eisenhower