This was an interview conducted on February 11, 1990 by Richard Olson. Albert Wedell was born September 29, 1911 in Milaca, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and trained in California. He was assigned to the repair division of the U.S.S. Louisville, on which he served in the Aleutian Islands and the South Pacific. He discussed the armaments of the ship, the conditions aboard, men he met in the crew, and some of the attacks on the ship by Japanese ships and aircraft. While in the Navy, Wedell married Velma Swenson on March 14, 1945, and was honorably discharged on October 27, 1945. After the war, he ran a dairy farm near Milaca for 45 years and served on the Chase Brook School Board, the local telephone and creamery boards, and the county ASCA. Wedell passed away on March 16, 2000 and was buried in Borgholm Cemetery in Bock, Minnesota. He was survived by his wife, two sons, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Chester Judd was born on Apr 2, 1916 and served as a first lieutenant in the Air Force during World War II. . He was stationed in England from September 1944 to late 1945 and was a B-17 copilot on 35 missions. Judd described camp life, including food and lodging, and explains how the planes were organized for actual missions. He described several combat experiences and how pilots and crew dealt with the strain, particularly flying his final mission. He returned to the United States and flew C-47 cargo planes to transport wounded veterans to hospitals across the country. After the war he became a farmer. He died on November 15, 1995.
This was an interview conducted on February 11, 1990 by Richard Olsen. Donald E. Anderson was born on April 5, 1922 in Milaca, Minnesota. He joined the National Guard in 1939 at the age of 16. Anderson entered World War II assigned to the 34th Division Field Artillery and spent most of his service in North Africa and Italy. Anderson discussed his frustration with ninety-day wonders. Anderson also experienced taking German prisoners, as well as interacted with civilians in Italy. He was also present when the body of Mussolini was hanging from a building. After being discharged from service in 1945, Anderson opened a restaurant as well as worked as a postal worker. Anderson passed away on August 29, 1999 at the age of 77.
This interview was conducted on February 18, 1990 by Richard Olson. Sherby Roy Woods was born August 17, 1918 in Iowa. After moving to Minnesota, he worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps and the lumber industry as a heavy equipment operator in northern Minnesota. Woods was drafted into the Army on October 14, 1941 at the age of 23. During the war, he was attached to Company B, 6th Armored Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division. Discharged as a Technician Fifth Grade, Woods worked in heavy equipment and demolitions during campaigns in North Africa and Italy. Woods shared his opinions of Allied soldiers and Axis Power POWs and what he described as the poor training given to replacement troops. He also described how the war changed the U.S. military, including his improvised invention of a more efficient automatic transmission system for light tanks. After returning to the U.S. in 1945, Woods married Cora Lillian Moe, attended heavy equipment maintenance school on the GI Bill, and began a long series of treatments for a facial injury at the Veterans Administration hospital. He worked on heavy equipment for Milaca County until his retirement. Woods concluded the interview with a discussion of contemporary events such as apartheid in South Africa and stated that embargos are a more effective tool than war. He passed away on January 23, 2007 at the age of 88 and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Milaca, Minnesota.
Makoons (Oliver Benjamin) and Zhaawanigiizhigookwe (Millie Benjamin), educator of Ojibwe Language and Culture grades 4 through 12 at Nay Ah Shing School on the Mille Lacs reservation, are speaking Ojibwe, their first language, in interviews for a television documentary on the history and culture of Lake Superior Anishinaabe. Mrs. Benjamin tells a story in Ojibwe about Wenaboozhoo; Nanabozho and why it is important for children to speak the language and to continue it. Mr. Benjamin speaks about his background and teaching the children.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth Kathryn A. Martin Library, University Archives
Makoons (Ole Nickaboine) Educator of Ojibwe Language and Culture grades 4 through 12 at Nay Ah Shing School on the Mille Lacs reservation, Mille Lacs Ojibwe elders speaking Ojibwe,his first language, in interviews for a television documentary on the history and culture of Lake Superior Anishinaabe. He speaks about teaching children and teaching them the Ojibwe language.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth Kathryn A. Martin Library, University Archives
Gi Mi Wun (Raining Boyd), army veteran, truck driver retiring in 1978, singer and member of the drum society and Mille Lacs Ojibwe elder is speaking Ojibwe, his first language, in an interview for a television documentary on the history and culture of Lake Superior Anishinaabe. Mr. Boyd states: As an Indian being helped from the spirits, there is an the understanding of what is being talked about by the Indian.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth Kathryn A. Martin Library, University Archives
