Ole B. Berg
Ole B. Berg from Trondhjem, Minnesota was drafted in 1918 and served as a private with a Field Artillery unit of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. During his service he received many letters from friends and family back home. Shortly after he was drafted, his friend Olga Skauge wrote:
"Have you had any pictures taken yet? Be sure to remember us with some. We are anxious to see how you look as a soldier."
Luckily for her, Berg did have his photograph taken:
While we do not have letters Berg wrote about his wartime experiences, we do have the letters he received while abroad. The letters mailed to Ole from home were full of farm news and updates on friends and family. His parents even wrote him a few in Norwegian, their native language. Click on the links below to read the letters about life on the home front that Ole received while he was “somewhere in France.”
- Letter to Ole B. Berg from John O. Berg, and Mrs. John O. Berg, postmarked Northfield Minnesota
- Letter addressed to Ole B. Berg "Somewhere in France" from Sadie Skauge
- Letter addressed to Ole B. Berg from father John O. Berg, Northfield, Minnesota
- Letter addressed to Ole B. Berg from Thea Berg
- Letter addressed to Ole B. Berg from Ella Warn, Waskatena, Canada
During the war, Ole also corresponded with his friends serving in the military. They often used stationery with colorful YMCA letterheads and swapped stories about their experiences. Ole sent a letter from France to his friend Oscar Gustafson at Camp Sevier, SC. Oscar replied:
"Well, Ole, yours was the first letter that I got at this place so I sure was glad to hear from you and to know that you are alright and still living."
Another friend, Sam Cowden, wrote:
"So keep the ball a-rolling + maybe we will see the bunch back in Old Minnesota again soon. So wishing you all kinds of good luck I am going to ring off + say Till We Meet Again."
Berg fought in battles in the Argonne Forest and at St. Mihiel and was treated at a New York hospital for injuries and shell shock before returning to Rice County in 1919.
Read more accounts of the war using the page links below.