Local men fight to the death for America's freedom

RALSTON – A half dozen men with ties to Ralston, Benge and Washtucna gave their lives in World War II, fighting for freedom for America.

Their stories are memorialized at the Ralston Memorial Park, a project sponsored by Ralston Grange #943.

Robert Kenneth Kent grew up in Benge and enlisted in the Army at the same time his brother Herbert was drafted, so the two could be together. The two were assigned to the 60th Coast Artillery and stationed in the Philippine Islands in 1941.

The brothers were able to remain together until they were captured by the Japanese in the fall of Bataan.

Robert was held in a prison camp until he was put on the Japanese transport ship Arisan Maru, with between 1,775 and 1,781 U.S. and Allied military and civilian prisoners of war (POWs).

The ship left Manila Oct. 20th, 1944, headed for Takao, Formosa. POWs were being shipped to Japan to work as slave laborers during the war. Because these transport ships also carried regular Japanese troops and cargo, they were not eligible to be marked as non-combatants, and so were at risk of being attacked by Allied submarines and aircraft.

According to the late William Bowen, whose father was one of the POWs on the Arisan Maru, the 6,886-ton ship was hit by a torpedo in the Bashi Straits of the South China Sea Oct. 24 at 5 p.m., sinking two hours later. Naval records indicate the USS Shark II was the submarine that hit the Arisan Maru. All 87 hands on the USS Shark II were lost, along with the submarine, in the same action. Nine POWs from the Arisan Maru survived. Five men sailed to China and were returned to the U.S. in Dec. 1944. Four men were picked up four or five days later by Japanese ships, and transported to Formosa ; one of whom died shortly after in a Formosa prison hospital. The others remained in prison camp until the end of the war.

Bowen, writing in "US-Japan Dialogue on POWs," said survivors debriefed in Washington, D.C. Dec. 5, 1944, reported the Japanese evacuated ship and were picked up by Japanese destroyers. Before leaving the ship, the Japanese cut the rope ladders leading in and out of the prisoner holds, but those were restored by prisoners, and almost all were able to get off the ship. Many swam towards the Japanese destroyers hoping to be rescued, but instead were beaten away from the ships with poles.

The Ritzville Journal-Times reported in the June 28, 1945, issue Kent's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kent of Benge, were informed by the war department their son was lost at sea while being transported to Japan.

"In the absence of any probability of survival, he must be considered to have lost his life and he will be carried on the records of the war department as killed in action Oct. 24, 1944," the letter stated. He had been a prisoner of war since the fall of Bataan in 1942.

He was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal and the Purple Heart.

The Journal-Times article reported all three of his brothers were in the service; Alfred with the Navy in the Pacific, Wilbur with the Army in Italy and Herbert in a prison camp on the Japanese mainland. The article stated the brothers had 11 cousins in the armed forces. According to Find A Grave Memorial, Charles Herbert Kent lived until 2012.

Robert Kent was 29 when he died.

Bowen quoted the inscription on the Pacific War Memorial on Corregidor as a final benediction for the men of the Arisan: "Sleep, my sons, your duty done, for Freedom's light has come; sleep in the silent depths of the sea, or in your bed of hallowed sod, until you hear at dawn the low, clear reveille of God."

Otto N. Lund and his younger brother Victor A. Lund, sons of Anders Nielsen Lund and Frances Augusta Freiner Lund of Benge, both served in WW II. Neither one made it home.

Otto was the first to die, killed in action two weeks before his 27th birthday, on Guadalcanal Jan. 15, 1943, according to WWII Memorials.

He was a Marine Gunner with the Marine Corps assigned to Company B, First Battalion, Eighth Marines, Second Marine Division. The US Marine Corps History Division also lists him killed in action in the Solomon Islands. According to WWII Memorials, the 2nd Marine Division was conducting combat operations on Guadalcanal during January, 1943.

Otto's memorial plaque at Ralston Memorial Park shares what Corporal Barney Ross, an ex-professional boxer and war hero wrote of Otto:

"Lund was a big fellow, lanky and a rough, tough customer. He was all marine. He knew all the tricks to protect his men and surprise the other ones. We all loved him. The fellows would have followed him anywhere."

Victor Lund operated his father's mink farm west of Benge after graduating from Washtucna High School. According to WWII Memorials, his draft card states he registered for the military Oct. 16, 1940, at the age of 21. He was 5'8" and weighed 145 pounds.

The National Archives Database states his date of enlistment as March 17, 1941. There were no records indicating he was married or had children. His father was listed as his next of kin, and his employer.

He served with the Army, assigned to Company E, 160th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division, in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

At the time he was killed in action, the 40th Infantry Division was conducting operations on the Philippine Island of Luzon. Hospital admission records indicate he died as a result of a small arms wound to the upper body, on June 12, 1945; 13 days from his 26th birthday.

Victor was part of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's invasion force. According to This Day in History, MacArthur's forces invaded the main Philippine island of Luzon in January, 1945. In February, Japanese forces at Bataan were cut off, and Corregidor was captured. The Philippine capital of Manila fell in March. According to records, MacArthur announced the Philippines had been liberated and all operations ended July 5, although the Japanese still held out in northern Luzon, with scatted resistance until the end of August. The war in Europe had already come to an end, on May 8. Formal surrender documents were signed by the Japanese on Sept. 2, 1945, designating the day as Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Mr. and Mrs. Anders Lund lost not just one son, but a second son so close to war's end.

Both men were awarded the American Campaign Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Purple Heart. In addition, Otto was awarded the American Defense Service Medal.

Both men are buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Mateo County, Calif.

Donald C. Schwerin of Ralston also served in the Pacific Theater, killed in action April 2, 1945; just a couple of months before Victor Lund.

Schwerin grew up on his family farm just south of Ralston, graduating from Ritzville High School in 1934.

According to WW2 Fallen 100, a website dedicated to honoring veterans on what would have been their 100th birthday, Schwerin completed two years of college at Washington State, and was working on the family farm. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1942. At the time, there were more volunteers than could be trained, so he wasn't called into active duty until Feb., 1943.

He became a second lieutenant and bombardier-navigator in the 23 Bombardment Squad, 5th Bombardment Group, 13th Air Force, equipped with B-24 Liberators.

Lt. Schwerin was sent to New Guinea in December 1944 to join the 23rd Bombing Squad as a replacement, and for the next four months he participated in bombing Japanese targets in the Philippines.

According to WW2 Fallen 100, Lt. Schwerin's plane took off on April 2 for an observation mission over Negros Island in the Philippines. The plane went missing, and it was later discovered all 11 men onboard were killed when the plane crashed into a mountain.

According to a Feb. 2, 1950 article in the Ritzville Journal-Times, Schwerin's body was recovered months after his plane went missing. He was interred in a military graveyard in the Pacific area, and the body returned to Ritzville days before the article went to press in 1950. Graveside services were held in Ritzville later that week, with the C.J. Newland American Legion Post conducting the services.

The Journal-Times reported Lt. Schwerin and the other members of his crew left the United States Dec. 4, 1944, in the face of a violent Pacific storm. They arrived safely in New Guinea, where their B-24 heavy bomber went into action against the Japanese, concentrating on enemy airfields and shipping targets in the Philippines area.

When their plane took off on April 2, 1945, the Journal-Times article reports "the craft, with its 11-man crew, faded into nowhere in less than 45 minutes after it had been contacted by two American fighter planes. For some time after the crewmen were reported missing in action, hope was maintained that eventually they might be found alive on an isolated south Pacific Island. It was discovered later, however, that the plane had crashed into a mountain in what was then Japanese-held territory. All the crewmen had been killed."

Lt. Schwerin was awarded the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal for his "courageous service in operation flight missions during which hostile attack was probable and expected."

His memorial plaque at the Ralston Memorial Park tells of a letter written to his family in which his Captain stated:

"Donald's unswerving loyalty and constant devotion to duty not only reflected highest credit to himself and the armed forces, but served as an inspiration to both officers and enlisted men."

Memorial services were held for Lt. Schwerin in October of 1946. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Schwerin of Ritzville, as well as two siblings.

William H. Parker's memorial plaque at the Ralston Memorial Park states he was born in Alberta, Canada Dec. 3, 1917. Parker's family moved to Ralston in 1939, where his father was employed as the depot agent for the Milwaukee Railroad.

Parker enlisted in the air corps that same year, and was a Staff Sergeant/Radio Operator at the time of his death. He was serving with the US Army Air Corps in the 19th Bomber Group, Heavy, 28th Bomber Squadron.

According to WWII Washington, Parker was assigned as Gunner on B-17E, Tail # 41-2435 with the 28th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group, in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He died Aug. 2, 1942, in the Solomon Sea area of the South Pacific. He was 24 years old.

His draft card data states he was assigned an Army Service Number that indicated he enlisted prior to Sept. 16, 1940, when the Selective Service Training and Service Act of 1940 was put into effect.

At the time of his death, his assigned B-17 bomber was part of a flight of B-17s searching for a convoy near Buna. The aircraft was intercepted by enemy aircraft and shot down with the loss of all but one crew member, Sgt. Ranta. It was Ranta's eyewitness statement that listed the death location as "In the Solomon Sea area, South Pacific."

Initially classified as Missing in Action, he and the other missing crew were declared dead on Jan. 7, 1946. His remains were never recovered.

Parker was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart.

The Ralston Memorial Park is named for one more service member lost during WWII, Reinhardt J. Keppler, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

According to his memorial plaque at the Ralston Memorial Park, Keppler was born "in the house on top of the hill, just south of the park," in a house that served as the parsonage for his minister father's church.

Keppler graduated from Wapato High School in 1935, enlisting in the Navy on Feb. 19, 1936 at the age of 18.

After four years of service, he was honorably discharged. He re-enlisted April 25, 1940, and was assigned to the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco.

He advanced to Boatswain's Mate First Class to be the leading petty officer in his division, and participated in action at Pearl Harbor, the early wartime raids on Bougainville and New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands campaign.

For his heroism when a plane crashed into the San Francisco, Keppler was awarded the Navy Cross. Twelve hours later, on Nov. 12, 1942, a Japanese bomber crashed into his ship, and he was fatally wounded. Still, Keppler assisted in saving men, fighting fire, and caring for the resulting casualties.

His Medal of Honor citation reads:

"For extraordinary heroism and distinguished courage above and beyond the call of duty while serving aboard the U.S.S. San Francisco during action against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands, 12-November 13, 1942. When a hostile torpedo plane, during a daylight air raid, crashed on the after machine-gun platform, Keppler promptly assisted in the removal of the dead and, by his capable supervision of the wounded, undoubtedly helped save the lives of several shipmates who otherwise might have perished. That night, when the hangar was set afire during the great battle off Savo Island, he bravely led a hose into the starboard side of the stricken area and there, without assistance and despite frequent hits from terrific enemy bombardment, eventually brought the fire under control. Later, although mortally wounded, he labored valiantly in the midst of bursting shells, persistently directing fire-fighting operations and administering to wounded personnel until he finally collapsed from loss of blood, aged 24. His great personal valor, maintained with utter disregard of personal safety, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."

The memorial includes additional history on Keppler; and mentions several other honors bestowed on Keppler, including the U.S.S. Keppler, a 2200-ton destroyer christened at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in San Francisco June 24, 1946, in his honor.

The Ralston Park was created to celebrate the nation's bicentennial, and dedicated to Keppler on June 22, 2002. The park is maintained by Ralston Grange members, and includes a playground, picnic table, BBQ pit and shade trees, making it a tranquil spot to stop and learn about these brave young men who gave their lives in service to our country and to protect the precious freedom will still hold today.