Letter to the Editor: Following in footsteps of special veteran

Letters to the Editor Letter to the Editor: Following in footsteps of special veteran November 14, 2026 3 min read Trending Steven Moen Minot The veteran I would like to honor is my dad, George Moen, a WWII vet. He grew up south of Minot during the dirty '30s, one of 12 kids. He graduated from the 8th grade in a rural school, never stepped foot outside of North Dakota until he joined the Navy. In January 1943 he left for Farragut, Idaho, for boot camp, then off to Norfolk, VA, where he was trained to be a radar operator on a subchaser ship. He said he wasn't very good at fixing the radar so he became a Motor Machinist Mate and worked on diesel engines instead. This little ship was 12-feet' long 17-feet wide, had a total of 28 crew members and off to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea they went. Can you imagine crossing the Atlantic in a ship so small? Dad said you had to stick your head out of the forward hatch to see how big the waves were and gauge when the ship rolled and then get out and run on the high side to get into the aft hatch before it rolled back or you could be up to your knees in water. They had to take on fuel and drinking water 3 times on the way over. He then took part in the invasion of Sicily and Italy. His battle station was the loader on the 40mm gun. His ship and others escorted convoys of ships from North Africa to the beach heads. Once these landings were secured his ship was sold to France and back to the good ol USA, where he transferred to a Minesweeper and headed for the Pacific via the Panama Canal. He was part of the invasion of Okinawa and Formosa. His battle station was to catch the empties on the 3"/50 gun and throw them over the side so no one would trip over them. He and others swept mines all over Asian waters, including the Japanese waters. As a kid I grew up listening to war stories my dad told me. I always asked for more. He is one of the main reasons I joined the Navy after high school. My younger brother also joined the Marines. Serving our country is a privilege that many did and some still do today. I have numerous uncles who served and cousins who followed in their fathers' footsteps. Dad and I used to kid each other as he served on a subchaser and I served on a submarine. Back in the day he would be looking for me and I would have been hiding from him. Following in his footsteps worked out great for me. My come to Jesus moment came in the Navy and my engine room training got me a good job in a powerplant in Beulah. Thanks Dad!