Not all families were so fortunate to have their loved ones return from war safely. Every family has its own stories. Every combat veteran’s story is difficult. Every veteran is affected and every family is affected. The veterans themselves are least likely to use the term hero. In one sense the following is one family’s story, in another every family’s.
The Purple Wren’s family is just one example.
- her Uncle Kay Anderson, a science teacher turned navigator in the Army Air Corps in WW2, was killed on take-off when his bomb-laden B-17 clipped the tree tops; he is buried in England
- her father Bob Renshaw as an infantryman in the South Pacific fought in some of the toughest battles of WW2 including beach landings; he returned safely and deeply affected
- her Uncle Stan Swanson served in the Army in WW2; near 90 he lives in Arizona
- her only other uncle, Minnesota native, Medal of Honor winner, Lt. Colonel Leo Thorsness was an F-105 pilot flying Wild Weasel missions over Vietnam when he was shot down, captured, and held in Hanoi for six years. His backseater was Iowan Harold E. “Harry” Johnson. His story is powerful, and he is a frequent speaker in the Midwest. You can hear his story in a 90 minute video at Pritzker Military Library. You may also want to read Leo Thorsness’s book Surviving Hell: A POW’s Journey.
Every family has its own stories.
photo by flickr by OZinOH
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