Duluth News Tribune (Tribune News Service) – Published: February 11, 2015
On Feb. 10, 1941, the Northland’s own 125th Field Artillery Battalion of the Minnesota National Guard — 600 members strong — was inducted into federal service as the U.S. edged ever closer to war.
On Tuesday, 74 years to the date, a group of friends gathered at the Pickwick in Duluth to remember the unit and pay tribute to its members, including 22 surviving veterans scattered across 17 states.
But only one of those old soldiers took a seat at the table Tuesday: Bob Watts, 91, of Canyon.
In contrast to now, Watts remembers when past monthly meetings at the Pickwick would routinely draw together 50-60 World War II buddies from his unit.
The 125th became part of the 34th Red Bull Division, which served 517 days in combat during World War II — more than any other unit.
At 17, Watts was sent first to Camp Claiborne, La., where his unit received 10 months of combat training.
Watts wasn’t alone there. He served under the tutelage of his father, George, a first sergeant in the 125th. It wasn’t that strange of an arrangement, Watts said, noting that there were three father-son combinations in the unit. He recalled that younger members of the 125th affectionately referred to his father as “Pops.”
But the junior Watts’ support network was broader still. He described also being surrounded by about 30 guys from his graduating class at Central High School.
“If I hadn’t left with 30 people from my graduating class, I wouldn’t be standing here right now,” Watts said.
Shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 125th shipped out.
He described a strong sense of trust that developed within his circle.
“We knew each other going in. And you knew you were friends who were either going to die together or live by fighting together,” Watts said.
“We all stuck together, but we did lose a few,” he acknowledged.
In all, 125 soldiers from the unit were killed in service during the war, as the unit engaged in extensive combat throughout North Africa and Europe. Among the dead were 34 Duluthians.
At Tuesday’s gathering, Watts read from a letter he had sent home from Italy after 26 months overseas and 292 days of combat, often near the front line. In it, he detailed the hardships of inadequate food, exposure to the elements and the almost unrelenting fear of attack.
Watts described to his mother how he and fellow soldiers responded to the sound of approaching enemy aircraft and the strafing that inevitably ensued. “You hit a hole or lay down on the ground, just praying it will spare your life,” he wrote.
Any of the glamour of being a soldier had long faded for Watts, who told his mother: “It’s not fun anymore, and anyone back home that wants this kind of glory, I’ll be glad to change places.”
Although he couldn’t make it to Tuesday’s gathering, at least one other World War II member of the 125th still makes his home in Duluth: Gail “Bud” Freeman, 95, who now lives at St. Ann’s Residence.
Many of the people at the Pickwick on Tuesday continue to attend the gatherings in memory of family members or friends who served in the unit with Watts and Freeman.
Sue Anderson was the girlfriend of the late Luke Krmpotich, a forward observer for the 125th during World War II, and she has been attending the get-togethers at the Pickwick for about 25 years now. She has continued despite Krmpotich’s death in 2001, saying she wants to continue to honor the memory of all who served and to maintain friendships formed through the years.
Delaine Carlson, whose father, William Johnson, served as a colonel in the 125th, also regularly attends the monthly gatherings at the Pickwick.
Although her father has been dead for many years, Carlson said she feels compelled to keep in touch with those who served with him.
“He was as adamant about maintaining military connections as I am about history,” she said.
Carlson said it has been hard to watch the number of surviving World War II vets from the unit dwindle.
“It’s sad to see it going down,” she said. “I’m afraid our country is going to lose much of its true sense of patriotism when this generation is gone.”
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