Veterans

World War II veteran Harold Krusemark honored at 100th birthday ceremony

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[January 16, 2022]   Monday, January 10th was a special day at the Christian Village in Lincoln. It was a day of celebration of one of the CV residents, Harold Krusemark. Harold was celebrating his 100th birthday and was being honored by the local Marine Corps League and other veterans and veteran organizations.

The special recognition ceremony was held in the activity room of the congregate building at the village.



The room filled quickly with well-wishers and special guests. Krusemark was accompanied by his son Jim and seated at a table at the front of the room.

Veteran Bill Dennis led the event.

Special guests seated behind Krusemark rose one at a time and introduced themselves.

Those guests included Logan County Deputy Jack Wagner, Logan County Veteran Assistance Commission Superintendent Dan Benedict, Marine Corps League member Michael Downen, and American Legion Past Commander and current Commander of the American Legion Color Guard Bob Sullivan.



Dennis introduced Joe Schaler, a veteran, member of the VAC, the Military Order of the Purple Heart and active in many veteran initiatives locally and around the state.



Also on hand for the event was Illinois Senator and Logan County native Sally Turner. Dennis asked her to stand saying that she was the current selected State Senator and soon to be elected State Senator.



Dennis started the program thanking everyone for attending and noting the reason for the ceremony was to recognize Harold Krusemark. He noted that it was Krusemarks 100th birthday, and that there were only a few soldiers who had ever made it to see such a day.



He thanked Julie King of the CV for helping to coordinate the event in a safe manner. He said that originally the event was scheduled to take place outside, but with the turn of the temperatures it was decided that inside would be safer for the well-being of the guests. He said King had made that happen in a safe manner for all.

It was also noted that American Flags had been placed outside at the entrance of the building courtesy of the Patriot Guard.

Dennis said that the community was blessed because he knew of three more veterans of World War II who would celebrate the century mark in the near future.

The three he named were Wayne Sheley, Orville Schaffer and Bill Gossett. He asked if those men were present and two of the three were. Dennis asked for a round of applause for those three.



Dennis then asked Schaler to take the podium to address the group.
 


Schaler had with him a biography of Harold Krusemark that had been put together by Harold’s daughter Karen Yocius. The biography was written in first person as dictated by Harold himself.

I was inducted in the U.S. Army on the 2nd of October 1942 at Peoria, Illinois and reported for active duty on October 16th, 1942 at Camp Grant, Illinois. This was the beginning of four-and-a half years of my military experience. My basic training was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where I stayed on assignment as an instructor of the Field Artillery. Other assignments in preparation for overseas duty took me to camps in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, California and Tennessee.

I received a 2nd Lieutenant’s commission in Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I was then assigned to serve as a Wheeled Vehicle Motor Officer in the Service Battery of the 161st Field Artillery of the 35th Division at Camp Rucker, Alabama. The division participated in the Tennessee winter maneuvers just outside of Nashville and then moved to Camp Butner, North Carolina. Being reassigned as an Assistant Executive Officer in Battery B of the 375th Field Artillery Battalion of the 100th Division, again I was back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

With the large number of infantry officer casualties in the early phases of the war in Europe, many artillery officers were reassigned to the infantry. I was one of those and went to Fort Benning, Georgia for infantry retraining. My next assignment took me to Camp Cooke, California as a platoon officer in Company M of the 303rd Infantry in the 97th Division.

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While there we prepared for overseas shipment by loading all of our material onto rail cars bound for the New York port for embarkation. I served as train commander along with three enlisted guards in the caboose of a freight train across the United States from California to New York.

We arrived in LaHarve, France and staged to relieve the 78th Division on line. Our mission was to close “the Rhur Pocket” by taking the key cities of Cologne, Solengen, and Dusseldorf in the Central Europe Campaign and the many, many small villages in between. Since I had artillery training, I used the same method of firing by setting up a central fire direction center for our heavy mortars, which was very effective. After the surrender of Dusseldorf, we were on our way to liberate Czechoslovakia and was only ten miles from Pilsen when the war in Germany ended.
 


Within a couple weeks, we were on our way back to New York. I enjoyed two weeks leave and was ordered to report to Seattle, Washington, where the 97th was preparing to go to Japan. The war with Japan ended while we were on the way, but the division still landed and served as occupation forces. I returned to the States in the latter part of May in 1946 and was separated from the service at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin on the 18th of June with a Reserve Commission.

Having kept a Reserve Commission, I was recalled to Active duty at Fort Sheridan, Illinois on May 15, 1951. On June 5th I was on the way to the Far East Command in Yokohama, Japan headed for Korea. I was assigned to the 4.2” Chemical Mortar Platoon in the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division as a fire direction center officer. We supported foot troops (
soldiers on the ground) by firing white phosphorus shells prior to their advancement. We also set up defensive holding actions in the Chorwan Reservoir area. I returned to the States the first part of September in 1952 and was separated from the service at Fort Sheridan, Illinois on September 17th.

In addition to the military record, Schaler shared that Harold had married wife Roberta in April of 1951, just prior to being deployed to Korea. Harold built the home he and Roberta lived in and expanded it twice to accommodate the arrival of their three children. After his service in Korea, he began his teaching career in Logan County, first at a small country school in Emden, then later in the Hartsburg School District.

Krusemark introduced Industrial Arts to the school system, and held his first classes in an old house. As time passed, the school expanded and included a new space for the industrial arts program.

It was noted that he taught for many years, and that in some local families, four generations of children could say their educations included classes led by Mr. Krusemark. While active as an instructor, Krusemark was also a student earning his Master’s Degree at Illinois State University.

It was noted that during those years, there was a “Junior High rotation” that included every student in the school receive one quarter of education in industrial arts. Schaler said it was hard to imagine, but the fact was thousands of young men and women have been impacted by the life of Harold Krusemark.

Schaler then read aloud a Certificate of Honor issued by the State of Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs and signed by Director Terry Prince. Schaler said that a certificate was also on its way from United States Congressman Darin Lahood.

Dennis returned to the podium saying that he personally had spent more than 30 years doing business in Logan County. He had from time to time heard mention of Harold Krusemark. He said that he had been curious and had asked about who the man was and why he was notable back then. He was told by one respondent, that “Harold has taught two-thirds of Logan County.” The same person recounted that four generations of his family had been among Krusemark’s students.

Dennis went on to recount some humorous first-hand experiences he had with Krusemark after he got to know him. Included in the stories were Dennis’ recounting of the first junk scooter the Marines collected and fixed up. The scooters, used to increase around the house mobility for disabled persons were to be fixed and given to local veterans in need. Krusemark received the first of those scooters. Dennis talked about how he had visited Krusemark soon after the scooter was given and seeing large round circles of scooter tracks in the carpeting of Krusemark’s home, indicating he had gotten on the thing and just driven around and around enjoying his new toy.



Dennis completed his talking about Krusemark saying that he thanked Krusemark for his many years of service to country and community. He ended saying he would salute Krusemark the man not the rank, and then did so.



Dennis recognized Marsha Fernandez and thanked her for her help in getting the entire day’s activities coordinated. He said that he knew it could not have been done without her.



Next Sullivan came to the podium and presented Krusemark with an American Flag in a glass and wood case. Sullivan noted that the flag hosted 48 stars not 50, for during Krusemark’s years of service there were only 48 starts on the flag. He said that the flag, while in a case now could be taken out and flown if Krusemark chose because there is not rule against it in flag protocol.



The last person to speak was Senator Turner, who asked that the room join her in singing Happy Birthday to Krusemark.

She then presented to Krusemark letters of congratulations and appreciation from Illinois Representative Tim Butler and herself. She thanked Krusemark for his service to the community and country. She said that she congratulated him on his 100 years and was hopeful that for many years to come, Krusemark would be with us to share with us his history and permit his life story to influence the upcoming generations.

The event came to an end with Christian Village Chaplain Ryan Edgecombe offering the closing prayer. Before going to prayer he said that he knew Krusemark well, and knew him to be a devout man of God. He said that as he looked upon Harold he saw not only a friend but a brother in Christ.

The ceremony was concluded with Dennis inviting guests to speak to Krusemark one-on-one as they left.


[Nila Smith]

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