A Vernon Dravland and Eunice Clara Vinge Story

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Table Of Contents

Go back to Main Menu
Go back to Vern's Parents
The Early Days
Eunice Vinge's One Room School Experience
The Baader - Meinhof Gang
From Traveling Salesman to University Professor to Farmer
My Initial Military Training
The USAHS Dogwood
How I beat the Indiana State Champion At His Own Game

Topics to expand on, USHS Dogwood, Atlantic, Pacific and preperation for the invasion of Japan.
From traveling salesman to University Professor to farmer.

A news report dated April 21, 1998 in the Lethbridge Morning News, Lethbridge, Alberta:

"One of Europe's most notorious gangs of the 60's and 70's has disbanded. Germany's Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang issued a statement saying it is now history. Guerrilla gang rocked the German establishment."

I'm getting ahead of myself talking about my involvement with the Baader-Meinhof gang.

The Early Days

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I do not remember any other home other than the Dravland Farm near the town of Carbury, North Dakota. My earliest remembrance was the harvest of 1929. Allen and I were in the 40 acres next to the west pasture. Dad had moved the threshing rig to the 80 acres just across the road to the north. The Model T Ford had been left behind and Allen thought it should be moved too. The model T had a supply of oil and greese for the threashing rig. I was just over five years old and Allen was ten. He told me to get into the front seat and pull down on a lever when the car started. There were two levers one for gas and the other to advance the spark. The gas lever was the accelerator. The more you pulled down on this lever the faster the car would go, up to a top speed of about 30 miles per hour. The spark was retarded while turning the crank to prevent the engine from back fireing. A crank was attached directly to the main crank shaft to start the car. It was designed to kick the crank forward, out of the way of the crankshaft, if the engine started going clockwise. Many arms were brusied or broken when the engine would start going counter clockwise. Allen cranked the car and it started and I pulled down on the spark lever. So far so good.

There were two foot pedals; one for go-ahead in low gear and the other was the brake. There was also a hand lever to put it into high gear after getting started with the low pedal. Allen could not see very well where he was going and push on the low foot pedal at the same time. Allen got it going and aimed for the corner of the field where there was a crossing, of sorts, to the other field. He got across the road O.K. He had trouble getting into the field. The shocks of grain, or if you prefer 'stooks', were as thick as hair on a dog and Allen was not able to miss them all. He ended up with a stook under the rear end of the car with the hind wheels off the ground. That was as far as we got. There were a few smart remarks by the threshing crew and a suggestion to dad to get a new hired man. To view a picture of a Stook of grain click Stook

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Eunice Vinge's One Room School Experience

To view a picture of the Torquay Elevators where Eunice climbed to the top as a youngster click Elevator
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The Baader-Meinhof Gang

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It was the summer of 1975. I was on a study leave from the University of Lethbridge. Most of my time, from June 1974 till March 1975, was spent in Norway at the University of Oslo. The last part of my leave was spent in Germany. I had a grant from the German Government to study their Teacher Education Program. We were coming to the end of our stay in Europe with Eunice's brother Donald Vinge and it was time to ship our car home. It was my understanding that the car could be shipped the last part of June from Goteborg, Sweden. A teacher, working in the Canadian Army Schools with Don, rode with me because he wanted to pick up the Volvo he had ordered. He was Italian and I could easily pass for German. We left on a Saturday from Lahr, Germany for Denmark. We had a rather uneventful journey. We enjoyed the scenery and decided to stay in Copenhagen Saturday night and leave for Malmo, Sweden on the first ferry Sunday morning.

Sunday morning we were the first people on the ferry and made our plans for the day. I had been taking pictures of farm scenes in Norway and Germany so decided to do the same in Sweden. We knew we could not do any business with Volvo till Monday morning so we took our time. A short distance out of Malmo we saw a beautiful farm. It had a huge hip-roofed barn, very much like the barns in North Dakota. The house was a large two and one half story square building with a well landscaped yard. It was a little over a city block from the road so we stopped to get our cameras ready. It took us some time to attach our telephoto lens and while we were busy with that, a guy in a Volkswagen driving very slow, came out of the driveway and turned towards Malmo. I paid no more attention to him, but my Italian friend said he turned around and went past us as we got our gear ready. We never saw him again.

We took a few pictures and went on our way. About two miles down the road was another beautiful farm. We took some more pictures and noted that there was the tail of an airplane sticking up over a hill. We surmised that he used it for field spraying. We drove on. About ten miles down the road two police cars stopped us. One car was ahead of us the other behind. Two policemen got out of the car behind us. One was about 40 years old the other much younger. The older one, speaking in Swedish, said 'you drive too fast'. In English I said 'I understood what you said, and I can speak a little bit of Norwegian but could we speak in English? The older officer took a deep sigh and repeated his question in perfect English. The younger appeared to be very nervous and his hands were shaking as he was taking notes. I told the officer that we were talking and must have lost track of our speed. Then he said, that is not the real reason we stopped you, you were seen taking pictures of a military installation. The two farms were part of an airbase.

I told him my story of farm scenes and he went back to his car. We could hear the radios in both cars but could not make out what they were saying. I knew according to Swedish law that they could put us in jail for two weeks while they were investigating, so we felt the seriousness of the situation. I was driving a Volvo and my passenger had papers showing his purchase of a Volvo. The officers were very polite and respectful. They would come back to us and ask more questions and go back to their cars and talk more on the radio. An officer from the front car asked my passenger to join him in his car. Earlier, my friend said we might as well get hung for the whole hog as half a hog so took a picture of me talking to the first officer. So when the officer came for my passenger I took a picture of him getting into the back seat of the car ahead of us. With my telephoto lens about all I got was the shoulder patch on the officer. They never asked to examine our cameras nor did they confiscate our film.

We were stopped close to an hour before they said we could leave. Before we left they asked where we were going to stay in Goteborg. I said we were going to check into the tourist information center at the train depot and get something downtown. As we drove off the police car stayed right behind us, so I stopped and asked them if there would be any danger in taking pictures between here and Goteborg. I said if there is we will put our cameras in the trunk. The officer assured us that it would be O.K. Before I could get into my car they pulled out and went by us. We saw some cows wearing brassieres so we stopped to take some pictures. The two police cars went by us driving very slowly and disappeared before we were finished. Later we came upon a Volvo Combine. It was obvious that it was painted in John Deere colors and, since my brother-in-law, LeRoy Sorensen, had a John Deere agency, I had to have a picture. You guessed it. Two police cars went by driving very slow. By this time we had gotten quite friendly and waved to them as they went by.

We were getting quite close to Goteborg and I wanted to have as little gas in the tank as possible. I had a reserve tank of about three gallons in the trunk so when we ran out of gas about ten miles from Goteborg I emptied my reserve tank and of course a police car went by us driving very slowly. By this time it was only one police car. We went directly to the tourist information center at the train depot and asked for a room close to down town. The police must have been there first because we rented a very nice place right down town. It was very inexpensive. We were getting paranoid by this time and assumed the place was bugged.

We spent the day roaming around down town. We met an artist sitting on the step of his home that had at one time been a business building. He invited us in for saft and conversation. Saft is their word for a soft drink. We didn't find out what the police were doing until we got out to Volvo the next morning. A fellow there told us the whole story.

It was a year since the Baader-Meinhof Gang had taken over the German Embassy in Stockholm. The Swedish Police had been very efficient and effective in retaking the Embassy and killing quite a few of the gang. Baader, a woman, and the leader of the gang was captured and returned to Germany. She, and other members of her gang were on trial in Germany at the time. Baader and Meinhof had threatened to get even with Sweden for what they had done to their gang. Consequently both the Swedish Police and Army had been put on alert. It was this kind of atmosphere that we encountered on our trip to Sweden. We were fortunate that they had such a well trained and disciplined police. They had checked with police in Norway, Germany and Canada as well as Interpol while we were sitting on the highway between those two police cars. Well we were now free and clear, or so I thought.

It turned out that my car would not be shipped till late July so rather than be without a car for six weeks I decided to drive it back to Germany. We were scheduled to leave Europe about the twentieth of July from Oslo. I drove south out of Goteborg and saw more evidence of the military alert. Above an overpass I saw two soldiers with rifles standing guard. I raised my camera to take a picture when I checked my rear view mirror. A tank with a four inch cannon was just about coming through my rear window. I put my camera down without taking a picture. The rest of the trip to the ferry was uneventful. I was the first car on the ferry so would be the first off. I thought when I was out of Sweden I would be in the clear. I was the first car off the ferry and two customs officers were there to pull me over. I expected this to be a long inspection so I opened my trunk and sat down on a nearby bench for them to finish. They were very polite and very thorough. They spent a long time checking every part of the car before I could go. And so ends my involvement with the Baader-Meinhof Gang.

A news report dated April 21, 1998 in the Lethbridge Morning News, Lethbridge, Alberta:

"One 0f Europe's most notorious gangs of the 60's and 70's has disbanded. Germany's Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang issued a statement saying it is now history. Guerrilla gang rocked the German establishment."



From Traveling Salesman to University Professor to Farmer

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My Initial Military Training

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I was drafted into the United States Army in 1943, and did my basic training at Camp Barkley, Texas near Abiline. I was 19 years old. By this time in World War II, there was a need for more medical personnel. After a six week basic training some of us were shipped to San Antonio, Texas and stationed at Fort Sam Houston General Hospital. This is where I performed my first operation. We had classes in many aspect of medicine, from Abnormal Psychology to making beds. and helping in birthing

One day when I had been at the hospital for a few weeks I came into the ward and was greeted by this obnoxious nurse. She was the only unpleasant nurse I met in the army. They were commissioned officers and I was at that time a private. You can't get a lower rank.

She told me to clean up a soldiers feet. "Cut all the gangrenous flesh from his feet". I tried to object but she said "Thats an order soldier". This was about 8 o'clock in the morning. I was still cutting on this man feet about 11:00 AM when the Docter came in. He said, " What the hell are you doing soldier?" I pointd towards the office and said, "I got a direct order sir!" There was no more to do with his feet, I had gone as far as I could. I had more than half filled a kidney dish with rotten flesh. It was dinner time! I washed my hands and face for a long time to try to get rid of that awful stench. It was about one mile to the mess hall and the bus was about to leave. I told my friend I was going to walk. It would help to get that odor out of my sytem.

I never saw that nurse around the hospital after that incident.

I saw the soldier a few weeks later and he said his feet have been doing very well since my 'operation'. He said I had done a good job and nothing more had to be done with them.

From San Antonio we went to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver, Colrado. We were there at Christmas time. We had very little to do because we had started our wait for our ship to get finished. We had what was called a Class A pass. So we could leave the post anytime as long as we were around for roll call in the morning and evening. My friend, Jenson from Montana, and I decided that we would spend Christmas eve and Christmas day in Denver. Of course we were AWOL, Away without leave, so when we got back to the base there was a note on our pillow to report to the Captain. Captain Rosenbloom was a rather gruf Jew and when we got to his office it was full of other soldiers getting raked over the coals. His office had low walls, about six feet high, so we could hear everything being said. These guys were trying to make all kinds of excuses. I told Jenson we might as well fess up and tell him the truth.

We were the last in line and when we got into his office he said, "and what is your excuse". I said we don't have an excuse, we just didn't think the base was a proper place to spend Christmas. Being a devout Jew he understood how we felt and rather than the loud yelling that followed the excuses of the other soldiers, he just heaved a big sigh and said "I'm going to keep you guys around here till you learn how to obey orders and dismissed us without taking our passes which happened to all the others.

We had not been in our barracks long enough to gloate about our good fortune when a message comes to return to the Captains office. When we got there he said, "I want two volunteers for hazardous duty in the Pacific". In unison we said "You have them sir". He gave us orders to be at the bus in fifteen minutes. When we got on the bus, to Atlantic City rather than the Pacific, the Captain was there and he told the driver in charge, "Watch these two guys, They're tricky".

We were in Atlantic City, Living in big Hotels from befor Easter till after Labor day

After Labor Day some of us were transferred, in the fall of 1943, to Bellvue General Hospital on Long Island, New York. There we got rather extensive training in the care of mental patients. We were there until our ship was completed. We were given a police escort from Bellvue to the dock in New York City where we got the first look at our ship. It was not very big compared to otherships at dock, but it was to be our home for the next two years.



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The USAHS Dogwood

We debarked from New York harbor July 21, 1944 for Liverpool, England. We were lucky it was not the stormy season. The seas were quite heavy and our ship rolled from one side to the other. Many people thought it would capsize. I enjoyed it. Sometimes I would be the only one in the dining room, excuse me, mess hall. I would wrap my legs around a table leg and hold onto the food tray with one hand and eat with the other. One of my faourite pass times was to sit on the poop deck, The back of the ship, and wrap my legs around a big cast iron post called a ?. I would sit there watching the waves many of which towered far above the ship. When we got to Liverpool they put a train load of pig iron in the double bottoms of the ship. The ship was much more stable after that.

The following is taken from news letter distributed on the Dogwood in Dec. 1945.


"The ship you are returning to the U.S. in has had a varied and interesting life. In May of 1943 we find the ship Christened the 'George Washington Carver' in honor of the great colored Scientist, in Richmond, California. She was built for the The U.S. Maritime Commission and Christened by Lena Horne, The famous movie star and singer. She is a steam engine of 9600 gross tons with the lenght of 422.8 feet. The midship structure is 334 feet long and is set back four feet from the side of the ship, with two deck houses above. The speed of the ship is between 11 and 12 knots.

Sailing from California in '43 under authority of the New York South Africa Lines, the ship made one trip around the world, which took about nine months. The ship stopped in Australia, Tasmania (rare stop-over spot for ships), India, Persia, etc., finally ending in New York City.

On February 23, 1944 The Dogwood came into existance by order of the War Dept. It was redesigned as a Hospital Ship and to be operated under the principals of the Hague Covention of 1909. The conversion took place at the Atlantic Basin Iron Works in New York and the ship received its commission on June 10, 1944. On July 21, 1944 she left New York on its Maiden Voyage as a Hospital Ship. The ship has served both the ETO and APTO Theaters. Seven trips were made in the Atlantic and this is the second in the Pacific. The "Dogwood" is operated by the Transportation Corps Of The U.S. Army and is manned by Merchant Marines under the able guidance of Capt. C. R. Kirby.

The Medical Personnel is furnished by the office of the Surgeon General and consists of 18 officers(sic male officers that is), 37 nurses and 147 Enlisted Men, who are under our commanding Officer, Col. J. D. Shea. The ship is fully equipped to do major or minor operations, x-ray, etc.-- anything to adequately care for the 592 patients we are authorized to carry."

The abreviations refer to the European Theater of Operations and the Asian, Pacific Theater of Operations. We were also included in the African Theater because a storm blew us off course and we ended up off the coast of Africa. A side lite. Lena Horne was my 'Pin up girl' during the war. I had a very proper picture of her on my locker door. A couple of the southern boys in my outfit made a few remarks about her being 'colored'. Of course that is not the term they used. I wish I had kept that picture.

The decorations and citations received were The PHIIPINE LIBERATION RIBBON, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MID EASTERN THEATER SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN THEATER SERVICE MEDAL AND ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER SERVICE MEDAL.

The following is taken from a news letter distributed on the Dogwood in Dec. 1945.
"The ship you are returning to the U.S. in has had a varied and interesting life. In May of 1943 we find the ship Christened the 'George Washington Carver' in honor of the great colored Scientist, in Richmond, California. She was built for the The U.S. Maritime Commission and Christened by Lena Horne, The famous movie star and singer.

She is a steam engine of 9600 gross tons with the lenght of 422.8 feet. The midship structure is 334 feet long and is set back four feet from the side of the ship, with two deck houses above. The speed of the ship is between 11 and 12 knots. Sailing from California in '43 under authority of the New York South Africa Lines, the ship made one trip around the world, which took about nine months. The ship stopped in Australia, Tasmania (rare stop-over spot for ships), India, Persia, etc., finally ending in New York City.

On February 23, 1944 The Dogwood came into existance by order of the War Dept. It was redesigned as a Hospital Ship and to be operated under the principals of the Hague Covention of 1909. The conversion took place at the Atlantic Basin Iron Works in New York and the ship received its commission on June 10, 1944. On July 21, 1944 she left New York on its Maiden Voyage as a Hospital Ship.

The ship has served both the ETO and APTO Theaters. Seven trips were made in the Atlantic and this is the second in the Pacific. The "Dogwood" is operated by the Transportation Corps Of The U.S. Army and is manned by Merchant Marines under the able guidance of Capt. C. R. Kirby. The Medical Personnel is furnished by the office of the Surgeon General and consists of 18 officers(sic male officers that is, the nurses were officers as well), 37 nurses and 147 Enlisted Men, who are under our commanding Officer, Col. J. D. Shea. The ship is fully equipped to do major or minor operations, x-ray, etc.-- anything to adequately care for the 592 patients we are authorized to carry."

The abreviations refer to the European Theater of Operations and the Asian, Pacific Theater of Operations. We were also included in the African Theater because a storm blew us off course and we ended up off the coast of Africa. A side lite. Lena Horne was my 'Pin up girl' during the war. I had a very proper picture of her on my locker door. A couple of the southern boys in my outfit made a few remarks about her being 'colored'. Of course that is not the term they used. I wish I had kept that picture.

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How I beat The Indiana State Champion At His Own Game

In 1944 we were stationed in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I belonged to the 218th. Hospital Ship Command, but our ship was not ready. It was a Liberty Ship and being outfitted as a hospital ship with three extra decks that made it quite top heavy. But that is another story. We were stationed in Atlantic City from before Easter till after Labor day. The only danger we were exposed to was the Philadelphia Commandos. These were nurses, secretaries and other assorted females from Philadelphia, Washington,DC, New york and other towns on the Eastern Seaboard. There were about ten girls for every soldier in Atlantic City.

The Atlantic City hotels had been taken over by the Department of Defense for rest and recreation for sick and wounded military personnel. We were largely just waiting for our ship to get ready so had very little to do so I became very expert at table tennis. The lobbys of all the hotels had dozens of pool and table tennis tables. I got to the point I could beat anyone that came along, Or so I thought

One day a fellow asked to play a game with me. I said 'sure'. I beat him 21 to 6 the first game, 21 to 12 the second game and 21 to 18 the third game. After that I couldn't come close to his score. I began getting his first scores. He beat me every game. He had been sitting on an easy chair watching me play tennis for a week or more before he asked me to play. In the battles in Europe he had lost a leg, his left arm, and three fingers on his right hand. There was enough left of his left arm, about 10 inches, so that he could hold a crutch. He would maneuver on the crutch as well as many do on their good legs. He held the paddle between his thumb and little finger. After he beat me about three games he confessed that he had been the Indiana State Champion. I told him "You still are".

When he asked to play I was in a quandary. How do I play? Do I slack up because he is crippled? He knows how well I can play, so would that insult him? I decided to play my regular game and it wasn't long before I realized it was the right decision.

Oh, by the way, it was almost impossible to get a date with only one of the commandos.

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