Today's Sepia Saturday photo could very well point the Sepia Saturday participant in the direction of a military theme. So, did I go with the obvious and stick with this military theme? Why, yes…yes, I did.
I thought I’d share a couple photos of my Dad, Jan Albert Iverson, taken during his service in the Army. During a part of this service he was stationed in Korea.
As I was searching my Dad's Personal History for information about his Army service, I saw that he had written a bit about it. Hurray! So, I thought I would just go ahead and share with you what he wrote regarding this time in his life.
From the Personal History of Jan Albert Iverson (abridged):
“In the Summer of 1958 I received my induction notice to serve in the United States Army.”
“From August 1958 to October 1958 I was in Basic Training at Fort Ord, California. My first assignment after that was to serve at the Presidio of San Francisco, California.”
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| Jan Albert Iverson |
“It was here at the Presidio, and at the San Francisco Bay Ward that I met my future wife.”
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| My Mom |
“We became engaged during the Spring of 1959 and then I received orders to serve overseas to Korea. My Captain tried to get the orders rescinded because 1) I didn't have the 13 months yet to serve overseas as that was the time allotment, and 2) I had just received a Secret Clearance to work in the Secret Document Room. But, to no avail, they sent me anyway.”
“I left my sweetheart, in August of 1959 and spent eleven months overseas.”
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| Jan Albert Iverson in Korea |
“While there, I had the opportunity to serve as the Group Leader of the LDS Church in the Eighth Army Headquarters in Seoul, Korea. I also was able to go to Japan for R & R for seven days. Japan was so unlike Korea. Korea was still recovering from the Korean War....”
“I arrived home in July of 1960 and was released from the U.S. Army on July 11, 1960.”A few months after my Dad returned home, he and his sweetheart, my mom, were married.
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Jan Albert Iverson and My Mom
on Their Wedding Day
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To see if other Sepia Saturday participants decided to stick with the obvious military theme, march on over to the Sepia Saturday website by clicking HERE.
Thanks for reading!
Jana
Copyright © Jana Last 2012
Oh, your Mum is so pretty, Jana - and Dad has great cheekbones! Eleven months is an awfully long time, especially if you're at home wondering if he will ever come back. Your Mum's wedding dress is beautiful :-) My Dad did UK National Service in West Germany for 2 years starting at the age of 18 and we were lucky that he came back too. Jo
ReplyDeleteHi Jo,
DeleteThanks so much for your kind comments about my mom and dad! You're so sweet!
Thank you very much for stopping by!
Not just military but love story too. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy,
DeleteI'm so glad you like my military/love story post today!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
If it weren't for his military assignment, they may have never met. Does your Mom's dress have a Brazillian influence? It is beautiful and they were a lovely couple.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy,
DeleteI am glad for his military assignment so they could meet! Great point! :)
I'm not really sure about whether or not the wedding dress has a Brazilian influence.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciate it!
I wish I could have persuaded my father to write something about his life. I even bought him a special book for fathers to write memories in, but he didn't write anything in it.
ReplyDeleteHi Postcardy,
DeleteOh! That's so sad about your father not writing down his memories. I do consider myself very lucky, even blessed, that my dad did write his personal history. Unfortunately, not all of my ancestors did this though. I really wish they had.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I so like that you softened war with a sweet romance and a happily ever after...you parents were a lovely couple!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen,
DeleteAw! Thanks for your kind comment about my parents' sweet romance. Yes, they did live happily ever after.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Isn't it interesting how life takes twists,turns and detours? Your dad having to serve in the army may have occurred just so he had the opportunity to meet your mother. :) Enjoyed seeing your parents wedding photo - they were an attractive couple.
ReplyDeleteHi Queen Bee,
DeleteThanks so much for your kind comments about my parents! And I very much appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and comment.
Have a wonderful weekend!
What beaming smiles your parents have in their wedding photo!
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne,
DeleteYes, they certainly did, didn't they?! I'm sure they were so happy to be getting married and to be together after almost a year of being apart during my Dad's deployment to Korea.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Your mother is a beauty! And indeed you are lucky to have these notes of your father but the question of course is, do we do the same for our (grand)children? I'm happy to say my wife does but I'm too busy writing Sepia Saturday posts :)
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, did your fathers stay in Korea for almost a year, influence his further life in any way? I mean, the culture there is so different from ours! (I am just being curious here.)
Hi Peter,
DeleteThanks so much for the compliment about my mom. You're so sweet!
I wholeheartedly agree with you about the importance of writing our own personal history for our children and grandchildren.
I don't think my Dad's service in Korea really impacted his future life in any drastic way. He was in Seoul and was a clerk in an office.
Thanks so much for reading my blog and commenting. I really appreciate it!
I do like a happy ending and what a beautiful wedding portrait that is to balance out the military side of your post.
ReplyDeleteHi Little Nell,
DeleteYes, I like happy endings too. And thank you for your compliment on the wedding portrait.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Your farther and I must be about the same age; I had to do National Service starting in December 1958. My wife and I had married in August 58. I'm glad that I didn't have to serve as far away as Korea. Glad his story ended happily.
ReplyDeleteHi Bob,
DeleteWhile you completed your duty in the National Service, did you serve away from your new wife? If so, that must have been so difficult, even if it wasn't quite as far away as Korea.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
What sweet lovestory and beautiful wedding photo! Enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteHi Prenter,
DeleteThank you so much for your sweet comments! I very much appreciate you stopping by and reading my blog. And thanks for your kind comments!
Excellent! You know what strikes me is the snow in Korea! That could be anywhere in Canada - midwinter. Mind you, our STOP signs are much taller.
ReplyDeleteI love the wedding photo; they both look so happy and her dress is gorgeous with that sweeping train.
kat
Hi Kat,
DeleteI also find the photo with snow in Korea quite interesting as well.
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your very kind comments!
Hi Jana, what a lovely story! I enjoyed all of the pictures. Your Dad is so handsome and your Mom so beautiful. I love her dress.
ReplyDeleteKathy M.
Hi Kathy,
DeleteYou are very sweet! Thank you for your kind comments! And I really appreciate you reading my blog post.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I love a happy ending. What a lovely couple!!
ReplyDelete:)~
HUGZ
Hi Ticklebear,
DeleteAw, thanks so much! I love a happy ending too.
Thanks very much for stopping by!