SeniorConnectionsHJ . COM Senior Connections January / February 2024
Private Russ Wittenberg ’ s letter home could not foretell his fate
BY MASHELL BJORGE
Staff Writer
Dennis Compton of Dassel ’ s dad , Ed , and Ed ’ s brother , Wally , were good friends with Russell Wittenberg , a Marine stationed on the USS Arizona .
The ship , built by the US Navy in 1910 , served the US through World War I as a gunnery training ship and then through the next 25 years at sea .
In the spring of 1940 , the ship was retained in Pearl Harbor , off the coast of Honolulu , HI . In an odd twist of fate , the ship , which was scheduled to depart the harbor and head to Washington for maintenance in November of 1941 , was struck by the ship Oklahoma during an exercise and remained in Hawaii instead for repairs . Letters home Russ wrote of Hawaii in the tone of a young man in the prime of his life . He was not necessarily enamored with Hawaii , which he said could be a “ nice place to be if a fellow had a lot of money and nothing else to do but lay around .” As for fun , he told his friends in March of 1941 that he could have more of that in the States .
He did point out that when they came into port after a week out to sea , he and his fellow sailors would take a taxi into Honolulu and sometimes spend time on the shores of Waikiki Beach , swimming and basking under the Hawaiian sun .
He had a quick wit and did not fail to tease his friends about the previous winter ’ s weather , which included the Armistice Day Blizzard of Nov . 11 , 1940 .
The tone of the letter was lighthearted and full of fun . “ Say , Wally , can you stay out of trouble , I mean with the dames you know ?” He spoke lightly about getting letters from a girl back home , being incredibly busy on the Arizona , a battleship , and how much he really enjoyed the life , with “ plenty of travel and all that stuff .”
He seemed happy as a Marine and felt sorry for the Navy “ Swab Jockies ” guys who worked to take care of the ship . The loss Dennis Compton ’ s dad and uncle were farming together on a farm southwest of Dassel . When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor , Ed , who was 26 , and Wally , who was 19 , mourned the loss of their friends who died on the USS Arizona Dec . 7 , 1941 . They lost Private Russ Wittenberg and Private Donald Hultman , who were just 19 years of age .
The Compton boys faced a decision about who would stay and continue to help on the farm , which was critical for the war effort , and who would go to serve the country during the newly declared war .
Wally , the younger brother , who was not enamored with farming , decided that he would enlist in the Navy and “ see the world .” He survived the war
PHOTO BY MASHELL BJORGE Letter from Russ Wittenberg from the USS Arizona , March , 1941 .
and was on the island of Iwo Jima to watch the raising of the American flag in February of 1945 . The next generation Dennis said that growing up , his dad never really spoke about the war that took two of his good friends . Dennis himself joined the Air Force in 1970 , in part to be able to make the decision himself about how he would spend his time . He had received a deferment from the Vietnam draft while in college , and when he graduated , that deferment would expire .
Rather than go on to earn a PhD ., which was his initial plan , Dennis joined the Air Force . Because of his biology major and chemistry minor , he was a good candidate to teach medical fundamentals .
In 1972 , Dennis was recruited to Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico to work in the Civil Engineering Resource Division , dealing with environmental issues on a BASH ( Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard ) team .
This position was crucial because millions of dollars of equipment and even human life were lost due to bird strikes , and the engineers had an opportunity to recommend ways to improve the losses .
Dennis moved back to Minnesota , back to the community where he grew up , and went into farming . He became a Wright County Sheriff ’ s Deputy . While going through
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES Pvt . Russell D . Wittenberg , USMC .
some of his dad ’ s belongings in the original mailing envelope , he found the original letter Russ sent to his dad and uncle addressed only as “ Edward Compton , Darwin Minnesota .”
The keepsake letter is on USS Arizona stationery , in the bold handwriting of a 19-year-old man who would not know at the time he wrote to his buddies back home that he would die on the same ship on which he lived . In memorium Private Russell Wittenberg was killed in action at Pearl Harbor Dec . 7 , 1941 . He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu . Private Donald Hultman , a friend of Russ , Ed , and Wally , was killed in action at Pearl Harbor Dec . 7 , 1941 . He remains with the ship .
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SeniorConnectionsHJ . COM Senior Connections January / February 2024
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