Army Badge
  • Name: Donald "Don" Charles Mortenson
  • Location of Birth: Litchfield, Minnesota
  • Date of Birth: December 18, 1924
  • Date of Death: August 28, 2016
  • Parents: Morten Mortenson & Anna (Olson) Mortenson
  • High School and Class: 1942 Greenway High School, Coleraine, Minnesota
  • College:
  • Highest Rank: TEC 5 (Technical 5)
  • Branch: Army
  • Other Branch:
  • Date Sworn In:
  • Place Sworn In:
  • Date of Discharge: January 18, 1946
  • Place of Discharge:
  • Military Awards:

  • Military Highlights:
    WW II Draft Registration Cards – 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947
    State: Minnesota
    Name: Donald C. Mortenson
    Race: White
    Age: 18
    Birth Date: December 18, 1924
    Birth Place: Litchfield, Minnesota, USA
    Residence Place: Marble, Itasca, Minnesota, USA
    Registration Date: December 28, 1942
    Employer: Sam Lewenstein, Marble, Minnesota
    Weight: 154
    Height: 5-7
    Complexion: Light
    Eye Color: Blue
    Hair Color: Brown
    Next of Kin: Mrs. M. Mortenson, Marble, Minnesota

    Newspaper article: January 1945 – “Marianas, To American Legion Auxiliary: Dear Kitty: I received your Christmas package containing the toilet articles and was really pleased. They are not so plentiful out here, and it was a nice gift to get. A few more conveniences and I will think I’m at home. When I look at your Christmas card, with the picture of Marble police shack, I can really dream. Our climate is exactly the opposite of yours, and it doesn’t ‘go’ with me. I can’t see how anyone can live here. We have made our new home in the middle of the jungle, and it’s an ideal breeding place for mosquitoes and flies, and there are plenty of them. We have progressed nicely in our area. We have our mess hall and shower rooms nearly completed. It’s really swell to get under the shower, after a day in the hot sun. The water is cold, but I like it better that way. I, like 15 million other boys, hope that by next Christmas we are at home and living a peaceful life again. So, I want to thank you a million for the package and hope to see you all soon. Sincerely, Pvt. Donald Mortenson”

  • Wars Involved:
    World War II

  • MIA / POW:

  • Civilian Life:
    Don Mortenson married Mildred Lauritsen in Minnesota in 1948. He was a Project Manager for Control Date Corporation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He enjoyed teasing or bantering with all and led a very active life which included golfing, dancing, reading and socializing.

    Don died in Edina, Minnesota and is buried in Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Section 23, Site 1509). He is survived by his wife, Millie; sisters, Dorothy Holum and Shirley Erickson; two sons, Gary (Maryanne) and John (JarLath); five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Morten and Anna Mortenson; and brothers, Jackie, Archie and Warren.

  • Tribal Affiliation(s):

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