Verna Hildur Carlson Zetah

Lilah Crowe2021-03-22T11:35:15-05:00

Name: Verna Hildur Zetah (Carlson)
Location of Birth: Carlton County, Minnesota
Date of Birth: April 5, 1922
Date of Death: October 2, 1999
Parents: Ernest W. Carlson & Anna (Hogberg) Carlson
High School and Class: 1941 Greenway High School, Coleraine, Minnesota
College: Duluth State Teacher's College, Duluth, Minnesota
Highest Rank: PHM 3 (Pharmacist's Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer)
Branch: Navy
Other Branch:
Date Sworn In: September 6, 1943
Place Sworn In: Fort Snelling, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date of Discharge: June 13, 1945
Place of Discharge:
Military Awards:

Military Highlights:
Newspaper article: Bovey Press, Bovey, Minnesota - September 10, 1943 - "ENLISTED IN THE WAVES. Miss Verna Carlson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Carlson, enlisted in the WAVES, passed the examination and was sworn in at Fort Snelling Monday. She expects to leave in two or three weeks for Hunter's College in New York to take her training. Miss Carlson is a graduate of Greenway High School and had one year in the Duluth State Teachers College.

Newspaper article: Bovey Press, November 26, 1943 - "Dear Friends: How is the weather up there in Minnesota? It is so warm and nice down here (North Carolina) that I keep forgetting it's November and not summer. We have a very pretty base here. It is off by itself, and yet there are many people here. It's really like a big city. There are about a hundred WAVES here and about five hundred sailors and approximately thirty thousand marines, so we are just one big happy family. I have classes all day and drill one hour each day. We had a test today, and I hope I passed it. So far I think the Navy is just perfect and if there are any of you girls back home who want to really serve your country, join the thousands of us in Navy Blue. Join the WAVES. You will never regret it. Now I must go to mess. Greetings to all. Sincerely, Verna Carlson."

Newspaper article: Bovey Press, Bovey, Minnesota - April 25, 1944 - "Dear Friends: I would like to take this time to thank you for the birthday greeting and also for the Easter greeting. It is nice to know that the people back home are thinking of us. I also wish to thank you for the Bovey Press which comes every Tuesday morning without fail. I enjoy it so very much. It makes me feel right at home. Thanks so much.
Now I must tell you a little about Washington, D.C. Right now it is very beautiful. All the cherry blossoms and the magnolias are in their full splendor and it really is a sight to see. On Easter morning we got up at 0530 and went out to the Jefferson Memorial for Sunrise Services and if you ever saw a pretty sight, it was there. The memorial itself is beautiful; a big white dome and pillars; and it is on a little island surrounded with cherry blossoms. The grass was so green and the water so blue and all the pastel colors of the easter suits and hats reflecting on the steps of the memorial, and then the big sun coming up over the trees. It really was a pretty sight to see. Then at 1100 we went to church at the large Washington Cathedral. It isn't finished yet, but it certainly is a large church and will be very beautiful when finished. I would have liked very much to have gone sightseeing in the afternoon, but such was not my good fortune. I had to be on duty from 1330 til 2000 so I had to be content to spend the afternoon here at the hotel. You see, I am on duty right here at the hotel. There are girls in most of the hotels here, as there isn't room in the Wave barracks, and each hotel housing over 60 girls has to have a Pharmacist Mate to take care of them, so that is my job. Some days I have my hands full. Other days I have no patients at all. Each day I have to write up a report to send into the Medical Office, stating the number on the binnacle, their diagnosis and so on. Right now I only have 68 girls, but we expect about 20 more soon, so I imagine I shall be very busy then. My room is the Sick Bay, and I have all the medicines, bandages, tape, splints, and what not here. Then too, I have had the job of transporting Marine girls to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where they are trained. As soon as the new barracks are completed the girls will move out there, and yours truly will be sent out somewhere else. Goodness only knows where. At least I am seeing parts of the United States I never would have otherwise.
Now I think I've rambled on long enough so will close for now. It's almost chow time anyhow. Beulah and I will both be home next month for 14-day leaves. We are looking forward to it very much, and were fortunate to get our leaves together. Again - many thanks to you folks back home. Sincerely yours, Verna Carlson."

Newspaper article - 1944 – Beulah Carlson, S.K., in the Waves left this noon after a 3 week vacation at home. Said they had word from Verna. She is in the hospital. She also had a surprise. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt called on her, and she has a standing invitation to have tea with her the first Tuesday she is able to leave the hospital. Nice Invitation, Verna. I’m glad to hear that. Be sure and keep it.

Wars Involved:
World War II

MIA / POW:

Civilian Life:
Verna Carlson married Benjamin Zetah in Minnesota in 1964.

Verna Zetah died in St. Paul, Minnesota and is buried in Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota (plot 6-A, O, 790). She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Vicki and Norman Ward; grandchildren, Tim Ward, Jill Ward, Tracy Hopkins and fiancé Dan Day; three great-grandchildren; sister, Beulah Carlson; brother, Bill Carlson; special friends Michael and Gianna Williams; and many nieces, nephews and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin; a son, Steven; parents, Ernest and Anna Carlson; and sisters, Muriel Olson and Ardyce Stringer.

Tribal Affiliation(s):