by Marty Luebke, Post 23 Member
Recently I learned of another American Legion Post 23 member who has some military experiences that should be recorded and shared. As with others, we will start from the beginning. Alton was born on the family farm four miles north of Sherman to Orton and Esther Rogen. He had an older brother and sister and one younger sister. He had a typical farm boy childhood and like many of us older folks-- had to walk to school (up hill both directions) in all kinds of weather.
Alton was obviously sharp even when a kid. He once purchased a bicycle and a neighbor girl pedaled the bike while he rode on the handle bars. Alton graduated from Jasper HS in 1945 and went on to graduate from SDSU. On November 26, 1950 (after corn picking harvest was complete) he married Beverly Gulbranson. He and Bev were all set to farm and raise a family but Uncle Sam had other ideas. The Korean Conflict was going strong and Alton, along with several other local boys, were drafted all at the same time.
“The community had a big ‘sending off party’ for us. We were all going as a group and sent to Ft. Riley Kansas for basic training. We were all good buddies and we knew that the chances of being sent to Korea were just about 100%. After basic I was sent to Camp Forsyth near Manhattan, Kansas for Dog Training School. We were all issued our own dog and mine was named Fox. We became a real team.” Obviously Alton knew his MOS increased his chances of going directly to the front line in Korea with his dog Fox for one of the most dangerous assignments possible.
Some things in life perhaps just happen but others come about for a reason. Alton would likely say he was just (continued on Part 2 -Online subscription required)
