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Legacy Journal Articles: Vol. 33 Issue 4 July August 2009
CCC Experience and future: Lamonte Dehn, MN - Co. 2708, Badura, at Nevis and Park RapidsCCC Legacy Journal: Vol. 33 Issue 4, July August 2009 This
was the Great Depression years, which started around 1929 and Franklin D.
Roosevelt was elected president, in fall of 1932.
He wanted to start a work program for young single men, 17-25 years old,
where as the enrollee would get $30. monthly and of this $25 would go to the
parents to help care for the family. It
was called the Civilian Conservation Corps. When
I joined the CCC, I had to have my parents sign for me, as I was only 15 years
old, this was May, 1941. I
was stationed at Camp 2708 Badura, at Nevis/Park Rapids.
It was like an Army camp and was run by Army personnel, both active and
retired.
We
learned how to plant trees from seeds and later replanted outside.
I also learned how to drive a truck, both small and large.
We built roads, using logs and rock for base fill.
We were taught how to fight fires create fire brakes, also build fire
lookout towers. We
could finish our education, if you had dropped out of school and there were many
that did.
There were all types of trade to learn, like: bakers, cooks, blacksmith,
stone mason, heavy equipment operators, brick layers and truck drivers.
This was a very good training for a person’s future. We
were taught how service living was with KP (kitchen police) mess hall work and
were treated like being in the military service, with reveille, to get up in the
morning and retreat, which was lights out at night.
This was something different for a 15 year old boy!
I became a man in short order, which I did not mind either. After
I left the CCC in 1942, I went to work building the Farragut Naval Base at
Athol, Idaho.
This was Eleanor Roosevelt’s pet project to build a submarine training
base in Idaho.
The training base for submarines was by Lake Pon’d Oreille and this was
between two ranges of mountains.
The lake in spots was a least 1500 feet deep, so it made a very good
training area for all of the divisions of the Navy. During
the 9 months working there, my job was working all different places with
construction, landscaping, truck driving, planting trees and shrubbery.
After my contact was finished, December 1942, I went home for Christmas. In
March, 1942, my father and I went to the employment office in Minneapolis, MN
and signed up to work in Canada and Alaska on the Alcan Highway.
The highway was put thru Canada and into Alaska basically for the purpose
of putting the Canadian/American Oil line and Canadian/American Communication
line in.
My job was to drive truck and haul pontoon and bridge equipment for
temporary bridges throughout Canada/Alaska for the Post Engineers.
My contract was finished after 5 months and in July, I went back to
Minnesota as I had to report for selective service induction in the military
service.
In the middle of August 1942, I went to Fort Snelling and I was
classified 4L, meaning limited service as I had lost the hearing in my right ear
from mumps when I was 12 years old.
This meant I would go into the service in about 6 months. At
this time, I enlisted in the Merchant Marines-took basic training at
Sheepshead Bay Maritime Training Base in Brooklyn, NY. I
went to Long Beach, CA and shipped out on a T-2 Electric tanker hauling gas/oil
and aircrafts on the ships deck to the South Pacific bases. In
December, 1944, I went home on leave, I stopped in the Little Falls bowling
center, to see if
there was any of the fellows I used to work with setting pins while I was
going to school.
When I entered the lanes, the owner stated, “I knew my prayers would be
answered.”
I said, “What does that mean?” he said “One of my pin setters could
not work, can I help him out and set leagues for him?”
I told him, “OK, I’ll do it but only for the night!” I
set the first leagues and then I went up to get a sandwich and beverage and I
saw two young ladies come in to watch the leagues bowl.
I asked if they were going to be there awhile as I’d see them later.
The brunette was a special lady, I thought! I went back and set the
second league pins, and I asked the young man, Don Yasger, if he had seen the
two ladies.
I said the brunette; “I’m going to marry her.”
He said,
“You are nuts, you don’t even know her”.
“I know, but before the nights over I will!”
I
got through work and I went up front and asked if she would like to go for a
sandwich and she said, “Yes, I willl, but the way, my cousin had to leave as
she had to go to work.”
We went for a bite to eat and afterward I walked her home.
I asked if could have a date, she said, “How about January 2,” which
was in two days.
We had a few dates and I met her mother and hit if off reall well.
On February 15th, I gave her an engagement ring and we were married on
April 21!
Donnetta Maneval and Lamonte Dehn. In
the meantime, I contract my ship and told the captain I would be staying home
and than I went to the draft board about my deferment to see if I could carry
over on my job at a defense plant.
I was informed I had until July 1st, then I would have to go into the
service.
On August 15, I received a letter; I would be going into the U.S. Air
Force as of September 1st, to Sheppart Field, TX to take basic training.
On November 1, 1945, I was transferred to Camp Pinedale, CA in Fresno, CA
and assigned to a Communication Squadron.
In
August, 1946, I received shipping orders to go to Occupation Assignment in
Japan.
Our first son was born March 1, 1946.
When I got my orders I went to my commanding officer and informed him
there had been an order by the President that was signed that all drafted
fathers would be discharged.
After the orders were checked out, I was transferred to Camp Beale at
Marysville, CA and this was a separation center and I was discharged on October
16, 1946.
For
a couple of months after getting back to Minnesota, I worked part-time in
building construction.
On December 11, 1946, I applied at Hennepin County Court House to do
janitor work and I worked there for 10 years and was working with the boiler
engineers until 1956.
I then applied at the Hennepin County Sheriffs Department as a Deputy
Sheriff.
On July 1, 1957 I was hired as a Deputy Sheriff in the Traffic Division.
I worked there for seven years and was transferred to the Civil/Levy
Division serving due process and legal papers.
In 1967, I was promoted to the Criminal Division as a Sheriffs Detective.
I worked the Forgery/Fraud Division and the last 12 years I was in charge
until I retired on July 11, 1981. I
was very glad I retired when I did as we had a motor home and my wife and I did
extensive traveling in the US of A and Canada until fall of 1985.
This was when we found out my wife had ovarian cancer. On
April 9, 1987, I lost my honey to the Dear Lord.
It was just 12 days short of our 42 wedding anniversary. When
we got married in 1945, there were several persons that said it would never
last, as we did not know each other!
They were wrong as we had 3 wonderful children, Robert, Richard, and
LaDonna, 10 grand-children and 10 great grand-children! Since
I retired in 1981, I have been involved with the Minnesota Conservation Corps
for over 15 years and I have been involved with the CCC Alumni Chapter #33 and
have enjoyed every year! I feel this recession we are having now (2009) is very similar to what we went through in the Great Depression. We should be working with conservation and getting our young men and women off the streets and working.
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