South Dakota
Fallen South Dakota World War II soldier honored
BLUNT, SD (KELO) — Flags flew at half-staff across the state Saturday in honor of a South Dakota soldier who died during World War II.
A funeral took place Saturday in Blunt for Army Corporal Robert A. Bartlett, who was declared missing in action during combat in France.
His remains were accounted for this spring and were recently returned to the state for burial with full military honors at Blunt’s Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
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South Dakota
Former lieutenant governor launches ‘Vote in Honor of a Veteran’ initiative • South Dakota Searchlight
![Former lieutenant governor launches ‘Vote in Honor of a Veteran’ initiative • South Dakota Searchlight Former lieutenant governor launches ‘Vote in Honor of a Veteran’ initiative • South Dakota Searchlight](https://southdakotasearchlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IMG_8972-scaled-e1723389015654.jpg)
SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota’s voter turnout has disappointed some military veterans.
Former Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, has launched an initiative urging citizens to “Vote in Honor of a Veteran,” emphasizing the sacrifices made by military personnel to secure the democratic rights Americans enjoy.
“We always think that government is ‘they,’ but it really is ‘us,’” Michels said. “We the people.”
Michels shared the pitch Saturday to a crowd of about 100 during the annual USS South Dakota Day of Honor in Sioux Falls. He handed out sheets of stickers showcasing the slogan to fellow veterans, who were enthusiastic about the effort.
“It’s really about voting in honor of America,” said Douglas Starr, a World War II and Korean War veteran.
Michels said he will continue sharing the message with veteran organizations in the state.
The event, held on the second Saturday of August, commemorates the legacy of one of the most decorated ships of World War II. The ship gained fame for its actions in the European and Pacific theatres, participating in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Michels told a story from the second battle of Guadalcanal, in which the ship’s electrical system became disabled as the ship was under fire from Japanese destroyers. He said the ship received 27 hits, including a 14-inch shell that hit the rear turret. During this battle, 40 crew members were killed and 180 were wounded.
“Including 12-year-old Calvin Leon Graham, who had lied about his age to enlist,” Michels said. “He was the youngest American to fight in the war.”
Decommissioned in 1947, the battleship remains a symbol of service. The USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial, which hosted Saturday’s event, includes a concrete outline of the ship’s main deck and the actual anchor, propeller, a 16-inch gun barrel, mast and exhibit hall.
Proving authoritarians wrong
Michels described the heroism displayed during World War II as continuing a fight for freedom that began with the American Revolution.
“If we pause and think about how this nation was started,” Michels said. “At the time, there were no nations that were governed by regular people. The monarchs, the kings and queens, those people were controlling everything. And those people thought regular people were too dumb. That they couldn’t handle it.”
Michels said it’s every American’s duty to prove authoritarians wrong.
“Everyone 18 and over can honor these women and men who have protected us, served us, given their lives,” he said. “What is it we can do? We can vote.”
Turnout across South Dakota in the June primary election was historically low at 17% — the lowest percentage since the state began combining presidential primaries with other primary races in 2000.
“It’s offensive,” Michels said.
For those who were too busy to vote, Michels has a message: “Yeah, well, a lot of people were too busy serving you and dying so that you would have this right.”
Michels served as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2019 and served prior to that in the Legislature. He was born in Pierre, grew up in Vermillion, and graduated from the University of South Dakota. He worked as a nurse from 1981 to 1985 while earning a law degree at USD. He then attended Naval Justice School and became a U.S. Navy officer, serving as a lawyer. He was honorably discharged in 1989.
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South Dakota
Obituary for Dorothy "Dottie" K. Bream at Miller Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory
South Dakota
Woster: A big brother deeply devoted to his family
![Woster: A big brother deeply devoted to his family Woster: A big brother deeply devoted to his family](https://cdn.forumcomm.com/dims4/default/9fefffa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/500x323+0+0/resize/1650x1066!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffcc-cue-exports-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fmitchellrepublic%2Fbinary%2Fcopy%2F1e%2Fb0%2Fefab236fdac247328a06cc62ec85%2F261394-woster-terry09column1-binary-2080800.jpg)
In the ticket line at Universal Studios long ago, my wife, Nancy, argued with her big brother about why he insisted on paying admission for her whole family.
Terry Gust lived in Los Angeles then — summer of 1986, I think. We visited from South Dakota. Already, he had paid for Disneyland and Magic Mountain. It was our turn, Nancy said.
“But you’re my little sister,’’ Terry told her softly. “I see you so seldom. This is one small thing I can do for you.’’ Whether it was the words or the gentle voice, Nancy got tears in her eyes.
I recalled that moment one recent morning when Nancy answered the phone and learned her big brother was gone. He died overnight in a long-term care place in New Mexico. I haven’t seen the official cause of death, but it was a complication of Alzheimer’s. It had been taking him so painfully slowly for three or four years. The end came more quickly than expected. A blessing, perhaps, but it hurt. To have him gone is sad. To think of him continuing to slip away is unbearable.
He was Nancy’s hero, the big brother — in her world from first consciousness until the day of the phone call. He teased her, taught her and protected her.
He was a hero of mine, too. He and my big brother were high-school pals. Whenever Terry stopped to pick up my brother to go drag Main, he made a point of noticing me — a small gesture but unforgettable to a shy younger kid.
He was taking business classes at Creighton University when I enrolled there as a freshman. When we rode home together on breaks, he treated me as an equal. I felt like one of the gods had reached down and touched a mere mortal.
He offered to loan his car to my friend that year for a spring dance. We walked down California Street to get it. Terry’s roommate said he and the car were gone, headed for Hawaii. I was awestruck. What guy just up and hits the highway for the Coast? Was he James Dean?
He reached Los Angeles, saw the Pacific Ocean and stayed for 30 years or so. Eventually, he tired of the Coast and moved to Longmont, Colorado, where he griped about the “Californians moving in and ruining the place.’’ He also found Joyce there. From then on, they were together. Together they biked and hiked and camped. Together, they escaped the cold for a small town in New Mexico.
It fell to Joyce to care for him as his disease progressed. I can’t find the words to tell her how grateful we were and are to her for all she did. We got occasional reports of the disease’s progression. She saw it day after day, night after night. She lived it all and kept loving him.
That Universal Studios memory, I realize, was a snapshot of who Terry Gust was. Deeply devoted to his family, he nevertheless lived far from the home place in the middle of South Dakota. He would never live here, but he couldn’t keep from coming back just often enough to remember his roots and his kin. He could be a curmudgeon now and then, but he could also fight playfully with a child over a box of Cheez-Its.
Nancy always says he was the kindest, gentlest person she ever knew. In return, when Nancy received a thick, hand-made quilt after she finished treatment for breast cancer 20 years ago, Terry wrote on it, “You are my anchor to my past, and I would be adrift without your joy and love to call me back here.’’
We have been fortunate that for the last two years, weddings in the Rockies have allowed us to share a cabin or house with Terry and Joyce for a few days. The wedding festivities were noisy, but Nancy and Terry found quiet moments to talk, laugh and remember. She could tell he was slipping, but at the center, she still found her big brother.
Since that morning call, we have been feeling adrift ourselves. We will miss his joy and love.
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