Oral History Project World War II Years, 1941-1946 - Alf Larson

Alf Larson was born 29 July 1918, in Orebro, Sweden. He came to the United States with his parents in 1922; the Larson family settled in Duluth, Minnesota, where Alf grew up. In 1937, he graduated from Morgan Park High School. Alf then spent some time in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota (1938-39). In March 1939, Alf volunteered for the US Army Air Corps. In 1939, he was sent to the Philippines with his unit, with the 27th Materiel Squadron. Alf was here when the Pacific War began in December 1941. Alf was among the thousands of American troops captured at Bataan in April 1942. He survived the infamous Bataan Death March and a short period at Camp O\u27Donnell, used by the Japanese as a POW facility. At war\u27s end, Alf was evacuated to the United States, where he spent several months recovering in military hospitals. He was married in 1946 (wife Jane) and re-enlisted in the Army, 1948-54. Alf then attended college and worked as an engineer until retiring in 1982