Technical Corporal Eric Marselius Jensen
Killed in action in Mindanao, the
Philippines
Eric M. Jensen was born on May 7, 1909 in Presho, South
Dakota to parents James and
Magdalena Jensen and grew
up on a farm south of
Presho. Eric was the fourth in the
family of six children. He
was baptized on August 29, 1909
and was confirmed in the Presho
Lutheran Church on September
6, 1926.
Eric
was employed by a
well-drilling operation before
he enlisted in the Untied
States Army on March 15,
1942.
He trained at Fort Leonard Wood,
Missouri and Fort Lewis, Washington. After his
training he departed for the
Hawaiian Islands on September
1942. Eric entered combat
zones at Guadalcanal, New Britain
and in the Philippines during 1943-45.
While
he was oversea, he worked
with the combat engineers of
the 40th Infantry Division operating
the "biggest little sawmill" in the Pacific.
Eric's job was to sharpen the big circular saws
that they used to cut trees
with.
Eric's
family recalls a sword that he
had sent back to his mother. His mother
and sisters hated the very sight
of the sword because of the note
he had included with it. The note
said, "It was either his life or mine."
The thought that he
had been so close to being
injured or killed with that instrument was appalling, so the sword was kept in
the back of the closet
where no one had to see it. His
family was to keep it for him until
he got home from the
service, but sadly that was
not to be.
He was
awarded the Purple Heart for his bravery. Eric
Marselius Jensen died
instantly of wounds on June
10, 1945. He was laid to rest at USAF
Cemetery, Del Monte, Tankulan,
Mindanao, in the Philippines.
Eric's
remains were disinterred
from the Mindanao cemetery
and returned for a short service at the Presho
cemetery on September 4,
1948.
This
entry was respectfully submitted
by Jon England, a junior at Lyman High School, Presho, SD, April 1, 2002.
Joyce Schmidt of Kennebec provided the information.