Ames, Iowa — A ceremony was held Monday afternoon at Iowa State University to honor three former students for their military service during World War Two.
One of those who was honored was William Ostlund of Webster City. His nephew, Chris Ostlund, says the Japanese attack on the U.S. base in Hawaii on December 7th of 1941 was the turning point for his uncle.
Ostlund joined the U.S. Navy in February of 1942 and was assigned to a sub, the USS Gudgeon. Many stories have been passed down about Ostlund’s Uncle Bill.
The Gudgeon and its crew of 81 were lost at sea in 1944 and it was never found, but years later, a Japanese pilot documented sinking an American submarine that April, which was presumed to be it. Ostlund said the ceremony was a wonderful — and somber — time for him and his relatives.
The service also honored Robert A. Berwick of Knoxville who studied chemistry at Iowa State from 1940 to 1943. Berwick joined the U.S. Navy in the fall of 1943 and was killed off the coast of Okinawa in 1945. Donald T. Griswold of Clarinda attended Iowa State from 1936 to 1941 to study agronomy. Griswold joined the U.S. Navy in 1941 and died June 6, 1942 during the battle of Midway.
