An Evening To Remember At Nelson Pioneer Farm

Rusty Corder, in blue, stands behind a display of equipment by Naval Armed Guard during WWII.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The tables were all set, and many looked and played their part for the evening, which was to highlight the service and sacrifice of those who served in the WWII Naval Armed Guard.

Kelly Halbert, Curator at the Nelson Pioneer Farm, said that the dinner, dessert, and presentation is something they are looking to make an annual tradition.

The funds raised will help get heat in the Nelson House, which is the centerpiece of the Nelson Pioneer Farm.

The museum must have money to help with the matching grants it receives, and also show that there is interest from the community in the cause. The ‘Evening To Remember’ event will help them begin to fulfill those requirements.

Most of the desserts and table decorations were donated, and allowed those individuals to be creative with their ideas, adding to the fun.

Rusty Corder, a historical preservationist who also consults with museums, was on hand to present the guests with information about the WWII Naval Armed Guard.

Corder says the armed guard was a specialized branch of the US Navy that were assigned to merchant ships, troop transports, tankers, and many other smaller craft that were not part of the regular US Navy.

Those sailors were radiomen, gunners, and signalmen, and would defend the ship if engaged by the enemy. “They took a pretty heavy casualty rate,” said Corder of the men who served in the Naval Armed Guard.

Initially, there were few modern small deck guns to be added to these civilian ships, commandeered during the war, but they were not defined for defense. The merchant crew still operated the ships, but the armed guard’s job was only to defend that vessel. Submarines, aircraft, and surface raiders were the primary threats to these vessels.

A hodgepodge of guns were initially available to the Armed Guard when the war began, but as the war neared its end, the Armed Guard were much better equipped. Guns that had served during the Spanish-American War were pressed back into service. Eventually, the Armed Guard started getting the Mark 12 5″/38 caliber gun in dual purpose mounts.

The Nelson Pioneer Farm opens for the season on May 2nd, 2017. You can learn more by visiting their website at http://www.nelsonpioneer.org/

Editing by Ginger Allsup