F1/C Harold G. Nordquist, Lost at Sea: 21 Dec 1944

As I was visiting the graves of my two great uncles with my Mother this past Memorial Day, I noticed a marker just a few feet away. It is gradually being covered by the years of grass that has grown up around it. My concern was that this WWII serviceman not be forgotten. So, I took a photo of the marker with the idea that I would do a little research and post what I found here.



The marker reads:

F1/C [Fireman 1st Class] Harold G. Nordquist
U.S.N.
Lost at Sea
on USS. LST. 749
1911 -- 1944

The unnamed USS LST 749 was a tank landing ship that participated in the landings at Leyte, the Philippines, in October and November 1944. On 21 December 1944, she was in the Sulu Sea on her way to the Philippine island of Mindoro when she was struck by a Japanese kamikaze. The plane crashed into the bridge of the ship killing many on board. The survivors were later rescued by the crew of the destroyer USS Converse. On 19 January 1945, the ship was struck from the Navy list.

Presumably, F1/C Nordquist was killed in the kamikaze attack, though the exact circumstances are unknown to me at this time. However, I did find him listed at the Defense Prisoner of War * Missing Personnel Office website under Service Personnel Not Recovered Following WWII which lists his date of loss as 21 December 1944, the date of the kamikaze attack.

Thank you for your sacrifice F1/C Nordquist. :S!

 

Fair winds and following seas, sailor. Thanks for posting this, TD

 

Thanks for your service F1/C Nordquist! Great post TD!!

 

Remembering Harold this Memorial Day weekend. Will stop at his marker if I make it out to the cemetery. It always chokes me up knowing his family wasn't able to bury him.

 

"Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm doth bind the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!"

God bless, Harold. You shall not be forgotten.

 

Hi Tommy. I'm Marshall Nordquist, Harold's son. Our son in law Randy Bryan found this site and your words about my father were very touching and special. The research you did on my father's death is spot on to the best of my knowledge. Thank you so much.
Both I and our son Christopher carried on the Navy tradition started by my father. I served aboard the USS Columbus, CG-12 from 1962 to 1965. Christopher was a submariner for 20 years, retiring in 2008.
My dad's brother Harris had a son Jon who was killed in Vietnam in 1970. On my first trip to Washington DC the very first thing I did was find Jon's name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
The last time I was at Bethel cemetary was the summer of 1990 when we buried my mother's ashes next to my dad's marker. I'm not sure when we will be back to Minnesota but I'm certain we will make a trip to Minnesota and the cemetary.
Thanks again Tommy!!
And so many thanks to those that have served and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice

 

You are very welcome, Marshall. I consider it a privilege to do what I can to make sure his sacrifice is remembered. And please accept my thanks for the service you and your son have given to our country. And my sincere appreciation goes out for the sacrifice your cousin made in Vietnam. I found Spec Jon H Nordquist's memorial page at www.findagrave.com: Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and 2 Purple Hearts. He was a true hero.

Marshall, there are two memorial pages for you father on the Find-a-Grave website. One for his Bethel Cemetery marker and the other that was originally created by the ABMC for his name being listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

I am so happy that you found this and shared the story of your family's service. Please give your son in law a big thank you from me for finding this and telling you about it. I'll be sending a separate response to your private message.

 

Remembering you this Memorial Day weekend, Harold.

 

Harold's son Marshall has provided a photo of his father.

 

Remembering your service and sacrifice this Memorial Day weekend, Harold.

Took an updated photo of his marker today:

 

My mother and I visited Harold's cenotaph marker yesterday. Harold's son Marshal (Skyguy) and I were able to get together in 2016. We met at a restaurant in Alexandria (MN) and drove to the cemetery where we talked about his dad, my great uncles, and our respective families. Post #6 and in this thread really is one of the highlights of my time here at WW2F.

 

Very, very nice of you and his marker looks wonderful today.