Skip to main content

Ahrendt Brothers take father, others on honor bus ride to WWII museum

Lead Summary
By
Mavis Fodness

A handful of local war veterans boarded a bus recently and received an up-close look at World War II memorabilia, courtesy of a road trip organized by three Luverne siblings.
Jeff, Brad and Troy Ahrendt fulfilled a wish of their father’s to tour the Fagen Fighters World War II Museum in Granite Falls.
But instead of touring the museum with only family members, the brothers invited other local veterans to hop on the Luverne Trolley and enjoy a ride full of reminiscing and camaraderie with their father, Lowell. The brothers picked up the tab for the bus ride and museum entrance as a thank you for their military service.
“It was a small appreciation for what they did,” Jeff explained.
Lowell served as a mechanic during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954.
Much like the Honor Flights that are offered at no cost to veterans to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C., the brothers are willing to pick up the tab on another trip for interested veterans.
Because of all the materials at the museum, Lowell may participate in another trip.
“I think anyone should see it,” he said. “They sure have a lot of stuff there. It was great.”
Because the Ahrendt brothers arranged for a large group to come to the museum, they were given a private tour. Otherwise the museum is self-guided.
Lowell said he was amazed at the detail museum curators took in restoring the planes, equipment and vehicles on display in four individual Quonsets.
“When you’ve been in the service, you remember the good things — you don’t remember the bad,” he said.
One of the not-so-good things to remember was the use of gliders during the war. Lowell said they were made of plywood and rods, carrying 10 to 12 fully geared soldiers to the ground.
“It’s funny it held together,” he said. “I think it killed more soldiers than got to the ground.”
As a mechanic, Lowell worked on the 2.5-ton trucks, one of which was on display at the museum. He recalled a weapon called a grease gun stored underneath the driver’s seat.
The submachine gun could fold in half and be hidden from the enemy. One of those grease guns was located in the truck at the museum.
Details like the grease gun and information given out during the tour brought back memories he had long since forgotten.
One such area contained all the weapons from basic training. The automatic guns and bazooka reminded Lowell of when he taught other soldiers how to use the various weapons correctly.
“I kind of forget about that,” he said.

You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.