Description: 1951 Visit to Fort RuckerbyMN State Rep. D. D. WozniakwGovernor Elmer C. Andersonand Delegation This auction offers historic documentation of the interaction between U. S. politics and the military. The military instillation that was visited November 4-6 of 1951 by this Minnesota State delegation was Camp Rucker (on the verge of being re-named Fort Rucker). It was founded in 1942, during WW2. The soldiers visited by the delegation were the Minnesota Army National Guard's 47th Infantry Division. The 47th Division had been mobilized and sent to Camp Rucker in the fall of 1950, at the beginning of the Korean War. The soldiers helped teach Basic Training to recruits. The 47th remained at Fort Rucker throughout the War. Rucker was closed down for a short time after Korea and reopened as a helicopter training base. It is still in operation. Rucker has always had an emphasis on aviation which is probably part of the reason Rep D. D. Wozniak was among the small group chosen for the trip. Wozniak had served in WWII as a naval aviator. He had just been elected to the MN House of Representatives in the fall of 1950. The items in this auction are all from a personal scrapbook kept by Wozniak. We purchased this scrapbook a few years ago at his family's estate sale. Wozniak lived from 1922 through 2005. He was a member of the DFL and became a lawyer prior to running for the legislature. The delegation that Wozniak was in also featured the Governor of Minnesota at the time, Elmer C. Anderson, who can be seen in a number of the photos. (see photo 4 above where he can be seen giving a speech.) Almost all the soldiers who greeted and conducted the members of the delegation about the Fort, were Minnesota natives. The most memorable of them was P. C. Bettenburg, the Brigadier General with his back to the camera in the first photo above (also in most of the others). After the war in Korea, Bettenburg founded a distinguished architectural firm that built many of the buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Including the still-standing armory in Minneapolis. His papers are held by the Minnesota Historical Society. This documentation of the visit, gives little clue as to the need for this trip. It appears to have been a visit to see how the soldiers from Minnesota were fairing as well as for positive PR. Certainly Representative Wozniak had a good time climbing on tanks and viewing the airplanes that succeeded the ones he flew in WW2. The positive publicity the politicians realized from the trip was most likely far greater than the benefits the trip yielded to the soldiers of the 47th Infantry, although future budgetary matters concerning the 47th were certainly not hurt by such a visit. Please see the photos. We gladly answer questions or supply additional photographs. We ask that you make your inquiries prior to bidding. SHIPPING AND CONDITIONS:All our offerings are carefully packed, but we advise buyers to take out insurance. We cannot be responsible for uninsured items.We request payment within two days of the auction's close.Your address must be current with eBay.
Price: 35.99 USD
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
End Time: 2024-12-05T22:53:45.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Also Included: Elmer C. Anderson, MN Governor
Date of Event: November 4 - 6, 1951
Subject 2: Minnesota State Legislature - History
Persons: Incl: Rep D Wozniak, BG PC Bettenburg
Period: Korean War - 1951
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Subject: MN Legislators visit Nat'l Guard Unit
Modified Item: No
Location: Fort Rucker, Alabama
