Korby's Connections: Digging into a pilot's war service is family history

I don't remember meeting him. His name was Marvin Gleason. He was my first cousin who died in 1958, at age 31, when I was only 3 years old. Marvin was a decorated Korean War pilot who served in the U.S. Air Force. He's buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Cloquet and I visit his gravesite often. I always wish I could have heard his stories in person, especially when I'm reminded of his service each Veterans Day.

Gleason grew up on Fourth Street and Selmser Avenue in Cloquet. He'd be 98 years old today, so it's not easy to find his contemporaries. Bob Pearson of Scanlon is 95, also lived on Selmser and remembers Gleason well.

"Marvin was a little older than me but I'd walk to the end of the block to watch the neighborhood kids fly their model airplanes," Pearson said. "They had planes made out of balsa wood that had glow plugs requiring special fuel to fly."

The flying area is where Walgreens stands today. In the 1940s it was part city gravel pit and cow pasture.

"The young, amateur pilots had to adjust the rudders and flaps on the model planes before releasing them so they flew in a circle and then could be retrieved after their short flight," Pearson told me. "There was no remote control in those days. I remember Gleason being the best pilot. He even sold balsa wood out of his home to help encourage and teach others of this hobby."

Pearson is a U.S. Army veteran himself, serving as a military police officer in Berlin.

Visiting the Carlton County Historical Society on Cloquet Avenue, I looked for more information on Marvin. With staff help, I found a lot of interesting facts about him.

Reviewing his high school yearbook, I saw that he graduated from Cloquet in 1944, at the tail end of World War ll. Marvin was on the basketball, track, and tennis teams and played in the band and orchestra.

Like many other classmates, he enlisted in the military shortly after graduation. Some even joined earlier. The yearbook is dedicated to past and present Cloquet grads serving in the military and past veterans.

The war ended in August of 1945, and Marvin was honorably discharged from military service in November. He then attended Duluth Junior College and what is today's University of Minnesota Duluth.

It wasn't long before tensions, and eventually war, arose in Korea and Asia. To pursue his dream of becoming a pilot, Gleason joined the Air Force. Jet-propelled planes were just being introduced. Richard Bong, a flying ace from Superior and the most decorated World War ll pilot, died in a crash as a jet test pilot flying the very style of plane flown by Marvin a few years later.

Chuck Yeager, who flew in many missions and later instructed astronauts, was also a jet test pilot in this era.

Prior to deploying to Korea, Marvin walked away from a training crash while making a landing approach near Omaha. It makes me so proud to think and reminisce that my cousin was part of this group of extremely brave daredevils who risked everything, performing as air combat pilots and instructors.

Marvin flew 100 missions in Korea as part of the 8th Fighter Wing. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Marvin had encounters with Russian-made MiG jets, which were much faster. His P-80 could often outmaneuver them. His regular missions included destroying North Korea's supply lines and other military strategic positions.

Marvin was employed as a pilot by Trans World Airlines after his military career. In the summer of 1958, he was engaged to be married to a flight attendant. Shortly before his wedding, he drowned in a water skiing accident in New Jersey. He was 29.

He was the only child of my aunt Lillian and uncle Clarence. His death brought much sorrow to the Gleason/Korby neighbors, friends, and families.

Cloquet's Bill Stolberg, 88, was another friend of Marvin's. He grew up across the street on Selmser.

"Two of Marv's Air Force buddies came to his funeral in Cloquet. They wanted to hear stories of Marv growing up," Bill said. "I told them of Marv building small boats that were extremely fast, tippy, and risky for the time. They also got wind of me canoeing down the St. Louis River from Highway 2 to Cloquet. One pilot saw it as a potential thrilling challenge and went on the adventure with me the next day."

Stolberg is also a Navy Seabees veteran who served in the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific in the 1950s.

Both of my brothers were Vietnam War veterans, as were many of my friends, uncles, cousins, and other family members. I enjoyed doing some research on my cousin. I am very grateful to Marvin and all veterans. Thank you.

Special thanks to the Carlton County Historical Society, retired Air Force Gen. Rich Johnston, and family members who assisted in getting this information.

Steve welcomes ideas for human interest stories and tales regarding Carlton County residents, projects, history, and plans. send your inquiries to [email protected].