Korby's Connections: He's 100, with a lifetime of stories to tell

Gerald "Buck" Bloomquist recently turned 100 years old. Born Oct. 10, 1924, he was part of The Greatest Generation, graduating from Cloquet High School in 1942. He currently lives at a Veterans Home in Rifle, Colorado. He is a proud veteran of World War II.

The Nov. 8 Pine Knot Veterans Day tribute spurred the Bloomquist relatives and me to revive - and retrieve - Buck's military and life stories.

Buck's son, Bill, was a Cloquet school and athletic chum of mine.

Buck Bloomquist was an outstanding Lumberjacks player, a three-year starter on both the football and basketball teams. Bloomquist grew up with his family on 18th Street and worked on his grandpa's farm in the summers. He graduated in the first high school class following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Like his son, he was big, fast, and a deceptive star player. He played end on the CHS football team, as did Bill, 30 years later.

Buck enlisted in the Marines shortly after high school, knowing full well he would have otherwise been drafted into the Army. He appreciated the Marine Corps pride and resolution to be the best. Knowing the risk, Buck applied and was accepted to be trained as a field radio operator. Often, the enemy would target these individuals because of communications link to leadership support and tactics.

Bloomquist's basic and radio operations training took several months. As part of his military assignment, he was a key member of the 5th Marine Division, whose daunting task was to overtake the small island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese. This was February 1945. He was on the second wave that landed on the shores of Iwo Jima.

Mount Suribachi is the most prominent feature of the island, and is where the famous photo of the Marines proudly lifting and displaying the American flag was taken. The Japanese had built two airports on the island and were building a third. It is about 700 miles from Japan and was considered a key military station.

In reminiscing about the battle, Bloomquist has just three words: "I was lucky." He is one of the few remaining survivors. He was very close to where the photographer captured the iconic image. The battle was not nearly over, for the Japanese were firmly entrenched in their positions. Buck always credited his athleticism, honed at CHS, and his ability to move about quickly for saving his life in the harrowing experience. The death toll, from both sides, was very high.

After the war, Buck returned home to Cloquet. He built houses for a while with his brother, but soon applied and was hired at the Wood Conversion Company, later Conwed and USG. He married his high school sweetheart, June (Mary June Forseth), and they had six kids, raising the family on Spring Lake Road. He worked at the factory for 35 years.

In retirement, Buck and June built a cabin on Snider Lake outside of Waubun, Minnesota on the White Earth Reservation. They summered there and wintered in the Rio Grande Valley near Harlingen, Texas. They did this for many years until June passed away at age 70. Buck has lived in Colorado for the past 14 years, for a while with his daughter, and now in the veterans home in Rifle.

Bill Bloomquist also lived in Colorado for many years, working for sporting goods stores and taking up fishing and hunting and other outdoor activities. He and his wife have now moved back to Minnesota, and he's again working for the Cabela's sporting goods store in Owatonna. Bill is recovering from a recent knee replacement operation. We laughed when I told him the bad knee was likely first aggravated by a Duluth East football safety's crunching blow after Bill caught a bullet pass from CHS quarterback Dave "Munch" Boyer on a crossing pattern.

Thanks to the Bloomquist family for sharing the story of Buck, and congrats from Cloquet and the Pine Knot, Buck, on your 100th birthday. A great history tale.

Steve Korby's interest in writing goes back to when he was in fourth grade and editor of the Scan-Satellite school newspaper in Scanlon. He welcomes ideas for human interest stories and tales regarding Carlton County residents, projects, history, and plans c/o [email protected].