Evan Benhart BREKKEN

1911 - 1941  (30 years)

• Name	Evan Benhart BREKKEN
  Birth	20 Oct 1911	Goodhue County, Minnesota
  Gender	Male
  Death	7 Dec 1941	Pearl Harbor, Honolulu County, Hawaii
  Burial	14 Nov 1947	Vang Lutheran Church Cemetery, Dennison, Goodhue County, Minnesota
  Notes	From the Faribault Daily News, Nov. 15, 1947: Burial services for S 1/C Evan Brekken were conducted at the Vang cemetery, Friday, November 14 at 2 o'clock following the arrival of the casket in Kenyon in the morning from Kansas City, Mo. Leo C. Dangers, guard of honor, accompanied the remains, and served as one of the pallbearers. Other pallbearers were Herman Aase, Jim Feeley, Shirley Cole, Clair Knowlton and Oscar Jorstad of Kenyon. Full military services were conducted by Joseph A. Gates Post No. 78 of the American Legion and Conrad Osthum Post No. 141, Veterans of Foreign Wars, of Kenyon. At the services Mrs. Brekken was presented with the flag by the honor guard. Rev. Crouch, American Legion chaplain, had charge of the services with Rev. Virgil T. Foss of Kenyon representing Vang church in the absence of Rev. Egge, who is recovering from an operation. Taps were sounded by Ronald Teigen. A firing squad took part in the services and sounded the final salute. Evan Benhart Brekken, S 1/C, son of Mr. and Mrs. Austin Brekken who live near Wangs, was killed in action at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, while at his station, on December 7, 1941, in the first Japanese attack. He is survived, besides his parents, by four sisters: Mrs. Sanford Sunde of Faribault, Mrs. Vernon Reko, Mrs. Harold Lenway and Miss Avis Brekken of Kenyon; also five brothers, Austin, Wilfred and Ormenzo of Dennison, Lyle of Faribault and Levi of Portland, Oregon. He was the first Warsaw man killed in action in World War II and perhaps the first in Goodhue county. His parents received letters of sympathy from his commanding officer and from his shipmates. He was awarded the Order of the Purple Heart, the American Defense medal and World War II Victory medal, posthumously. Memorial services were held in Vang church, Sunday, Oct. 25, 1942. Seaman Brekken entered the U.S. naval training station at Great Lakes, Ill., October 17, 1940. He graduated November 25, 1940 and was transferred to the USS Pennsylvania at Bremerton, Washington, Dec. 6, 1940.
  Person ID	I32854	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	7 Sep 2021

  
  

  Father	Austin B BREKKEN,   b. 7 Dec 1888, Minnesota d. 6 Sep 1968, Rice County, Minnesota (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Tulie READ   d. 22 Aug 1970, Goodhue County, Minnesota
  Family ID	F22630	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart