Human Interest | Field 2 Field

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019

Vermeer Bouncing Back from 2018 Tornado

Employees and management at Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella, Iowa, will always remember July 19, 2018. An EF3 tornado tore through the campus, causing significant damage and a number of non-life-threatening injuries. To add insult to injury, the tornado hit as the company was celebrating its 70^th anniversary.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Vermeer CEO Jason Andringa said, “We’ve dealt with several challenges during our 70 years of doing business and we’ve survived them thus far. We plan on doing it again.” That recovery is well underway.

“I was there that day, taking part at an anniversary event at which we had brought in more than 400 customers and dealers,” said Mark Core, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Vermeer. “We had an unbelievably good day. I’d just left to go to another meeting at the corporate building, so I was as far away as I could get from the tornado and still be on the campus.

“The people that were closer than I was described a lot of flying debris,” said Core. “A lot of people in our tornado shelters didn’t necessarily hear anything but they did feel their ears pop. They knew something was close. But, for most people, they really didn’t have any idea how big the tornado was until they walked outside.”

Awe and bewilderment are terms Core used to describe the reactions in the aftermath. Several plants sustained heavy damage and the wastewater treatment facility was a total loss. As the recovery process continues, Core said they will have to demolish two of their manufacturing facilities on the Vermeer campus.

“That means about 30 percent of our manufacturing space will be demolished,” Core said. “It should take two or three years to rebuild, including the time it takes to decide exactly how we want it rebuilt.

“Our CEO (Andringa), the grandson of our founder, set two immediate goals the next day,” Core recalled. “The first goal was getting everyone back to work within 45 days, so they could get back to their normal livelihood. The second was he wanted us to build ourselves back stronger than ever by 2020.

“We got everybody back to work in 31 days,” he recalled. “The second goal is what we’re in the middle of right now. Some things force a company to reinvent itself. Vermeer has never had a financial crisis because of how the owners manage the company. We’ve never been part of a purchase or acquisition. But, we did have a tornado. That gives us the opportunity of a clean slate to improve how we do things.”

In his words, Core said they are “shockingly” back up to pre-storm production levels. They had to shift some of their divisions into rented buildings in order to reclaim some space. He said the workers are more crowded in than they were before. They did have to outsource a few things temporarily as well. He said, “it might look too good to the naked eye,” but they’re still producing at a high level.

“I think a big key to the rebuilding is the passion of Midwest workers who believe in the family and the company,” Core added. “The only way to get everybody back to work in 45 days was to figure out how to get the production lines back in place in 30 days. It hasn’t been easy and there’s still a lot to learn over the next two-or-three months about our temporary world here, but so far, it’s been really pretty amazing.”

The company had a small spike in back orders during the first few weeks after the tornado, but overall, Core said the disruption at the dealer level has been small. He said their dealers did a “phenomenal job” of working with each other to help take care of customers.

“It’s been so much fun to watch the people on our staff rise and shine as they continue to help the company move in the right direction,” Core said with a smile visible even during a phone conversation. “They’ve been able to make quick and smart decisions on things like production, environmental health and safety, facilities, and senior leadership.

“We’ve also had a lot of support from our community,” Core added. “We’ve even had a lot of help from companies that you’d consider our competitors. It’s humbling when you hear from a major competitor that night who told us their people want to head our way and see if they could help us. I think we had a total of eight competitors contact us within the first 24 hours.

Core said it says a lot about people in the business of agriculture, who are always willing to lend a hand in the worst of situations.

“I think we’re getting through this,” Core said.

Here’s a first-hand, birds-eye view of the damage at the Vermeer plant taken by a drone on the same day.

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019

Invasive Insect Found in Holiday Decorations

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging residents who purchased wreathes, swags, boughs, and other evergreen decorations at several retailers to burn items, or bag and throw away items to stop the spread of the invasive insect elongate hemlock scale (EHS).

EHS is native to Asia. It feeds on nutrients found on the underside of conifer needles.

Earlier this week the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection issued a similar warning after finding EHS in greenery at several retail chains. The MDA then began inspecting similar retailers across Minnesota, looking for the insect in any leftover greenery. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture found the insect in displays at Menards and Home Depot locations. Both companies are cooperating with MDA investigators and are pulling what’s left of the displays off the shelves.

The bigger challenge for inspectors is the evergreen items came all the way from North Carolina. It’s more than possible that the items were sold at other locations as well.

Minnesotans who bought wreathes, swags, boughs, and other evergreen decorations at Home Depot or Menards should burn the items, or bag them and dispose of them in the trash once the items are no longer useful for decoration. Do not compost the items.

Here is the insect itself and the damage it leaves behind. (Photo courtesy of OSU Extension)

“Unless you know you purchased evergreen products from a locally grown source, residents should err on the side of caution and burn, or bag and throw away your evergreen items,” said Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Whitney Place. “This will help us ensure this invasive insect does not get a foothold in Minnesota.”

Elongate hemlock scale has been found in the eastern U.S., Michigan, and Nevada. It had previously not been found in Minnesota.

October 22, 2018

Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline Available 24/7

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) reminds farmers and their families that the Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is free and confidential. The toll free number is (833) 600-2670.

helpline

“These are challenging times for growers who are facing a number of economic headwinds on the farm. And during harvest, that stress builds for a lot of farmers spending long hours in the combine,” said Minnesota Corn Growers Association President Brian Thalmann, who farms near Plato. “All farmers should know this number is available when outside help is needed.”

Farmers and rural communities face unique stresses and emotional situations, including financial challenges, unpredictable weather, and physically demanding work. Stress, anxiety, depression, financial burdens, and other mental and emotional challenges are common.

The Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline connects callers to financial help, mental health counselors, legal assistance, and more. Calls are confidential, but counselors may ask for a first name and phone number in case of a dropped call. Translation services are available in all languages.

The Helpline is also available to people who are worried about family or friends and aren’t sure how to help.

Farmers and rural Minnesotans can call the toll free number as often as needed at (833) 600-2670 or visit the MDA’s website for additional resources on farming and stress.

Here are some great tips on dealing with farm stress of Lynn DeVries of the Nebraska Extension Service.

October 19, 2018

USSEC Initiative Helping Move Extra Soybeans

It’s well-known that the trade dispute between the United States and China has hit the U.S. soybean industry hard. China, once the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, is no longer purchasing large volumes of beans. That means a lot of the product needs to find new markets. The U.S. Soybean Export Council is working on a new initiative called “What It Takes,” which is designed to help deal with the backlog of soybeans that need to be shipped and sold.

“When the tariff dispute cranked up in April, we were all hopeful that it would be a short-term thing,” said USSEC CEO Jim Sutter. “While it could change at any time, we’d better plan for it to be a longer-term ordeal. It’s made even more challenging by the complex issues between the two countries. There’s more than soybeans involved, with a lot at stake.”

“It was a huge shock to what our industry has gotten used to in terms of marketing plans,” Sutter said. “Our team has been very busy working with exporters. We’re trying to help them in any market where they might have potential customers. We’re also working with importers around the world, telling them about the attributes and possibilities that U.S. soy holds for them.”

Sutter said most overseas markets have purchased at least some U.S. soybeans. There are just a few that haven’t yet. U.S. beans are priced very competitively around the world right now, making them a more affordable option than in past years.

Soybeans have really backed up in the Pacific Northwest. Exporters there typically sell most of their beans to China. USSEC is focusing on encouraging potential customers to come to the PNW as they look for soybeans, and they’ve been successful at it. Taiwan has purchased soybeans in the Pacific Northwest for the first time in 15 years.

“We’re doing a lot of work in other Asian countries, which we think would be a logical destination for those beans from the Pacific Northwest.”

Here’s the complete conversation:

Here’s a refresher on just how USSEC helps improve things for soybean farmers:

October 18, 2018

SE MN Youth Deer Hunt this weekend

The MEA four-day weekend is a highlight on the school calendar for students across Minnesota. However, it’s more than just a chance to sleep in and not go to school. It’s a chance for young people to get into the outdoors and take part in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s Youth Deer Hunt. It’s Thursday, October 18^th through Sunday, Oct. 21^st. The long weekend is a great chance to focus on helping kids get outdoors, learn new skills, and have some fun too.

“it’s a great chance to get kids out into the field before the regular deer-hunting season begins,” said James Burnham, Fish, and Wildlife Hunting and Angling Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation Coordinator. “When the regular season gets going, it’s harder to teach kids about deer hunting when you’re focused on filling a deer tag in a limited timeline.

“This gives adults the flexibility to get out and teach kids how to participate in the outdoor sports,” he added. “The weather will typically be a little better than later in the season, which makes the hunting environment a little less stressful. Adults have the time to teach deer hunting to kids at a very fundamental level.”

The kids do need a valid deer hunting license, as any other hunter would. The age-range for youth hunters is 10-to-15 years old. The kids are the focus of the hunt as they must be the one taking shots and harvesting a deer. An important thing to remember is if the youth are older than 12, they have to complete the DNR Firearm Safety Course. However, they can also take part as an apprentice hunter, which means they won’t need to have taken the safety course.

“A parent, guardian, or mentor that’s 18 years of age or older must accompany each youth hunter,” Burnham said. “If the youth hunter has a valid license, the mentor doesn’t need a license of their own. If the youth is hunting with an apprentice license, then the adult with them will also need a license.

“For those that don’t know, the apprentice license is a way for people in the state who haven’t completed Firearms Safety to go out and try out a limited number of hunting opportunities,” Burnham added. “If the youth are using that option, then the parent or guardian has to have a valid license.”

The reason behind the Youth Deer Hunt is a simple one. The DNR is seeing what Burnham calls “a dramatic decline” in participation during hunting (and fishing) season. While numbers are down, Burnham said Minnesota remains ahead of the curve and participation isn’t dropping here as much as it is in other states.

“We’re still seeing a decline in the percentage of the population that participates,” he said. “It’s really important to us that as Minnesota’s population continues to grow, we still have people who participate in hunting and fishing. We run the risk of losing public support for keeping lands open for wildlife management. There’s also a risk of losing financial support for wildlife as well.

“If we don’t keep the deer populations in check, that’s when overpopulation becomes a problem,” he added. “In some parts of the state, it can be a lethal problem. Car-deer collisions are nothing to take lightly.”

His biggest piece of advice for taking a young hunter out into the field, especially if it’s his or her first time, is to make it fun for them. One advantage to deer hunting is they aren’t quite as wary and visually acute as other game animals like turkey, so young hunters don’t have to sit absolutely still.

“Don’t turn it into a death march or a ‘you have to toughen up’ kind of experience,” Burnham said. “Keep it interesting. Explain what you’re seeing as someone with more experience. If you march a youth out there and tell them to ‘sit on a bucket,’ it’s not as much fun as the veteran hunter explaining what’s happening.

“It’s also a great chance to teach young hunters about firearm safety by demonstrating it and then helping youth imitate what you’re doing,” he said. “Teach them the process of seeing an animal, picking a spot for a shot, and doing everything in a safe manner.”

It’s legal to shoot one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset. Just a reminder that if you do take youth hunters out in the 603-hunting area and take a deer, it must be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease.

Do you want to see how much fun it can be for kids to participate in outdoor sports? Take a look here at this video from the Wildlife Game Masters YouTube channel:

September 5, 2018

Small town, big city thoughts

Small-town thoughts from the big city:

I’m from a town of less than a thousand and currently living in a city of almost 3.3 million people, so I’m naturally out of my comfort zone. However, it is getting easier. There’s sure a lot more to do here but why does it always have to be so expensive here in the big city? I work from home and have lots of time to read and think about things. I don’t share my inner thoughts easily with people I don’t know, but I’m already way out of my comfort zone here, so let’s give blogging a try.

I really don’t care that Nike has hired Colin Kaepernick. I just don’t. I’m physically and emotionally exhausted by the great American Flag/National Anthem debate. He’s got a God-given right to do what he believes is right, and more power to him. However, before the Kap supporters get too big for their britches, other people have a similar God-given right to not support it. That’s what true freedom of speech is. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean either side is wrong. We’re all allowed to have different opinions.

That leads me to another point. Are you as exhausted as I am by the division being sown daily in this country? The United States aren’t quite as “United” as they used to be. Our political “leaders” are doing a great job of stirring up dissension in the country and then doing an equally great job of promising to “fix” it. We keep believing the promises and keep electing the same morons, over and over, expecting different results. How does that make sense? And, it’s not one side of the political aisle or the other. It’s both.

We’ve left two political parties in power for far too long. It’s time for new leadership and new blood in D.C. We have to start paying attention to the candidates running for office and the promises they make.

Please Minnesota, do some research on our state candidates. For example, don’t vote for Keith Ellison to be the state’s attorney general. The man’s law license is inactive. Maybe you should ask him why? Plus, he’s got domestic assault allegations to answer for. I cannot believe that his party is so quick to attack the president for the way he views women (which itself isn’t acceptable) but actually come out in support of someone with domestic issues of his own?

Oh, and before you get huffy and go on the attack, I didn’t vote for Trump. Didn’t vote for Clinton either. Voted for Gary Johnson, who I honestly thought was the best choice for the office. That’s all I’m hoping we do in Minnesota. Vote for the best possible candidate for each office. Is that too much to ask? Don’t vote for someone just because the media tells you too, either. Do your own research and make an informed choice, no matter who you choose.

Maple Grove is quite a place. I’ll never forget one of the first days here when I took the dog for a walk. No less than three neighbors actually waved to me as I walked by. That hasn’t happened since I lived in South Dakota, where everybody knows everyone else. I’m in the middle of a big city and a major metro area and people were waving at me? Was really caught by surprise.

My dog, Jazz, is a greyhound. A black one. She’s absolutely beautiful to look at. And absolutely lazy.

That is all for now.

August 29, 2018August 30, 2018

GoFundMe Miracle for Wisconsin Dairy Family

Dale and Karen Cihlar of Algoma, Wisconsin, can vouch firsthand about just how tough things are in the American dairy industry right now. Low milk prices are making it difficult for American producers to get the loan capital they need to stay in operation. The Cihlars were literally down to their last option for more operating money when they turned to crowdfunding through the GoFundMe website. Down to their last chance, they saw a miracle happen.

“Milk prices were down, and we had lost some cattle,” said Karen Cihlar. “We also had a big payment due on our manure storage facility. My husband (Dale) went to some loan officers, looking for a $35,000 loan for livestock because we were down in numbers. We also wanted to pay off a little debt. The bankers told us they weren’t loaning money to dairy farmers at the present time because of low projected milk futures prices.”

“When we asked the loan officers what to do, a lot of them said walk away,” she recalled. “I told Dale that just wasn’t an option. We have six or seven years in this business, everything is paid for, and the farm is ours. No, we weren’t going to walk away. We gotta fight.”

She had noticed in previous weeks that there were other farmers with campaigns on GoFundMe. Karen asked Dale if it was something he wanted to try, and he said “no.” He didn’t want other people to know what’s going on in their business.

“I said ‘if we have to pull a U-Haul up to the house and load up, they’re going to know our business,’” she recalled. “The last loan officer we went to said, ‘do what you have to do and don’t worry about what anyone thinks because they’re not in your shoes.’ That night, Dale told me ‘no to GoFundMe one more time. However, I really felt we should try it.

“I went over to our daughter’s house for some help and we did it,” she added. “We started getting donations right away.

Here’s the rest of the story:

In case you were wondering? The campaign was for the exact amount the family was turned down for; $35,000. The five-month campaign has raised over $90,300! Amazing!

August 28, 2018

Mexico-U.S. Wrap Up Part of NAFTA Renegotiation

NAFTA Trade — Daniel Ujczo is an International Trade and Customs Lawyer with the Dickinson Wright Law Firm in Columbus Ohio. He says the agreement this week between Mexico and Canada basically completes their part of the NAFTA negotiations. (Photo from twitter.com)

The U.S. and Mexico announced the framework of an agreement to put a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

in place between the two countries. The question is, what exactly did they agree on as details aren’t entirely clear. Daniel Ujczo is an International Trade Lawyer with Dickinson Wright in Columbus, Ohio, who works on trade for a living. He said this basically means the work to resolve the outstanding issues between Mexico and Canada is done.

“This is the first hurdle cleared in the attempt to get to a final NAFTA,” Ujczo said. “The issues between Mexico and the U.S. primarily surrounded automobiles, but on the agriculture side, included seasonal produce, which was a request that the U.S. put in to resolve the ‘great tomato wars’ between Florida and Mexico. The U.S. agreed to withdraw that proposal.

“There were several other smaller NAFTA issues between the two countries,” he said. “Autos really led the charge until we reached agreement on that. The agreement came about somewhat surprisingly to external observers, but for those of us on the ground, we knew this was happening.”

Ujczo said Mexico and the U.S. went beyond just the bilateral NAFTA issues between the two countries during their negotiations. He said they’ve essentially come up with the rest of the deal on areas like intellectual property rights, in particular. Some observers had expected intellectual property rights to come up later when Canada returned to the negotiating table.

“In short, the U.S. and Mexico have really finished their part of the NAFTA agreement,” Ujczo said. “The next thing is to bring in Canada. Because of the way the procedural and political timelines work, that all needs to be done by Friday, August 31. That makes for a very short window to resolve some long-standing issues between the U.S. and Canada, not the least of which is dairy.”

Here’s the complete interview with Daniel Ujczo:

August 2, 2018

Rushford MN man literally stumbles on bison history

A funny thing happened to Dawson Dahl of Rushford during a family trip to the beach. It was a typical summer day and the family decided to go swimming. While walking through the sand, Dahl accidentally stubbed his toe. That painful moment led to a very interesting discovery for him and the rest of the family.

“It was a hot day and we went down to the Point, which is what we call the spot where the crick and the River meet,” he recalled. “We were swimming while my mom sat on the bank and read a book. After getting out of the water, I stubbed my toe on something. I wanted to rip it out of there so no one else would get hurt. I didn’t know it at the time, but I stubbed my toe on the horn of a big Bison skull.”

Dahl grew more interested as he kept digging and saw that his find was something large. As he worked it out of the ground, his mom noticed all the digging and wanted to know what it was too. After finally working it free, Dahl said his mom wasn’t too thrilled by what he’d found.

“She kept saying ‘throw it away’ but I wasn’t going to,” he recalled. “I said ‘I’m keeping this thing.’ It was heavy. After we cleaned the sand out, I’m sure it was lighter. We took it home and hosed it off. We didn’t polish it or anything like that, but we sure did clean a lot of sand out of it.”

As some folks might imagine, he said it was obviously quite a shock to pull a full-sized, complete Bison skull out of the ground. Dahl dug to the point that he could yank the horn with both hands and finally pulled it up out of its resting place. His first reaction?

“Wow, what is this,” he said. “I literally sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out what it was that I had just pulled out of the creek.

“We live pretty close to the creek, so I just carried it home, and then we got it hosed off and cleaned up,” he recalled. “After that, we stuck it in a wheelbarrow and I guess it sat there for six months. Then, we got the idea to bring it to the family White Elephant gift exchange at Christmas.”

Dahl said he actually wanted to hang the skull on the wall, but his mom wasn’t really high on the idea. So, when Christmas rolled around, the Dahls wrapped it up in a box and decided to give it as a surprise gift to a family member. So, which extended family member got the ‘gift?’

“Of all people, my grandmother picked it out,” he said with a smile that was almost visible during a phone conversation. “She’s really not into that type of thing. She unwrapped the big box and opened the lid, jumped back in her chair and yelled. Everyone wanted to know what it was. She started laughing and said she wasn’t going to touch it.

“My great-uncle Larry walked in, saw what it was, and grabbed it by both horns to pull it up out of the box,” he added. “The whole room just exploded in surprise. He’s into that kind of thing and took it home from the family get-together. I’m pretty sure he actually had someone look at it and tell him the skull was actually from the 1800s.”

The skull actually has a hole in it near the brain and figured that’s where hunters shot and killed the bison. The people who dated the skull figured that the Point is where the skull had been buried before eventually working its way back to the surface, where Dahl literally bumped into it.

“It was absolutely perfect timing,” he said.

June 20, 2018June 25, 2018

MN World War Two Veteran Finally Heading Home

A Rushford veteran who was among the first sailors killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7^th, 1941, is finally returning home for burial. Thanks to advances in DNA testing and a two-year-old government agency, the remains of Joe Johnson of Rushford are finally heading back to Minnesota. Dennis Rislove, a Rushford native who lives in Minneapolis, said he never got to know his uncle Joe personally but is glad he’s finally returning home once and for all.

“I’m absolutely amazed at the science that allowed this to happen,” Rislove said. “It’s almost unbelievable that they’re able to do something like this.

“The fact is, I’m 74 years old and he died two-and-a-half years before I was born,” he recalled. “I never had any personal contact and never knew him. It’s kind of a distant relationship but it is still a family member. The government is returning him to me because I’m the oldest living direct relative.”

Rislove, a former Rushford-Peterson school superintendent, first found out about the possible return of Johnson to Rushford two years ago. The government agency, known as the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which reached out to him was just created in 2016. They tracked Rislove down and asked him for a DNA sample, which he submitted at a meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That’s where agency officials gave Rislove a rundown of the project they were undertaking to identify the remains of every veteran killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“In November of 2017, I got a call from the Navy that said they’d identified him (Johnson) and they’d eventually be returning the remains to me,” he said. “They sent a team from the Navy after that and they gave me a ton of information in a book of about 120 pages, and it’s all about uncle Joe. It included everything statistic from the battle, what happened, where the remains were temporarily buried, and how they were disinterred.”

The remains of the Rushford veteran were positively identified at a laboratory in Nebraska and the book walked Rislove through the process. The account in the book detailed the fact that the U.S.S. Oklahoma, which Johnson was serving on, was the first ship hit in the attack. It was hit by a total of six torpedoes, sinking the ship very quickly, which then rolled over and trapped 429 men.

“Some were killed in the explosions and fires,” he said, “and some of them drowned, of course. At the time, they didn’t have any way of identifying them. They ended up burying the dead in what amounted to mass graves. When the DNA science finally came along, they decided to try and identify and return the remains to each sailors’ family.

“In fact, they opened up the first casket and inside were the remains of 95 individuals,’ he said, “and that shows you the kind of challenge they faced in doing this project. The agency disinterred all the co-mingled caskets and separated the remains, such as the skulls in one place, the femurs in another, and so forth. They cleaned all the bones and began to DNA test every single one of them, with the goal of identifying every veteran possible.”

The agency informed each family’s of every veteran that they would help set up the burials, which would include full military honors. Joe Johnson’s remains will be back in Minnesota on Friday, July 6^th, in Minneapolis, where the Navy will host a military ceremony. The remains will then be escorted down to Rushford for a memorial service on Saturday, July 7^th, at 1:00 p.m. The remains will be buried in the Rushford Lutheran Cemetery with full military honors, in a plot that’s located next to his mother and father’s graves.

“While there’s not a great deal of emotional attachment for me just because I never got to know my uncle Joe,” he said, “it’s emotional because it certainly makes you more appreciate all the Joe’s.”

There is some regret that Joe Johnson had plenty of family members that never had closure after his death because most of those relatives have passed away. Johnson had two younger sisters and a younger brother that are deceased. In fact, there’s just one living family member that new Joe Johnson personally, and his name is Norm Ebner.

“He’s another uncle of mine,” Rislove said. “He actually married one of Joe’s sisters. Norm (Ebner) was in the same class as uncle Joe and they both graduated in 1939. Norm is now 99 years old and in an assisted living home. He’s the only living family member that ever knew Joe.

“His mother and two sisters absolutely adored Joe,” Rislove said, “and they talked about him all the time after his death. They did get notified relatively quickly that he was missing in action. However, it took many months before Joe was finally declared killed in action. His family was told his body was unrecoverable, and that whatever remains they found would be put into mass graves because they simply couldn’t identify each and every veteran.”

One of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s employees is a historian who studied the battle at Pearl Harbor in incredible detail. Rislove said the historian knows exactly where the torpedoes hit the Oklahoma and the exact time that they hit the ship. Because the attack occurred on a Sunday morning, most of the sailors were actually off the ship. Joe Johnson was on duty in the radio room.

“They know exactly where he was when the torpedoes hit,” Rislove said. “The historian told me he’s very confident that, based on where the torpedoes hit, that Joe was killed almost instantly, very early in the battle. I think he was trying to comfort me and help me realize Joe wasn’t one of the sailors trapped underneath when the ship overturned, and those sailors were stuck there for 48 hours before they all died.“

Rislove added, “World War Two was very short for uncle Joe.

“He enlisted in the Navy a year after graduation, in April of 1940,” he recalled. “He did basic training around the Great Lakes Training Station in Illinois. His first assignment with the Navy was on the U.S.S. Oklahoma, in Hawaii. Joe died the following year on December 7^th, 1941.”

The DNA science had come so far that they could now identify mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down through the females in every family tree. Because Rislove’s mother was Joe Johnson’s sister, they could take a sample from Dennis and use it to identify his uncle Joe’s remains.

“I have to admit that I was skeptical that this would really happen a couple years ago when I got the call,” Rislove recalled. “But I then read up on some of the things they can do with DNA. I also saw a story about the U.S.S. Oklahoma and how the government had decided to disinter the bodies, so I knew that part of the story. I do wish that his immediate family members could have gotten this kind of closure too.”