MAJOR MELVIN "JACK" LARSEN Died 2007

LARSEN, CRETZVEYER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 3/6/2014 at 22:45:07

Onawa Democrat
11 July 2007

MAJOR MELVIN "JACK" LARSEN, USA, RET.

It is with great regret and sorrow to inform the folks of the Onawa area of the passing of Major Jack Larsen, one more outstanding member of America's Greatest Generation, on June 17th 2007. He would have been 84 in October.

Jack graduated from Onawa High school in 1941 where he participated in forensics particularly debate and declamatory contests, in the oratorical category. He won 1st place in the latter for 4 consecutive years. On weekends and the summer months he served as the produce manager at the Connor's Cash and Carry Grocery store taking great pride in "sculpturing" mounds of oranges, lemons, grapefruit and apples in the front window. Then frowning when a customer wanted to make a selection from the bottom of the "sculpture". I worked with him at Connor's and looked forward to Saturday to see his next creation. Upon graduation Jack went to Kansas City where he worked at several places including the Kansas City Quartermaster Depot, where he met Edna Cretzveyer... later to become Mrs. Jack Larsen. In 1943 he went into the Army embarking on a storied career that took him far and wide throughout the world and to the highest levels of government and responsibility. Truly, a modern day Guliver or soldier of fortune.

His first assignment was on the small S.E. Pacific Island of Tarawa in the Gilbert Island Chain where his unit replaced the Marines who had captured the Island. For his next assignment he was sent back to Fort Schaftner in the Hawaiian islands where he rose through the ranks to Master Sergeant and on to Command Sergeant Major to the Pacific Ocean Theater Commander. Needless to say, rising to the top of the enlisted ranks in less than three years is an accomplishment few in the military achieve. He served in that capacity until the War's end.

In January of 1946 Jack returned to Kansas City where he married his long time love, Edna on February 23, 1946.... and they immediately returned to Hawaii. In March of 1947 Sgt. Major Larsen was assigned to serve on General Douglas MacArthur's staff in his Far East Headquarters' in Tokyo, Japan.

At this point Jack and Edna decided to make the Army a career and he reenlisted and again was reassigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to Warrant Officer and soon there after to 2cnd Lieutenant. While on this assignment Jack interfaced with Members of Congress including Iowa's own Rep. Ben Jensen who was Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. Thereafter, he had short assignments in San Antonio, TX, Albuquerque, NM, and ended up in Bad Nauheim, Germany in 1953. Then on to Wurzburg and finally to the Army Headquarters in Frankfort in 1956.

Returning to the States in 1957 he had assignments at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, IN, Fort Riley, KS, and then to the Springfield Armory in MA. By this time he had already been promoted to Captain. Jack returned to the Pacific Theater when he was assigned to the
Headquarters Unit in Okinawa, Japan as the Accounting and Budget Officer. He served in this capacity for the next two years and was promoted to the rank of Major. He retired from the Army in 1965 but was immediately hired by the State Department's Civil Administration for Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) as the Executive Assistant to the Civil Administrator. In this capacity he was the Administration's chief budget and disbursing officer carrying out the reconstruction of these Islands, helping them establish local civil governments, rebuild their economy and structure a social system to meet the needs of their population. It was a job of enormous consequences and responsibility that he carried out most successfully attested by Okinawa's vibrant economy today and the deep respect for "Mr. Larsen" that permeates Okinawa's business community after all of these years. I know, as I have visited Okinawa and was hosted by Jack's friends who hold him in the highest regard. I think he could have been elected Governor of Okinawa, if there had been such a position.

Following the reversion of Okinawa to Japan, Jack and Edna decided to return to Washington, D.C. where he had been offered a position with the Army Audit Office in the Pentagon. But, they took the long way back taking the Trans Siberian Railroad from Nahodka, Siberia across the Soviet Union (now Russia) to Moscow. Then on down through the Balkans to Turkey then on to Washington. They settled in a beautiful home in Northern Virginia and almost immediately began hosting former "Onawait's" from the east coast area to Hometown Reunions for the next 15 years. These became institutionalized functions that we all looked forward to and dredge up old memories of our youth in Onawa. Jack retired for the second time in 1986 and they moved to
California to be closer to their two sons, Chris and Steve. We truly missed them but managed to help them celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary at the Hala Koa R&R Center at Fort Derussy in Honolulu in February of 2003. I can safely say, although Jack traveled the world over and over he never left Onawa too far behind. In fact, I suspect that Jack has already got together with former Connor's employees, classmates who have arrived up there ahead of him and will be laying the groundwork for later arrivals.

His earthly remains rest in the Arlington National Cemetery alongside other veterans who so honorably served this Great Nation. Rest in peace old friend and buddy!