It’s been a long time since Gary Knudtson put on an Army uniform, but the warrior ethos (put the mission first) has never faded from his mind.
Knudtson, of Donnybrook, is 89 and served in the Army Reserves 311th General Hospital from 1959-1965 that had units in Minot, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Fargo.

A 1953 Minot High School graduate, Knudtson was trained at Fort Sam Houston as a hospital medic.
He spent five summers doing annual training that included Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver, Fort Carson, Colo., back to Fort Sam Houston, then to Fort McCoy, Wis., which at the time was called Camp McCoy, and finally his last annual training was held at Fort Riley, Kan.

He has a vivid memory of the Berlin Crisis in 1961 and how the 311th was put on alert in case a bad situation went to worse. 1961 is the year the Berlin Wall was built.
Another incident includes a woman he met at Fitzsimmons who had hepatitis whom he cared for while on active duty.
By the time Knudtson got to Fort Riley, he was a specialist 5 and was able to pull a few strings to get a ride on what he called a “little bubble” helicopter like the ones used in Korea.
He would have re-enlisted, but life got in the way.

“I’d have re-upped, but I got married that spring,” Knudtson said. “I was 20 years old when I went in and some Carpio guys joined at the same time.”
His first paycheck was $78 a month and when he got out in 1965, he was up to $80 a month.
Knudtson is now an active member of American Legion Post 195 in Donnybrook. There were a lot of years since his honorable discharge until he joined the American Legion.

“I joined the American Legion in 2005,” he said. “I wasn’t considered a full veteran because I wasn’t in during a war or conflict.”
That all changed after the Twin Towers in New York were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.
“So when I got a letter that I was a full vet, I joined,” Knudtson added. “I’ve always been in Post 195.”

Officially known as the Clarence McCormack American Legion Post 195, Knudtson wants people to take away from this article that an American Legion post in Donnybrook, population 52, remains active.
“We’ve got to let people know we still exist and we are doing good things,” he said. “Military funerals are our first priority; there are Boys and Girls State, American Legion baseball and many other entities we work with.”

Now the vice commander, Knudtson served as commander of Post 195 from 2016-2021. During one Memorial Day message, he recalls giving a presentation about the post’s namesake, Clarence McCormack, much of what he gleaned from the Donnybrook Courier newspaper.

The current commander is Dean Popinga. Wyatt Goettle is the treasurer, Greg Jacobson the adjutant, Russell Bott the chaplain and Dave Miller is sergeant at arms. Danny Michel has been the longest serving commander of Post 195. Michel served in that position for 13 years.

“We have a fair amount of members,” Knudtson said. “We just need more active members.”
Even though the Donnybrook post is numbered 195 of 210 American Legion posts in North Dakota, Knudtson explained that following the inaugural meeting of the American Legion in France in March 1919, charters were quickly granted in the United States.

“Hundreds of posts joined in the first six months,” he said. “We joined in the fall of 1919.”

The American Legion was founded as a patriotic, mutual help, wartime veterans organization. It is a community service organization with 12,000 members belonging to 210 posts across North Dakota.

Post 195 is a member of the Department of North Dakota American Legion’s Western Region, Sixth District and is located 35 miles northwest of Minot. Additional posts in District 6 listed on the American Legion’s roster include Minot Air Force Base, Post 304 and Minot, Post 26. Tolley, Velva, Granville, Kenmare, Makoti and Mohall are also listed.

Post 195 received its national organization charter on Aug. 2, 1920. Christie Barke was elected temporary chairman and the name Clarence McCormack was agreed upon for the name of the post.
McCormack joined the North Dakota National Guard in Minot on July 14, 1917. He served overseas until he was killed in action on July 20, 1918. He is buried in France.

View our full Tribute to Service: https://www.nordaknorth.com/newspapers/northernsentry/online-issues/tribute-to-veterans-2024/