3/18/2008:
Leo Bertrand was born on this date, in 1930, and grew up on what was known as the “Bertrand Corner” at University and 2nd Ave S in Fargo. It was on this intersection that Leo’s father, Ralph, renovated three different properties in which he reared his four children.
Leo’s birth mother died when he was only seven. When Ralph began courting his second wife, Clemence, her heart was captured by Leo’s engaging smile, his respect for her, and his sense of humor. She later joked that she fell in love with the little, blond, 8 year-old and got his father “in the bargain.”
Leo attended Fargo’s St. Anthony’s Grade School and what is now Shanley High School. After graduation, he enlisted in a special 1-year Army program for tank training. He completed the course in 1950, believing he could now plan his life without worrying about getting drafted.
That summer, the outbreak of the Korean War changed everything. Leo was called out of reserve in October, the 4th month of the war. The Chinese had entered the conflict, and American forces had already sustained more than 25,000 casualties. Leo’s tank training fell by the wayside; he was sent to the front lines as a Browning Automatic rifleman, a deadly assignment.
On December 20, 1950, Leo joined G Co., 9th Regiment, 2nd Division. The regiment had taken a beating as UN forces were pushed south through impossibly steep snow-covered mountains. The weather that winter was record-breaking, hovering at 20 to 30 below zero. In truth, combat conditions in Korea were, without a doubt, among the worst ever endured by American troops.
Leo participated in three significant battles that winter: Wonju in January, Sogu in February, and Chigu-ri in March.
On March 28, 1951, ten days after what should have been Leo’s 21st birthday, a Western Union man came to the Bertrands, who now lived in Ontario, California. Out of respect for the family, he waited from 5:47 p.m. until after the dinner hour before delivering a curtly written telegram. Leo’s father read the message and angrily flicked it to the floor. Clemence picked it up, read it, and started a grieving process that lasted the next fifty years. “…your son CPL Bertrand, Leo B was killed in action in Korea 2 March 51 confirming letter follows.” Leo had been dead 26 days before his family was notified.
Army-issued marker was placed on his grave, Leo’s family noticed the engraved letters, “BSM”, indicating he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for valorous or meritorious service. But Leo’s parents, who are now gone, never received the award. In recent years, Leo’s brother, Larry, has sought to correct this error, even writing a book about it. Unfortunately, no records can be found to issue Leo’s medal, because the National Archives in St. Louis, MO, caught fire on July 12, 1973. They told Larry Leo’s records were in an area that “suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed. The fire destroyed the major portion of records of Army military personnel for the period 1912 through 1959.”
Absence of the bronze medal does nothing to diminish what Leo Bertrand accomplished, however. Indeed, he remains a war hero – with or without credentials.
Written by Larry Bertrand and Merry Helm
Sources:
Dogging Their Steps by Lawrence Bertrand (Utopia II press, Carlsbad, CA: 2000)
Bertrand Family’s Correspondence and Document Files
National Personnel Record Center letter, October 5, 2007