Carlyle was born in 1917 to Ole and Theresa Knaus. He was born above the old Knaus Meat Market, the youngest of 10 children. He graduated from Kimball High School in 1935. The class size was only 10. He married Laverne Long in 1940. Carl was a married man with two kids and 27-years-old when he was drafted by the Navy in 1942. When he went to the Cities, he was lined up for the Navy draft. That day, the Marines were two men short. They picked two men, and just like that, Carl was a Marine. He went to San Diego for basic training. From there, they took a ship to Guadalcanal and from there to Okinawa. JANUARY 1 – Since I got this diary book from my Darling Wife, I know no better time to start filling the pages with the most important events of my life than this first day of forty-five. JANUARY 8 – I got five letters today from my Darling Wife, and nothing could happen that could make a person feel any better than getting letters from home. JANUARY 25 – Today, I sent the package to my wife that has been bothering me for some time. It contained a heart necklace for her and one for Diane, a ring for Ronnie. All three were made from the glass off a Japanese Zero that was shot down at Peleliu. It also contained two turtles made of different size of shells and a small magnet, two Japanese bills, a fifty-dollar money order so my wife can buy something for Valentine’s Day and two dollars for each of our Little Dears. JANUARY 29 – On our Bn. Problem today we marched about six miles through bamboo forests with water and mud up to our waists, through the jungles that were so thick that a knife had to be used before we could penetrate it. The wait-a-minute vines were also a big nuisance. The coon grass with the baking sun wasn’t very much fun either, especially when you have a load of about fifty pounds to carry with you. We got so hungry that we had to raid the garbage pile. JANUARY 30 – We didn’t secure our problem yesterday, so we had to sleep on a rocky hill, which wasn’t very soft, but really did feel comfortable. Early in the morning we captured the valley, and then we made a strategic withdraw. We finally returned to our area very hungry and tired. We ate our dinner, and immediately went out on another problem, and again this one was as fouled up as the rest of them. FEBRUARY 6 – The land crabs are again on the move. The crabs are about the size of a sauce dish with two large pinchers. At night they move. They crawl up the mosquito nets, and get in bed with you; that is a terrible scare. They get in your sea bags and when you reach in they use those pinchers on your fingers. It is nothing to kill thrity to forty every morning in each tent. We would kill them like we were playing golf. FEBRUARY 9 – I have been spending most of my time by making sets of beads since Monday, the day we left the Canak, I have made five sets and two turtles, which I gave to Kerns and Jenkins to send their kids and two hearts that I traded for chains. I sold the beads for $15 each, which isn’t bad pay for the time it takes to make them. FEBRUARY 13 – I noticed on the bulletin board today that I finally made P.F.C. About all it amounts to is $4.80 a month, but I guess I can always use a little extra money, even if I am in the bead making business. It takes me about two hours to fully complete a string of beads and I get from $15 to $20 a string. I have been making a string a day for the last nine days. FEBRUARY 19 – We finally had mail call today, and I got a sum of eight; one from Mag, one from my mother and five from my most precious wife. I also got one from the local parish. The letter from the parish is called the news-o-gram, and it always does contain some little news about us service fellows. The letter, which was written by father to Joe, is also always very interesting. MARCH 5 & 6 – We went to shore on the canal today, and we landed on the spot where the Marines and Japanese had done some heavy fighting. We found wrecked Japanese transport ships and submarines and smaller boats along the shores. Planes that had been shot down, and cars that have been wrecked. There were many old Japanese gas masks and Japanese jungle shoes with toes in. Lying all around were bones and skulls, so we were convinced the fox holes and other devices that the Japanese had built were not strong enough to hold the Marines off. MARCH 10 – We have been harbored in Sunset Lagoon for the past few days, so this morning they took us to shore. Lingature Beach, for calisthenics. After that, the rest of the morning was our’s. We went swimming, played ball and shot the breeze and then returned to our ship. This afternoon, we had mail call. I got a letter from Mother. I happened to be by the side rail of the ship, and when I opened it, I threw the envelope overboard and read the letter. I read in the letter that my mother had put $100 in the envelope but it was gone. MARCH 15, 16 & 17 – This morning at six o’clock, we slowly started and soon the rest of the convoy was following us full-speed ahead. According to the radio reports, the Marines were slowly securing the island of Iwo Jima. So far, the number of Marines killed is rather high, so as we travel on this trip, many things are going through our minds. We are going to perform one of the most daring stunts ever pulled in the South Pacific. We realize that it will be much worse than Peleliu or Iwo Jima. So sometimes our conversation isn’t any too merry. Many times during the day, we have general alarm. MARCH 22, 23 & 24 – Today we reached our first destination of the journey. It is hard to explain the number of ships in this rendezvou area, but it was a ghastly number. It was very interesting to try and pick out the different types of ships. There were many different types of carriers, destroyers, personal assault, subs, hospital ships. L.S.T., L.S.P. and many more. We also had mail call today and everybody had all the way from six to sixty letters. To receive letters this late in the game was a bigger treat than anything they could have given us. And so, for a half an hour or so, all B.S. ceased and the fellows scattered here and there reading letters and most all had smiles from ear to ear. ********** Thanks to the Knaus family (Carl 1917-2006), we’ll be presenting a series of excerpts from Carl’s diary. recorded during his military service while fighting in the South Pacific in 1945. More is coming in the next several columns. With Veterans Day in November and Pearl Harbor Day in December, this seems the perfect time to feature such a veteran as Carl Knaus. ********** Saturday, Nov. 4 – Join us at 9 a.m. for The Kimball Historical Society’s coffee and donuts annual meeting event at Kimball City Hall. Then, together, we’re off to the rich cultural heritage of rural America. The Rivers’ Antique Tractor, Implement and Car Museum is our featured program in nearby Maple Lake. Collector John Rivers is a master at presenting their special memories of the Rivers’ 1930s, 1940s and 1950s International Harvester dealership in New Auburn. Return by lunch time. Everyone is welcome. Free. ********** Remember, all those terrific reasonably priced sesquicentennial souvenirs are available at the State Bank of Kimball and at this Nov. 4 annual meeting. ********** It’s never too early or too late to become a member of The Kimball Area Historical Society and your membership support helps keep this society a vibrant, respected organization in Minnesota. With numerous meetings and events throughout the year, there’s always something of interest that you receive back. Every meeting includes a special program. Now is a great time to begin your membership. Be as involved as you care to be. You can even live out of state, as many of our members do because they cherish the preservation of our Kimball area history. Won’t you join our growing family? Just come to a meeting or write/call the numbers shown at the end of this column. Tax deductible. ********** For new membership, renewed membership, souvenirs, general information, city hall restoration donations and memorials or general information, contact the K
imball Area Historical society, Box 100, Kimball, Minn. 55353, phone (320) 398-5743, (320) 398-5250 or (800) 252-2521. ********** The Kimball Area Historical Society exists to support, equip, encourage and empower local historical preservation. ********** Maine Prairie history question: “What Chippewa chief ambushed and killed Sioux warriors on Maine Prairie at the time of the early settlement? See the next “History Matters” column Nov. 9 for the answer.
