A flag will be raised in honor of a Korean era veteran at 9 a.m. Friday, July 13, at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Delbert Elton Mattias Bernu was born to Mattias and Esther Bernu on Feb. 5, 1930, in Deer Creek Township, rural New York Mills, Minnesota. Bernu attended country school until the eighth grade and received an honorary New York Mills School diploma May 27, 2016.
He proudly served in the United States Army from Aug. 22, 1950, to Aug. 21, 1953. Bernu began his basic training at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and then completed paratrooper training at Fort Benning in Georgia. Being stationed in Japan during the Korean War, he served with the 187th RCT Troop where he was so proud to say he had 20 successful parachute jumps.
On March 6, 1954, Bernu married Carolyn Piekkola in New York Mills. They had six children. The couple purchased their farm east of New York Mills in 1963.
Bernu was employed as a semi-truck driver for Northern Co-op of Wadena, Cenex and Lund Boat Factory of New York Mills, retiring in 1990. He continued to farm the land; last spring he worked up over 400 acres of land and was looking forward to spring so he could back in the tractor again.
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Bernu was a lifetime member of the Charles D. Center VFW Post 3289 in New York Mills. He died Jan. 29.
The Flag of Remembrance Program, sponsored by the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post 435, honors the life and memory of one deceased veteran every week by flying a flag over the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior. The flag waves in the veteran's honor for one week and information about the veteran is display in the center.
For information, contact John Vaski at 715-394-7693 or Scott Markle, 218-269-4675, or leave a message at 715-392-7151.
