PERSONALS.
Mrs. Mary Ostlund left Tuesday for Los Angeles and Monterey, Cal., where she will visit relatives and friends. She will return by way of Deming, N.M., where she will pin the wings on her son, John, when he receives his commission in the army air corps, March 18.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, February 22, 1944
PERSONALS.
Mrs. Mary Ostlund returned Thursday from a month’s visit with relatives and friends in Los Angeles, Carmel and San Francisco, Cal. She returned by way of Deming, N.M., where she pinned the wings on her youngest son, John, Saturday when he received his commission in the army air corps. He accompanied her to Kansas City, where they visited Mrs. Robert Ostlund. Lieutenant Ostlund left from there for Pyote, Texas. All three of Mrs. Ostlund’s sons are now commissioned officers. Bob and John in the army and Bill in the navy.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, March 24, 1944
When John Ostlund, 19, son of Mrs. Mary Ostlund of this city, received his bombardier’s wings March 18 at Deming air field, N. M., he was commissioned a second lieutenant as a “triple threat” officer in the air corps as he was schooled in gunnery, navigation and bombing.
His commissioning completed a “triple threat” in the Ostlund family since his older brothers William and Robert hold commissions in the navy and the army, respectively.
OLDEST OF TRIO
Lt. (jg) William Ostlund, 25, oldest of the trio, now on submarine duty in the south Pacific, enlisted in the navy in February, 1942, entering the naval academy at Annapolis the following September. Following his graduation and commissioning as an ensign in January, 1942 he volunteered for sub duty and was transferred to Key West, Fla., and later to New London, Conn., for special training. He left for overseas duty last July and has seen plenty of action aboard his sub which last December received the presidential unit citation for outstanding performance of duty. He won his lieutenancy last December.
Lieutenant Ostlund is a graduate of the Webster City schools with the class of 1936 and received his B. A degree in business administration at Butler university, Indianapolis, Ind., in 1941.
STATIONED IN ENGLAND
First Lt. Robert Ostlund, 24, now overseas in England, enlisted in January, 1942, taking his initial training with the quartermaster corps at Camp Warren, Cheyenne Wyo. He took officers training at Camp Lee, Va., and was commissioned March 19, 1943, being transferred first to Sacramento, Cal., and later to Camp Young, India, Cal., where he was in charge of troops preparing for overseas action last January. Lieutenant Ostlund graduated from Webster City high school in 1937 and, like his elder brother, received his B. A. degree at Butler university in 1941.
Lt. John Ostlund entered the service in 1942 leaving to begin training Feb. 2, 1943. He took his initial work at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., later took college training at Hastings, Neb, and then went into pre-flight training at Santa Ana, Cal. He attended gunnery school at Kingman, Ariz., and wound up his bombardier’s course at Deming three weeks ago. The youngest of the Ostlund “triple threat” aggregation graduated in 1942 from high school here and attended Butler university for a short time before returning to Webster City and entering junior college until he was called to duty.
All three of the officers were athletic standouts in Webster City during their prep careers. The lieutenants were particularly outstanding in basketball but also participated in baseball and football with William adding track to his activities.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, April 6, 1944 (photos included)
LT. OSTLUND GIVEN MEDAL
W. C. Bombardier Has Half of Bombing Missions Completed.
Lt. John Ostlund, son of Mrs. Mary Ostlund of this city, has been awarded the air medal and one oak leaf cluster for “courage, coolness and skill” while participating in bombing attacks upon German military and industrial installations.
A member of the Eighth air force, Lieutenant Ostlund is a bombardier aboard a Flying Fortress and on August 26, had completed 20 missions.
The Webster City serviceman has been overseas since the first of June. Prior to going overseas he was stationed at Pyote, Texas.
In a letter to his mother, Lieutenant Ostlund said he had finished half of the required number of missions and hoped to complete the entire number by October.
Prominent in athletics in the Webster City high school and junior college, Lieutenant Ostlund entered the service in February, 1943. He received his wings at Deming Field, N.M. on March 18, 1944.
An older brother, Lt. Robert Ostlund, is also serving with the armed forces in the European theater, being located in France with the supply forces. In England since January, he has been in France since the first week of June.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, September 7, 1944 (photo included)
Lt. Ostlund Awarded 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Lt. John Ostlund, son of Mrs. Mary Ostlund of this city, has been awarded three additional oak leaf clusters to his air medal, his mother has been notified.
Lieutenant Ostlund, a bombardier on a Flying Fortress, has been overseas since June, and has 28 missions to his credit.
In a letter to his mother, Lieutenant Ostlund stated that he had met Lt. Keith Nichols, a Webster City P-47 pilot, while eating dinner recently.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, September 26, 1944
DFC AWARDED LT. OSTLUND
W.C. bombardier Honored With 6th Decoration for Work.
First Lt. John W. Ostlund, son of Mrs. Mary Ostlund of this city, has been awarded the distinguished flying cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in bombing attacks, according to a dispatch received Tuesday by the Freeman-Journal from an Eighth air force bomber station in England.
Lieutenant Ostlund, who recently was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, now holds the DFC plus the air medal and four oak leaf clusters awarded him for outstanding work as a bombardier on a Flying Fortress.
The Webster City airman has completed his missions and expected back in the States shortly. His air group is part of the famous Third bombardment division which is famed for its historic England-Africa shuttle bombing of the Messershmitt aircraft works at Regensburg, in August, 1943.
Since arriving in England, Lieutenant Ostlund has dropped his bombs on such important objectives as the marshalling yards at Cologne, oil refineries at Hamburg, airplane factories at Regensburg, harbor targets at Bremen and industrial targets at Berlin and Munich. He also has flown on several missions in direct support of the ground troops, bombing nazi troop concentrations supply dumps, bridges, railheads and communication plants.
According to the Eighth air force dispatch, Lieutenant Ostlund regarded an attack on Merseburg oil refineries as his toughest target. The flak batteries gave the planes plenty of trouble and damaged all four engines of the B17 he was aboard. “We got home all right,” he said, “but with all four engines hit, we did a lot of worrying along the way.”
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, November 28, 1944
John Weldon Ostlund died Dec. 3, 2009 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Webster City, IA.
Source: ancestry.com
