Caledonia Argus

ìDevil Dogsî from county meet in Middle East

Posted: 8/19/03

A ìNorskeî accent led to the meeting of two Houston County men now serving in the Middle East.

Shawn Wennes, a 1986 graduate of Spring Grove High School, is a maintenance and material control officer assigned to the Marine Medium Lift Helicopter Squadron 268 ìRed Dragonsî in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In July, he met an Aviation Hydraulics Mechanic and detected a familiar accent, which led him to ask where the other Marine was from. As it turns out the other Devil Dog is a Houston native, Sgt. Michael Swenson, who is attached to the Marine Logistics Squadron 39 which has been deployed in Kuwait since January 31 of this year. Wennes, whose rank is Chief Warrant Officer 3, describes Sgt. Swenson as one of his ìgo to guysî for fixing helicopter hydraulic system lines and fittings.

Wennes is married to Janet Nerstad, daughter of Ron and Marion Nerstad of Spring Grove, and has been in the service since 1986. He is scheduled to return to his duty station at Camp Pendleton, CA, in August of 2003, and hopes to visit Spring Grove over the Christmas holidays. The couple has two boys, Nathan, 6, and Noah, 2. He plans to return to Minnesota in 2006 upon his retirement from the Marines, and is currently pursuing a degree in history. His goal is to become a high school history teacher.

Sgt. Swenson is the son of Craig and Theresa Swenson of Houston. He graduated from Houston High School in 1997 and joined the Marines in December of 1999. His unit is based in Miramar, CA.

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