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Honoring Alvar

WWII casualty’s medals, flag donated to MRHC

By Renee Prusi 4 min read

MARQUETTE -- Aug. 7 will mark 75 years since Alvar Liimatainen lost his life fighting for his country, Marquette's first known World War II casualty.

A special gathering at the Marquette Regional History Center Monday morning proved Alvar is not forgotten. The gathering brought together Renee Cowen, of Port Orange, Florida, who was married to Alvar's nephew Michael Cowen; Ernie Roesner, of downstate Swartz Creek, a retired auto worker who has been involved in helping veterans for many years; Jo Wittler, MRHC curator; and Loraine Koski, local historian and author of several books about area World War II veterans.

Cowen was donating two of Alvar's medals and the flag that covered his coffin to the MRHC. Roesner had prepared the items for donation, even making one of the two display boxes. And Koski brought the other three parties together.

Cowen saw a video posted online by Roesner's daughter Jaqlyn about a homeless World War II veteran. It got her to thinking about her husband's uncle.

"When my mother-in-law (Agnes) died, the items had gone to her son, my husband," Cowen said. "But they had just laid in a closet for years. I wanted to pass them on to somebody."

Through Facebook, she contacted Ernie Roesner, with whom she had gone to high school.

"Renee told me the story that she had Alvar's medals and the flag and wanted them to not continue gathering dust, but to be somewhere where they could be seen," Roesner said. "I knew Alvar was from (Marquette) so originally I tried contacting a VFW post, but there is not one here, then the Jacobetti Home for Veterans, which was not prepared to take the items.

"Then I got in contact with Loraine."

Koski said she discussed with Roesner and Cowen possible places to donate the items.

"From there, I reached out to Jo," Koski said. "Then it was a matter of working on a date when we could all meet."

Wittler said there was discussion about where the center would put the medals and flag.

"It's always a challenge at a museum, what's on display," she said. "There isn't a lot of space in the gallery. We do have a display that starts with the Civil War and goes through wars until now. It's a bit of a challenge, but I see the significance of the items."

Koski said Liimatainen was more than just the first casualty.

"Alvar was one of the highest decorated military men from Marquette killed in the war," she said.

The medals in the box Roesner made are the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross, the latter being just below the Medal of Honor in significance. The pilot of the aircraft in which Liimatainen was killed was Captain Harl Pease Jr., who posthumously earned the Medal of Honor for heroism during World War II and for whom Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire was named.

The flag was given to the Liimatainen family after Alvar's funeral on Aug. 7. 1951, which occurred nine years to the day after his death, Koski's research shows.

Liimatainen, who was an Army Air Force B-17 radio operator/gunner, was killed in action while returning from a mission to bomb Vunakanau Airfield, Rabaul, New Guinea. Koski's research shows he was posthumously awarded the Army's Distinguished Service Cross by order of General Douglas MacArthur.

Alvar's unidentified remains were recovered near the New Guinea crash site in June 1946 but were not identified until 1950. He was buried in the family plot in Park Cemetery.

Renee Prusi can be contacted at 906-228-2500, ext. 240. Her email address is rprusi@miningjournal.net.

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