On Memorial Day, members of the Herrala family will honor their father, Calvin S. Herrala, who served on Iwo Jima during World War II. Calvin passed away at the age of 99 while living at the Carefree Living facility in Ely in June, 2004.
Calvin Herrala was born in Ely on November 6, 2024. He attended Lincoln Elementary School and graduated from Memorial High School with the class of 1942. He was known as an excellent student and went on to complete the fall semester at the Ely Junior College. His studies and life in Ely was interrupted, when in the spring of 1943, Calvin received his notice to report to Fort Snelling, Minnesota to be inducted into the U. S. Army. Following his induction, he was sent to an army base in Ontario, Canada for training.
After completing training in radar maintenance in Canada, the U.S. Army scheduled more training for Calvin, enrolling him in a 12 month course at the University of Oregon, in Eugene, Oregon. While there, he was trained in meteorology and physics. His training completed, he was told he would be sent to Iwo Jima.
