Richard M. Ivonen
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Richard M. Ivonen of Ely, Minnesota, was inducted into the Naval Reserve on July 1, 1943.
He was a Radioman 3rd Class aboard the battleship USS Wisconsin (BB 64), Atlantic and Pacific, Philippines, South China Seas, Formosa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Ulithi.
While supporting air strikes prior to invasion of Philippines, "a typhoon hit us and capsized two of our destroyer escorts (with loss of all hands), washed one of our aircraft overboard and bent the plating in front of our 20 m.m. guns. Many of our ships were hit by kamikazes..."
Mr. Ivonen was awarded the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with five bronze battle stars, American Campaign Medal and Philippine Liberation Medal with one bronze star.
He washonorably discharged March 4, 1946 at Minneapolis, Minn.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 124.
