Ron Jensen was born June 16, 1948, in Tyler, to Einer and Elva (James) Jensen. Ron was the third of four Jensen children with older siblings, Dale and Bonnie, and younger brother, Wade.

Both sides of Ron’s family emigrated from Denmark. He recalled conversations with his Grandma Jensen, who lived to 103.

“I had a lot of good visits with my grandma. She’d come over in 1886 and lived in Iowa when she got here. It was an experience to come across on a boat, not knowing what to expect. She told stories about how they lived with Indians. She talked about gunfights and how they were not like how they showed them on TV.” (Ron chuckled)

Ron’s family moved to California while he was in elementary school. His father hoped to find work where Ron’s older siblings already lived.

“My dad was in the Navy in San Diego. Years later we went to Los Angeles and then down to San Diego. He was going to look for work, but when we got there, it was not how it used to be. We stayed with my brother. One day Dad said, ‘Nope. It ain’t for me.’ We turned around and came back.”

The Jensen family did not return to Tyler.

“When we came back we lived in Florence. (It had) a post office and a bar. It wasn’t a very big elevator, but they did have one. It had one church — I think Methodist. We didn’t have a place to live and he didn’t have a job, so we had a very small house.”

Ron’s new school was another new experience.

“It was a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher who taught all six grades. The desks were in rows by grade. I was in the 5th grade — just me and a girl, but most grades had four or five. The teacher would teach the first four grades. Then it would get late and she had to teach the 6th grade because they would go to Tyler next year. So, she’d run out of time. Basically, I skipped the 5th grade.” (Ron chuckled)

Ron’s dad found employment in Marshall. That led to a move to Lynd.

“It was closer to his work and we also found a bigger house that had three bedrooms. Each of us had our own room.”

Lynd Public School was an entirely different world from Florence.

“I came to Lynd in the 6th grade. There was a lot more going on. I made the A team in baseball in the 6th grade. I used to get out of class to go to the baseball games. (Ron chuckled) Mrs. Kerr was my 6th grade teacher. She was the one that got me into baseball and said I could leave class to play ball. I had a special place for her.”

His 6th grade class had 20 students and most graduated from Lynd High School.

Ron described his new school.

“You walked from one classroom to another. It was all in one, not very big area. They added to the school in the early ’60s. That’s when they built the gym. Before that we played basketball in the lunchroom. You could take the ball from out of bounds, turn around, and shoot. (Ron chuckled) That (addition) really changed the school.”

The construction project replaced a temporary school expansion.

“They had another school in front of where the school is now — a one-room schoolhouse like in Florence. They taught classes over there, so kids had to get their jackets on and run over to that school. That was while they were building the new school.”

Ron lived for football in fall, basketball in winter, and baseball each spring. But he and his friends also found other activities.

“We rode to Camden to the swimming pool about every day in the summer. There wasn’t a whole lot that went on in Lynd, (Ron chuckled) so the swimming pool was a popular place. All of us also worked for the farmers. We picked rock and hauled bales. They’d call and pick us up. We’d work all day for six dollars.” (Ron chuckled)

Ron did not care for school, but loved the team sports.

“The principal, Jerry Fulton, was also the coach and lived across the street from us. There are a lot of (sports) memories like when I was a senior. That year we only lost three basketball games and all three were to Balaton, who had this guy that was 6’11.”

Ron graduated with the Lynd High School Class of 1966 without much awareness of the war in Vietnam.

“We heard about it, but never talked a lot about it until after we graduated. Then it was on your mind and you were thinking, ‘Am I going to get drafted?'” (Ron laughed)

He found full-time work.

“I worked for Appleton Silo in Marshall. That was long, terrible hours, dangerous work, and low pay. (Ron chuckled) We used to put the roofs on in the wintertime. After two years of building those silos I went to California; stayed with my brother; and was looking for work. While out there, I got my draft notice. So, I had to come back and go in the Army.”

Ron chuckled as he recalled arriving at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in April 1968 for Army Basic Training.

“They made it clear right away who was boss.”

Please visit the Lyon County Museum’s new exhibit about the Vietnam War and Lyon County. If you would like to help with the exhibit, please contact me at prairieviewpressllc@gmail.com or the museum at 537-6580.