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Joseph Louwagie was born in 1946 to Marie (Blomme) Louwagie and Gerard Louwagie, who farmed south of Green Valley. Joe was the third of six siblings who all helped on the farm.
Joe recalled those chores and how they evolved as he grew.
"My earliest chores included pouring fresh milk into pans for the calves. I also hauled feed for the chickens. The school bus picked us up about 7:30 so we woke up around 6. When I was older I cut silage off the silo using picks. It'd fall into the middle of the silo where we'd load it into bushel baskets and haul it to the cattle feed troughs."
He described his folks' farm operation.
"Dad had 25 to 30 milk cows and the calves they'd produce. We'd have 75 to 150 feeder cattle; 25 to 40 farrowing sows and their piglets; and lots of chickens because we provided eggs to Red Owl in Marshall."
Raising that livestock required lots of feed.
"We baled hay and straw. We'd do three or four cuttings of hay, baling 55 to 60 thousand bales of hay or straw every summer. We put up a lot a silage every year and blew it into the silo."
Farming was often an extended family affair.
"I grew up with cousins a mile north of us. We'd do a lot of farm work with my uncle. Those cousins were older and liked to pick on "Little Joey," but sometimes they had a pail of cold water poured on their heads when coming into the milk room. (Joe chuckled) We had a lot of fun together."
Joe and his parents had different plans for his future.
"My parents always thought I was going to be a farmer. I always thought I'd be a lawyer. They were friends with Bob Runchey when he was Lyon County attorney. He used to come to the farm and buy eggs and meat. I was impressed with him. From when I was four, I said I was going to be a lawyer."
But Joe had years of school ahead to reach that goal.
"I went to Holy Redeemer Catholic School and Central Catholic High School (in nearby Marshall) through 9th grade. I transferred to the public school for the last three years to take college prep courses because I knew I wanted to go to law school."
He recalled a run-in with a teaching Sister at Holy Redeemer School.
"I was a farm boy. You worked your butt off before school and I looked forward to that 15 minutes of recess in the morning and another in the afternoon. But this Sister didn't think recess was useful and cut it back. The other students asked me to meet with her. I went to her and she said, 'What do you want?' I explained many of us were farm kids with chores before and after school, which meant recess was the only time with our friends. I said it was unfair to take away recess. She said, 'I think it is inappropriate for you to come in to talk about that.' Two days later recess was restored." (Joe chuckled)
Joe did not have difficulty transitioning to Marshall High School.
"I already knew plenty of the kids. I also continued seeing my CCHS friends. When they had a day off, I'd skip school and hang out with them. I remember once going to Cottonwood Lake with them. When I got home, my older sister asked, 'Why were you in Cottonwood today?' That's how my folks found out I had skipped. (Joe laughed) I graduated from Marshall High School in 1964."
Joe registered with the county draft board in Marshall at 18. He pursued his plan to become an attorney by enrolling at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul and received an educational draft deferment. But his plan soon grew to include another person.
"I met JoAnn Schmitz at Lake Benton's Showboat Ballroom. I saw her again at a wedding in Ghent and we started dating. That was in 1965 and I was a college sophomore."
Joe continued his studies and their romance blossomed.
"I graduated from St. Thomas in 1968. I got engaged to Jo a year earlier and we decided to get married after graduation. I applied for law school and was accepted at the University of North Dakota. I wrote the draft board, hoping for an educational deferment for law school."
The U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War had expanded since 1964 with over 485,000 military personnel in Vietnam by December 1967.
Meanwhile, Joe and JoAnn followed their plan.
"We got married June 7th, 1968 in Tracy, JoAnn's hometown. We had the reception at Valhalla (on nearby Lake Shetek). My dad bought three cases of whiskey (Joe chuckled) and kegs of beer, so it was a typical Louwagie wedding."
The newlyweds took a five-day wedding trip and then Joe followed-up with the draft board.
"I was reclassified 1A on June 7th. They were drafting eleven in August and I was seven or eight on the list, so I knew I would be drafted. I tried the National Guard and Army Reserve, but they were filled up. I decided to enlist for Officer's Candidate School so that at least I'd be a leader before I went to Vietnam."
Life quickly accelerated along unexpected lines for the newlyweds.
The Lyon County Museum hosts a panel discussion with five Vietnam veterans on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Please join us to hear about the experiences of area Vietnam veterans.