Ron Shoen

90 years old

Born in Truman, Minnesota

Currently lives in Truman, MN

U.S Army World War II Veteran

Truman, MN farm boy Ron Shoen wanted to do his part for the war effort in 1944, so he volunteered for the U.S. Army at the age of 19. After his military training stateside, Shoen was put on a troop transport ship headed for the Philippines and the Pacific War Theater.

“We were about 10 days out, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, when the war ended,” Shoen remembered. He said they continued on to their destination and he spent a year stationed in the Philippines working in ordnance and military vehicle repair. “I was putting my time in until they shipped us all back to the states,” he said. He recalls being “put on leave” until he received his discharge papers.

Shoen headed back home and back to farming once the war ended. “(The Army) didn't bother me for the Korean or Vietnam wars,” he joked. He has long since retired from farming and continues to live in Truman, MN.