You Take What You Can Get
The story of Elaine Severson Dobbertin
By Jessica L. Meissner
Most would say that an important woman of the world would have to cure something deadly, write something powerful, or do some grand thing to be known across the lands. This woman did none of those things. But the things she stood for and the way she lived (and continues to live) her life have affected literally thousands in her lifetime. She is my hero, a woman who has taught me by her life: a life dedicated to God, to her country, to her family, and to service. She is my grandma……
"What are you going to college for?" That’s what my brother said to me when I told about my plans to go to Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And I told him.
"I want to be a journalist" And he laughed. Most people did when they heard of my plans. But that didn’t change anything. Some people even went to my parents about it.
"Theo….Amy….How can you allow your daughter to entertain these thoughts? It is absurd to think that a little Norwegian girl from Blanchardville would go off to be a journalist!! That is a man’s job anyway!!"
And every time, my parents said the same thing. "We can’t tell her anything. She has it in her head that she is going. And you know that that means she is going."
And I went.
And that wasn’t the only time people thought I was absurd. Augsburg didn’t work out. Our poor farm family just couldn’t afford it. But I wasn’t about to give in and go back to the hills of southern Wisconsin. I wanted to be trained in something. So I headed to Kahler Nurses School in Rochester, Minnesota to be a nurse. We had some great times up there. For some reason I got the nickname Sadie. They all called me that, and I didn’t know why.
Again, people questioned my decision. I was twenty-two. Most girls my age had been married for a couple years and had children. But that wasn’t for me.
They said that if I joined the Army the government would pay for my schooling. I remember the day of my physical exam for enlistment. Somewhere I had heard that they wouldn’t accept people less than five feet tall. That was a pretty big problem. So my friends stretched me. Yes, they actually stretched me! I would hang from one of the pipes in the dormitories and my friends would pull on my feet. And it worked. Pretty soon I had a new title: I became Second Lieutenant Elaine Severson.
I will never forget the day they bombed Pearl Harbor. That day changed everything. We were in war. And they needed me. I wasn’t very brave. I was in the Army simply so that my family didn’t have to worry about paying for nursing school. But now I had a responsibility to my country. So with tears, I left the safety of the North and head to……St. Louis. I know what you are thinking, "How scary can St. Louis be?" Well, it wasn’t the city that was scary, it was knowing that St. Louis was just a stepping stone to get to war.
While I was in St. Louis, I was assigned to a young soldier returning from war who had malaria and jungle rot. Talk about a first impression! I wasn’t really allowed to talk to David because I out ranked him, but he was handsome and what did it matter. He was going home, and I was going to war.
Fairly soon after David was sent home to Milwaukee, I was given my assignment. I was going to the Philippines. Before I was shipped out, I was given a leave to go home to see my family. That was when I learned that I was not the only Severson going to war. My brothers Sanford, Roy, and Robert were all going too.
So the day came when I stepped onto the ship that would take me to the Philippines. It was a long trip, and a scary one too. Everyone was telling us that the battle had moved to the Pacific and something big had to happen if this war was going to end. Word from home was pretty slim, but I do remember getting this letter:
Dear Elaine,
I hope all is well with you. Our hearts are fear-filled knowing that you, Roy, San, and Bob are all fighting in this terrible war. We pray for you constantly. People wonder why you would go. I tell them that you feel a sense of duty, but I don’t understand it myself…….We want you to know that Dorothy has polio. We don’t know how she got it but she is very sick. We need for you to come home. We need you to nurse her…..
Love,
Mother
I did feel a sense of duty to my country. But more than that, I felt a sense of duty for my family. That was when I asked my superiors for a permanent dismissal. Dorothy was never the strong one. I just prayed that she would be okay until I made it home.
The journey home was a long one. With all that traveling I had no way of knowing if Dorothy was still okay. I prayed and prayed and prayed, and nothing could make me forget the joy of seeing Dorothy alive when I finally arrived home.
Dorothy and I spent many days together. When she was finally well enough to travel, my parents sent her to a school for the handicapped in Milwaukee. I left the Philippines for her, so why not move to Milwaukee to take care of her too? Most people didn’t understand my move. But they were learning not to ask my parents anymore. I was twenty six now and certainly old enough to take care of myself!
Working in Milwaukee was fun. I found a job right away at the Veterans Administration Hospital down town. It was nice to spend time with Dorothy. Little did I know that someone was looking for me…..
Everyone had called me Sadie, at Kahler, in St. Louis, and even over seas too. So my handsome soldier for St. Louis had his share of troubles finding me! He had traced me all the way back to Blanchardville, but when he called the operator, there was no one there by the name of Sadie Severson.
"Hello, Blanchardville operator. Can I help you?"
"Yes, Miss, I am looking for Sadie Severson. You wouldn’t happen to have her number would you?" David asked.
"Let’s see….Severson. Well, there are plenty of Seversons around these parts, but none with the name Sadie. I’m sorry. Have a nice day."
"WAIT! Don’t cut me off. Of those Seversons, would you happen to know of any that have gone to war?" David said in a last effort.
"Well, yes! Every one knows that four of Theo and Amy’s children went to war! You should have asked sooner!"
"Really? Can I have the number—and name—of the army nurse?" David was ecstatic!
"I went to school with Elaine. What an adventurous spirit! She would----" David cut her off.
"Elaine? You say her name is Elaine? What is Elaine doing now?" David asked.
"She’s in Milwaukee. Her sister got polio so she’s working in some big hospital in Milwaukee."
"Milwaukee? I’m in Milwaukee! Thanks for your help, Miss!"
David had finally found me! He checked with all the hospitals in the area for a nurse named Elaine Severson until he found me at the V. A. hospital. He would pick me up for our dates on his Harley Hog motorcycle. If my parents only knew!
Most people thought I was the oldest bride they had ever seen. I was twenty-seven and an old maid in their books. Once we were married, we settled on his family’s farm just outside of Milwaukee. When I married David, I married the farm as well. We raised cows, chickens, five children, and many crops. I quit nursing so I could help David with the farm.
Our children grew and my oldest even decided to get her nurses training. After everyone had grown, David asked me if I wanted to practice nursing again. Oh, did I ever! I started working at River Hills Nursing Home in a near by community.
A few years later, in August of 1978, David headed into town after lunch to get some parts for a tractor he was working on. He never returned. The car accident that killed him is still a mystery. Most people told me to sell the farm or let my sons take over. But it was my farm. I took over and made it work until my youngest son decided to give me a break a few years later.
My grandkids think that I was brave or adventurous or free spirited. All I know is what I told my granddaughter last summer: "You take what you can get." Opportunities become regrets if you don’t take them.
My grandmother is 80 now, with twelve grandchildren (and one on the way) and one great-grandchild. We love her and honor her because we believe her to be a hero in her lifetime. There is so much more I could tell you about my grandmother and the impact she has had on my life. But she is most precious to those she loved and served. She has made our lives better and taught us so many things.
Questions for Comprehension?
- Why do you think the writer’s grandma should be considered an important woman in the world? (various answers acceptable)
- Why do you think people thought Elaine was absurd? (various answers acceptable)
- Why did Elaine go into the army? (To have school paid for)
- What do you think about having more than one person in a family going to war? Why would people consider it worse?
- What made Elaine so different from other women of her time? (she didn’t get married right away; she had a career; she traveled; she pursued her dreams)
- Is there a dream you might have for which people may laugh at you? Why should you follow it? (Because an opportunity becomes a regret if you don’t take it)
Outline for Storyteller:
- Before war
- Augsburg College
- Nurses training
- Enlistment: Stretching!
- During war
- St. Louis
- David Dobbertin
- Philippines
- Dorothy: polio
- After war
- Helping Dorothy
- Milwaukee
- Tracing Elaine
- Married!
- Farm
- The accident
- Nursing again
- Lessons learned: You take what you can get