Honoring Our Family's Military Veterans

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"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled to, and less than that no man shall have." Theodore Roosevelt during a speech given 4 June 1903 at Springfield, Illinois speaking of Patriotism.

Our most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all military veterans of Canada and the United States. We dedicate this page to you in general and to the members of our family, past and present, who have served in the Armed Forces of their country during war and peace. On both sides of our family we have had many people who have served their country over since their families first came to their new lands. The members of the family who have served in either the United States or Canadian military service during the 1900s are shown below.

Follow this link to one of our favorite poems, In Flanders Field.

And follow this link to another of our favorite poems, Freedom Is Not Free.

Coy R Kern Coy Roscoe Kern, Chet's paternal grandfather joined the U. S. Navy in 1905. The majority of his service with the Navy was spent as an enlisted yeoman on the China Station serving aboard the cruiser USS Concord (PG3). The USS Concord served on the Yangtze River Patrol and as a station ship at Shanghai and Canton. He was released from the Navy in 1908. No photo of Coy in uniform has been found as of this time, this photo was taken about 1950 in Mount Vernon, Washington

James Thomas Stephens Sr., Delores' maternal grandfather joined the Royal Canadian Army during World War I. On 17 September 1915 he, and his brother William, enlisted in the 72nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders to serve with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in France. After having been exposed to mustard gas on the French front, he was discharged from further service on 31 July 1918 due to being unfit for continued military service. In the photo, James (on the right) is shown with his brother, William shortly after their enlistment. This Regiment is still active in the reserve forces of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Phil Godfrey 1926 Philip Earl Godfrey Sr., Delores' father joined the U. S. Marine Corps for two separate periods of service. On 19 January 1927, at age 16, he lied about his age and with his brother, Ben, enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps. Phil and Ben served with the 4th Marine Regiment in Shanghai, China until Phil's discharge on 18 January 1931. After 12 years in civilian life, Phil again enlisted in the Marines on 27 March 1943. He served with the U.S.M.C. in the Pacific Theater until the end of World War II. His service was mostly with the 3rd Marine Division, and he received commendations for his service against a foreign enemy. For a period of time he was the Mess Sergeant for the Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Division, MG G. B. Erskine. This photo was taken during his China service.

Irene Eleanor Stephens, Delores' mother served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Enlisting in 1940, Irene served as a medical secretary working with Royal Air Force personnel shipped to Canada from the front for treatment and recuperation. Throughout her service with the R.C.A.F. she served at posts near Toronto, Ontario and at Gander, Newfoundland being separated from the service shortly after the end of hostilities in 1945.

Chester V. Swanson Jr., served with the U. S. Army, both on active duty and in the reserve forces. Enlisting into the Regular Army on 10 November 1965, Chet served on active duty until 2 September 1969. After training as a cryptographic equipment repairman at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Chet was assigned to duty with the Army Security Agency. He served 22 months in Korea, mostly with the 177th USASA Operations Company (later redesignated to the USASA Opns Company Pyongtaek) working in the communications center. He also spent time serving in Vietnam mostly with the 313th Radio Research Battalion in Nha Trang, Vietnam. While a member of the reserve forces, Chet served with the 6008th U. S. Army Civil Preparedness Support Detachment in Bothell, Washington as a repairman and senior administrative NCO. This unit supported the disaster and war planning and relief efforts of the government's Federal Emergency Management Agency. During his total of 21 years of service, Chester rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class and was awarded 18 various medals and service ribbons. The photo is his basic training photo taken while with A-1-1 at Ford Ord, California.

Jim Swanson Enlisting James Vincent Swanson, Chet's son enlisted in the U. S. Army Reserve in 1985. He served with the 6008th U. S. Army Civil Preparedness Support Detachment, the same unit his father was serving with at the time. To our knowledge this was the first and only time that unit had a father and son team serving in the unit. Jim trained as a radio operator. At this time, no photo Jim in uniform is available, this photo was taken at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Seattle, Washington on the day of his enlistment.

David Dean Albers, Delores' son enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1993. During his eight years he served with the 24th Div (Mech) at Fort Stewart, Georgia, the 1st of the 9th Infantry in Korea and his final tour with the 1st of the 12th Infantry at Fort Carson, Colorado, near Colorado Springs. This photo is from Summer, 1997 at the Multi-Purpose Range Complex near the DMZ in Korea.

A Man Is Not Dead