Harvey and Norman Nysteen
Died under similar circumstances
|
Harvey with his older sister Thelma
on their last day together
|
War Victim
Harvey Nysteen
The war department has notified Mr. and Mrs. Halvor Nysteen, Bend, that their son, missing since 1943 in a flight over the Himalayas, has been listed as dead.
|
Harvey Nysteen Lost On Flight
Cpl. Harvey Nysteen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Halvor Nysteen, 2146 Awbrey road, missing since Aug. 1943 from a transport mission over the Himalayas, has been officially declared dead by the War Department, it was revealed recently in a communication addressed to his parents.
His brother, Norman, only other son of Mr. and Mrs. Nysteen, was also declared dead by the war department in Aug. of 1943 under similar circumstances.
Harvey, a graduate of Bend High School with the class of '39, entered the service in April 1942.
He received basic training with the Army Air Corps in Texas and Illinois, and flew three transport missions to Africa prior to his transfer to the China-India theatre. He was 24 years of age at the time of the ill-fated mission.
Status Changed
In the report to Mr. and Mrs. Nysteen, Army officials indicated that investigation of all available records and reports, with subsequent review of the case, had necessitated termination of the "missing" status.
The report stated further that Harvey, a radio operator, was a crew member of a C-46 (Commando) transport aircraft which failed to arrive at its destination during a flight from Chabua, India, to Yunnanyi, China, on Aug. 14, 1943.
The plane was last contacted by radio when over the "hump" of the Himalaya mountains, midway between Chabua and Kunming, China.
Search was continued for several days, but no trace of the plane or crew members was ever found, the letter stated.
|
Dies In Action
Norman Nysteen
|
Air Medals Won By Lt. Nysteen
Mr. and Mrs. Halvor A. Nysteen have received a letter from the Adjutant General, United States Army, stating that their son, First Lt. Norman A. Nysteen, who has been missing since his bomber went down in Alaska in June, 1942, has been declared dead "under the provisions of Public Law 490, setting the date of his death at June 4, 1942."
Both the Purple Heart and the Air Medal were awarded posthumously to Lt. Nysteen to "honor the memory of a brave soldier who died as a result of enemy action" and for "meritorious service."
The 26-year-old flier was born and raised in Bend, and after graduation from Bend High School attended the University of Oregon for three years, until his enlistment in the Army Air Corps in 1940. In the spring of 1941, he was assigned to Alaskan duty, where he met his death.
Just before leaving for the far north, Lt. Nysteen was married to Edna Marie Wright, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Wright of Springfield, with whom she makes her home.
Lt. Nysteen's parents have received letters of sympathy and praise for their son, from both Gen. H. H. Arnold, Air Corps chief, and Gen. George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army.
|
|
|
