Vernon Lyman Carlson is a Pearl Harbor Survivor from the Wee Vee.  His first assignment after all his training was to the West Virginia, where he served until 7 December 1941 when in his words in a
telegram to the family... "Japs came by and broke my whiskey. I'm okay."

By specialty, he was a mortar man. From Pearl, Vernon went to Midway, then to Guadalcanal and Guam. His unit became part of the 6th Mar Div which I believe went to Iwo Jima then on to China. One family member thought instead of Iwo, he went to Okinawa then on to China.

"CARLSON, VERNON L.(Ole) Vernon Lyman Carlson was born at Havre, MT on 8
January 1922 and passed over on 14 October 2003. The family came to Vista,
CA in 1931. He graduated
Vista, CA High School in June 1940, enlisting that month in the US Marine
Corps. He was in the Detachment of Marines, USS West Virginia when she was
sunk at Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec.'41. Subsequent assignments included defense
of Midway; training mortarmen at then Camp Elliot, CA; 1st Prov. Marine Brigade,
Guadalcanal, preparing to invade Guam; the Guam Operation; Okinawan Operation with the Sixth Marine Division, then to China with the same Division disarming Japanese. "Ole" was honorably separated from the USMC on 17 Jun.'46. He attended San Diego State College for one year then transferred to  the Univ. of Montana at Bozeman, MT. He married Belma (Peggy) Brown, a former  USMC Aux. in '48, graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering in June '50.

His career in that field took him to many places. Knoxville, TN; the Arabian  nation of Aden; Kuwait; France; Mexico; Libya; El Cajon, CA; Philippines;  Thailand; Vietnam; and Moffat, CA to name a few. He retired to Alabama, the  home State of Peggy who passed over three months before he succumbed to a  series of strokes. They had no children. His survivors are brothers Carsten  D. Carlson of San Marcos, CA and Charles R.(Ole II) Carlson of Sultan, WA,  sister Sarah E. Jones of Ridgecrest, CA and several nieces and nephews.

His  ashes will be placed in a niche at the Cemetery, Fort Rosecrans, CA where his  father has rested since October '60.
A memorial service and military honors will be provided by the USMCRD, San
Diego at Fort Rosecrans Cemetery commencing at 1:00 PM, 9 January 2004"

The left photo is of Vernon Carlson on the left, with his father,
Charles A. Carlson (PFC, US Army - WWI), and his brother Carsten D. Carlson
(Lt Col, US Army Ret - WWII, Korea) This was taken in October 1940, about
or just before the time he arrived at the USS West Virginia.

The right hand photo is of Vernon with a lister bag on Guadalcanal as a corporal