Korby's Connections: Digging into a pilot's war service is family history

I don't remember meeting him. His name was Marvin Gleason. He was my first cousin who died in 1958, at age 31, when I was only 3 years old. Marvin was a decorated Korean War pilot who served in the U.S. Air Force. He's buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Cloquet and I visit his gravesite often. I always wish I could have heard his stories in person, especially when I'm reminded of his service each Veterans Day.

Gleason grew up on Fourth Street and Selmser Avenue in Cloquet. He'd be 98 years old today, so it's not easy to find his contemporaries. Bob Pearson of Scanlon is 95, also lived on Se...