Larry Nicholson: A Family Legacy of Service

It was spring of 1968 when Larry Nicholson traveled down to the Pensacola area to see his brother Roger before leaving for Vietnam. It was at Whiting Field in Milton, Florida where Larry’s brother was stationed as a flight instructor after returning home in 1966. He served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Now his younger brother was volunteering in the Marines too.

Larry followed his brother, always looking up to him and wanting to be like him. Service is part of the family lineage because Roger entered in honor to their father and nation. Ralph Nicholson, the father, wanted to serve during World War II but could not because of a car accident he was a part of during high school and because he was a farmer.

During their time when Larry arrived for the visit, Roger gave him flying gear and a helmet, and they were up in the sky flying around for hours. Talking and teaching Larry some flying maneuvers, that is the last time Roger saw his younger brother.

Larry Nicholson, 27, of Hartford, Wisconsin was a voluntary Marine Corps military member. He was first classified as 4F, meaning due to health reasons, however he still managed to enlist.

He had ranking as a Private First Class, and his military occupational specialty was a 0311, representing a Rifleman, and started his tour on Oct. 21, 1968. Larry perished on June 6, 1969 when he was in the Quang Tri Province which is located in South Vietnam. It was from wounds to the head and body from a hostile grenade from enemy forces.

The Nicholson family was headed by Ralph and Dorothy Nicholson. Ralph worked in a dairy equipment factory and Dorothy was a housewife and took care of their family of nine children. Among the nine, Larry was second born on July 8, 1941.

As he continued to grow, the bond between him and his older brother Roger grew stronger. When Roger was 10-years- old, he started working for family friends, milking cows, feeding livestock, working in the field and other chores.

When Larry was between 13 to 14- years-old, he did the same thing. During this time, the Pledge of Allegiance was said every morning at school, stars hung in military family windows, and metal drives were held, it was a different time.

As Larry got older, he was known as a prankster and maybe it was due to the fact that he and Roger would watch the Three Stooges after he and Roger would come home from work. As they both continued to get older, the two talked about opening an automotive business together after Larry came home.

Larry had owned a 1953 Mercury Hardtop that was light green and a black 1957 Chevy. They both were 2-door hot rods that were popular during that time. Roger knew Larry would be looking for work after coming back home. Roger opened the paint and body shop without his brother hoping that when Larry came home he would become a partner.

One could count on their hand how often Larry was able to come home during his time of service. Mark, the youngest of the family, remembers time spent with Larry when he was able to come back. Larry would allow Mark to help him shine his boots even if Larry would put the proper shine on them when Mark was finished.

The craft was done with Kiwi Black Shoe Polish and a soft bristled shoe brush. Those same symbolic items were left at the Vietnam Wall back in the early 1990’s when Mark, his wife Denise and their two daughters, Jessica and Randi went to remember and honor Larry. In 2009, Larry returned to the Wall in Washington D.C. with a friend known as Sarg who was a Vietnam Veteran on their motorcycle ride with Rolling Thunder.

Mark was 7-years-old when he heard the news about his brother.

“I remember it like yesterday I was outside within our backyard with a friend playing with a toy farm set under a weeping willow tree,” he says. “I heard a car pull into the drive and when I went to see who it was, it had the appearance of an unmarked police car but was actually a brown sedan with markings of the United States Marines on the door. “

When he went inside, his mother was sitting on the couch in the living room sobbing as a Marine was comforting her and another stood at the front door. He went outside to tell his friend. From that point up to the funeral, the memories got blurry.

As for Roger, he had been working in the auto shop all day and when arriving at home, his niece ran outside to tell him the news.

After about one month’s time, Larry made it back State side. Ralph and Dorothy were going through torment. Ralph wrote in a journal talking it out if he wanted to see his son one more time.

In Gunderson Funeral Home, the service for Larry had friends and family all in attendance, and his casket was closed and draped with the flag he gave his life for.

After the service, neighbors Don and Imogene Hanson welcomed family and friends. The gathering was housed in their garage. Don had served during World War II.

Larry was laid to rest at the Blooming Grove Cemetery located in the town of Blooming Grove, close to Madison, Wisconsin.

When asking what people should remember about Larry’s legacy Roger replied, “He ended up dying for what many consider a lost cause but he stood by this nation.”