Enlisted in 1949 and Drafted 1951
Served until 1953

  

I enlisted in the air force for World War II. I was 18 years old at the time of the war. I was in the air force for 7 months. I was in training for 6 months and then I got into the actual work with the planes. I was doing this for only 1 month when I got a letter from home saying that my father had gotten very ill while I was away. My mother and my sisters could not manage the farm alone so I had to get out of the air force on a hardship. 

I had been out of the air force for 4 years. I was married to my wife Norma by now and we had 2 kids of our own when I got a letter from the government saying that I had been drafted into the army for clean up duties and guard duties. My wife could not believe that after I had been out of the service for 4 years and had a family that the government would draft me. I went into the army when I was 22 years old. The government sent my battalion all over the world. I went to Berlin Germany, Holland, Sweden, and France. In each of these places I had to pull guard duties at the Spandal Jail. This is where all of the prisoners of war stayed . The Spandal Jail was located in Germany. This is where I was mostly at while I served  while  I was in the army. 

I was placed in the 6 ridge battalion. Since I was in the 6th ridge my duties were mostly to guard the warlords. The warlords were head officers from the other sides taken prisoners in the war. I was in Berlin guarding the Berlin Wall and the Berlin air lift for 2 and 1/2 years. I was also gauging the warlords who were behind the Iron Wall. I was never wounded in my service. The whole time that I was in Berlin I don't remember ever being scared. 

My full name is Murray William Christiansen. My parents are William M. Christiansen, and Bernia S. Christiansen. I was the only boy out of 4 kids and I was the oldest. My wife Norma had to support 2 kids during the war so she started working at the Pacific Trail Sports Wear. She stayed there working even after the war. Norma was afraid that I would be in danger when I had to go to Berlin because I would be going  behind the Iron Wall. Norma and I were both 19 when we got married. My wife's full name is Norma June Larson Christiansen. Our two kids were Bill and Lean. Bill was 2 years old when I went to war and Lean was 4 months. When I got back from Berlin Bill was 7 and Lean was 6 years old.

I was a P.F.C. the whole time I was in guard duty. A  P.F.C. is a private first class. I always had a gun with me whether I wanted it or not. The first picture is a picture of  the Russian burial grounds. There are 5 massive graves with a 1000 Russian men. The second picture is of the start of  the Iron Curtain in Berlin, Germany. One side of the curtain was for the Russians and the other side was for the Americans.