In 1921 my grandfather Pvt. Frank Gustaf Severin Erickson (standing 8th to the left of the US flag) along with his soon to be brother in-law Sture Albin Nelson (front row - holding the US flag) came together with other North Dakota personal of the military to commemorate the unveiling of the Riverview Obelisk. The Riverview Memorial was dedicated to those who served in the war. Also present at the ceremony and pictured below is US Army Nurse Olga Engstrom.

On that day at Riverview, Frank and Sture along with the others pictured here represent the North Dakota servicemen who served in the war. All were present for the commemoration ceremony held on May 30th, 1921 on the plains of Dakota located along the Missouri River not far from the town of Wilton.

In 2016 Riverview was officially added to the registry of the The World War I Memorial Inventory Project in Washington D.C. The Memorial Project honors the centennial of the Great War by assembling an inventory of all World War I memorials and monuments in the United States and U.S. territories. The project is working in partnership with the United States World War I Centennial Commission.

Many thanks to Director Mark Levitch for his diligent work on the Project. Much appreciation for adding Riverview to the inventory of WW1 Memorials. In the memories of many, this will stand well for all the families who lost their love ones

Like many memorials across the states, Riverview is a sanctuary where one can go to honor, in this case Dakota service personal that gave their lives in the war. My Uncle Ernest Julius Erickson, Frank's older brother is buried there along with other members of the family. My father Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson, a veteran of the 95th Bomb Group, a B-17 pilot who flew with the 334th Squadron out of Horham Airfield in England in 1944 will have his ashes interned at Riverview in 2019.

Ernest Julius was killed while on a mission in the Argonne Forest in France on October 10th, 1918. He was with the 361st Infantry of the 91st Division and serving in Company C and had been in the intelligence section of the First Battalion through both Argonne drives in the Fall of 1918.

A beautiful studio portrait of Ernest Julius is below when he was with the the 361st Infantry of the American Expeditionary Force. He had been a scout, sniper, observer and runner and was a long-time expert riflemen starting at a very young age. These words from his commanding officer speak volumes: "Ernest was one of the gamest men in the regiment and one of the most willing."

Below also is a photograph of the headstone of Ernest Julius Alfred Erickson 1889 - 1918. From all I have read and the stories told by people that knew Ernest Julius, he was a very special, unique man who loved to write and sought adventure to his twilight.