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Transcribed oral history interview with Scott Steve a member of the National Guard Unit that was stationed in the Worthington Minnesota Armory. File contains spiral bound and unbound transcribed interview, signed release agreement and notes. Interview was conducted by Barbara W. Sommer.

INTERVIEW DATE: August 27, 2020 & February 23, 2021

RECORDING MEDIUM: MP4

INTERVIEW LENGTH: 1:22:29 & 29:16

TECHNICAL NOTES: The interview was recorded remotely using Zoom, a web-based video conferencing tool. during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was transcribed by Lois Glewwe, project transcriber.

INTERVIEW NOTES: Scott Steve served in the National Guard from 1974 to 2001, with the years 1974 to 1992 in Worthington, and the remaining years, 1992-2001, in Luverne [Luverne, MN] after the Worthington Armory shut down. His unit was 135th Infantry, 47th Infantry Division - the Viking Division, 2nd Battalion, in Worthington and, after 1991, the 135th Infantry, 34th Infantry Division -the Red Bull Division, 3rd Battalion in Worthington/Luverne. He was pleased to participate in the project and provided background on the Worthington Armory and National Guard from the end of the Vietnam War to the beginning of the 21st century. He did the interview from his home computer.

SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW CONTENT: In the interview, Scott Steve covered enlisting in the National Guard and his move to the Worthington National Guard, basic training for Infantry at Fort Lewis, Washington, and advanced training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, memories of previous National Guard members and employees, history of the Worthington unit, the National Guard training regimen in Worthington and changes over the years, cold weather training at Fort Greeley, Colorado, Camp Ripley training, the Norwegian exchange program, closing the Worthington Armory, his promotions, ranks, and responsibilities, impacts of the end of the Vietnam War on the National Guard, the raid on draft board records at the Armory (1970), description and memories of the Armory building, duty during the Hormel Foods strike in Austin, MN (1986), National Guard community service including Turkey Day, Hubert Humphrey's visits to Worthington Turkey Days, closing of the Worthington Armory, transfer to Luverne Armory, retiring from the National Guard, and his thoughts about having been in the National Guard.

In the follow-up interview, Scott Steve discussed the transition from the 47th "Viking" Division to the 34th "Red Bull" Division in the Worthington National Guard units, the ripple effect of the closing of the Worthington Armory on the National Guard in southwestern Minnesota, the history of the National Guard units in southwestern Minnesota, the role of the Minnesota National Guard in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, his discharge from the National Guard, connections among military personnel, and the service of his wife's father, former high school social studies teacher Alan Swanson, with Colonel Darby of Darby's Rangers in World War II.

This transcript was made possible by Legacy funding from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund established by the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008, and administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. Funding was awarded to the Nobles County Historical Society through the following grant: R-MHCG-1912-24013 | $9,950 | MN Historical and Cultural

The Minnesota National Guard in Worthington, Minnesota Oral History Project. This oral history project focused on interviews with former members of the Minnesota National Guard in Nobles County who served from the Worthington National Guard Armory building.

Contact the Nobles County Historical Society for more information