Mathias Kolding, Interviewed by Allan Holden, 2016
INTERVIEW LOG
Name of person(s) interviewed: Mathias Kolding
Other people present: Darleen Herbert
Researcher: Allan Holden
Date of interview: 5/23/16
Location of interview: Helix Public Library
Special conditions (noise, interruptions, etc.): Air conditioner blows nearly consistently throughout, cars driving by were picked up on the mic, microphone fell off of Mat’s shirt and the recording had to be stopped for a short time. For a large portion, there is extreme static, some of the interview had to be cut because of how bad it became.
General description of contents: Mat talks about his early years, getting drafted, and his experiences in Korea during the occupation
Length of interview: 35:44
TOPIC SUMMARY Time and Contents
0.00-0.53 Introduction and a few facts about Mat in the military.
0.53-7:20 Talks about his childhood memories, moving from place to place to earn money, and eventually getting drafted into the army.
7:20-14:26 Summarizes his basic training experience, where he performed his training, and where he was stationed during his service.
14:26-16:13 Speaks of going to Japan during his leave.
16:13-17:08 Talks about his relations with his fellow soldiers and mechanics. Also talks about his two Korean friends he made while serving.
17:08-17:55 Short segment where he speaks about keeping in touch with family, and how it could be done.
17:55-21:46 Speaks about some personally memorable moments during his service.
21:46-23:06 Talks about the end of his service, and having to be in the reserves after leaving Korea. Mentions a funny moment from after his service has ended.
23:06-28:53 After farming for a short time after his service, Mat moved on to go to college.
28:53-35:44 His thoughts on war, and family experience with militaries.
Mr. Mathias Kolding Interviewed by Allan Holden, 2016
Mathias Kolding was born in a Scandinavian settlement in 1931. He lived on a farm close to cousins, and would play with them and his siblings until he was old enough to go to school.
He went to school at Niagara District 74, a small one room schoolhouse, with 12-13 other children. His 1st-2nd grade teacher Helen Stover taught him all the basics: how to read, add, and subtract.
After finishing grade school, the country boy from a farming family went to high school in Larimore, North Dakota with a much bigger class than he had in grade school: 33 students. He graduated after 4 years of schooling there in 1948.
Very soon after graduating high school at 17, Mat was back on the farm working. Because the war had just ended, many of the men who would usually be working on the farms as well were still serving in the military.
The fall after he graduated, Mat enrolled in the Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis to further his education. Although he only spent 5 months there, it gave him skills he would need later in life. He went back to farming. In 1950, the farm didn’t garner any crops, and the Mat became short on money.
He and two friends wandered the Northwest United States in search of jobs. They passed through Seattle, Aberdeen, Corvallis, and finally settled down In Salt Lake City. There, they got a job picking beets for $5 a day. It only lasted a week. At the time, the Pacific Railroad was building a centralized railroad system there, and Mat got a job working for them.
Afterwards, he went back home to farm again, and subsequently “went broke again”.
Not long after his failed farming venture, he was drafted into the United States Army in 1953.