The American Legion is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2019. Profiles of St. Joseph-area veterans are being published in each Newsleader during 2019. The Newsleader is joining with Post 328 to recognize veterans and Legion members who served during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other theaters of conflict and Cold War tensions.
by Tom Klecker
Jeanette Faughn, 82,
Gold Star Mother
Bonnie Sue Faughn,
Gulf War Era
For those readers who have followed these articles during this past year, please note the departure from the usual format.
We will pay respectful honor and gratitude to two women – mother and daughter.
Jenny Faughn was born at St. Cloud Hospital and was raised on a dairy farm just north of St. Joseph. Jenny and her 11 siblings helped with farm work, a part of which involved the day-to-day operation of the Kuebelbeck Dairy. Family members bottled the milk and cream and then delivered to homes and grocery stores in town, usually before going to church or school. Later Jenny’s brother, Jim, continued the milk route driving his old familiar milk truck.
Jenny describes herself as a straight-A student while she attended the Catholic (aka Lab) School in town. Jenny did not go to high school in spite of scholarships being available. She recalls her father’s decision being such that the six girls should get a job unless of course they planned to go into the convent and become nuns.
Jenny continued to help out on the farm, but she also worked as a waitress at Sal’s Cafe for more than a year. Later she worked as a nanny for a family that lived in South St. Paul.
At the age of 20 Jenny met her future husband, Leonard, who had just returned from the Korean War. After six months of dating they married and lived in South St. Paul. Leonard, a Marine, suffered from PTSD, which imposed understandable stress on the family.
From their marriage Jenny and Leonard had nine children, eight girls and one boy. Jenny says that raising this large of a family was “all for the greater honor of God. It was the best years of my life.” She particularly remembers all the times the family just packed up and went camping.
At one time Jenny was a seamstress for Macalester College in St. Paul.
With the circumstances surrounding Bonnie’s death in 1994, happy times seemed to quickly evaporate. Leonard’s manner of grieving the death of his daughter was substantially at odds with Jenny’s grief-loss issues.
After 60 years of marriage, Leonard died on Dec. 4, 2016, while a patient at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System in St. Cloud.
From this marriage came nine children, 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Jenny now lives in an apartment at Woodcrest of Country Manor.
Daughter Bonnie was Jenny’s third child. By temperament Jenny describes her daughter as “shy and somewhat a people pleaser.”
After graduating from South St. Paul High School, Bonnie “bounced around odd jobs” for ten years.
Perhaps in part to make her father proud, Bonnie enlisted in the Navy at age 27. She went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training in Chicago.
Her first duty station was the Naval War College located at Newport, Rhode Island. The war college is the highest educational institution of the U.S. Navy. Bonnie worked in the war gaming department as a computer operator. In this enhanced naval war gaming system she provided software and training support.
Bonnie’s next duty station was Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sicily. Centrally located right in the middle of the Mediterranean, this Italian island is 96 miles from Tunisia, North Africa. Thus, its location has significant military importance. Some of Bonnie’s duties were classified.
Just prior to her death, Bonnie, now an E-5, Petty Officer Second Class, had signed up for another four-year hitch. Bonnie loved the Navy, was engaged to be married, had a lovely apartment off base and had bought air fare for a planned trip to Rome. She was in her groove, so full of life. Bonnie ran marathons and had several friends to share in her numerous interests. She traveled Europe. She found for herself a new Catholic spirituality that provided much serenity.
All that joy, purpose and duty came to an abrupt and tragic end for this 31-year-old sailor. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service concluded that Bonnie’s death was likely a victim of foul play.
From Jenny’s perspective she believes her daughter’s death even now is shrouded in mystery.
The two officers who came to tell Jenny and Leonard that their daughter was deceased could not share any other information. It was only two weeks later when Jenny had to identify the body of Bonnie that she found out the cause of her death was ambiguously attributed to foul play.
Bonnie’s co-workers were prohibited from sharing any information with the family. After contacting Rep. Colin Peterson, some information did come to light. According to Jenny, it was fully two years before she and Leonard got any real information about the death of their daughter.
As one might expect, Jenny still is wanting answers. She recently sought help in securing any and all information about the circumstances surrounding Bonnie’s death. Jenny has contacted Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office, in spite of the fact 25 years have passed since Bonnie’s life ended in 1994.
Initially, Bonnie was buried in a cemetery in Menahga. Upon the death of Jenny’s husband, Leonard, Bonnie’s remains were exhumed and buried with her dad in the new cemetery in St. Joseph.
Perhaps given the substantial lapse of time, additional answers to long held questions may not be forth coming.
Gold Star Mother
The designation of a Gold Star Mother was a term initially coined by President Woodrow Wilson at the end of World War I. When a mother loses a son or daughter while they are on active duty in the military, they are automatically designated a Gold Star Mother.
On June 4, 1925, 25 mothers of deceased military sons or daughters met in Washington, D.C., and formed the national organization known as the American Gold Star Mothers Inc. From that day on the tradition was born to hang a small flag (Gold Star-centered on a white field) in the front window of the home.
Later a flag of similar size was popularized during World War II. In lieu of a gold star, a blue star denotes the fact the mother who resides in that particular home has a son or daughter on active military duty.
photo by Mike Knaak
Gold Star Mother Jeanette Faughn holds her daughter’s memorial flag.
