Marshall Hoffman
Stevens County Times
After 80 years, Staff Sgt. Irvin Ellingson is finally returning to his North Dakota home. And members of the Morris American Legion Riders escorted the remains of the World War II veteran for part of that journey.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to bring this guy home,” said Shane Nelson, the director of the Morris motorcycle club. Nelson was able to gather 10 motorcyclists for the sacred journey to escort the remains from Alexandria to Fargo.
Ellingson was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps who hailed from Dahlen, North Dakota, not far from Grand Forks. He was a radio operator and mechanic, serving in a B-29 bomber and doing several missions in Japan. He was shot down over Tokyo and captured as a prisoner of war for almost two years. In a low-level bombing campaign conducted by the U.S. in May of 1945, his POW camp, the Tokyo Military Prison, caught fire. Ellingson, along with 61 American Airmen, died in that fire.
Ellingson’s remains were first brought to Manila, then later disinterred and brought to a forensic lab in Honolulu in 2022. Finally, through DNA testing, his remains were identified on June 17, 2025. Since all of Ellingson’s immediate family members have passed away, Nelson did not know how or when DNA samples of any extended family members were collected. The remains were flown from Hawaii to MSP International Airport, where a group from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association escorted the remains to Alexandria. A different CVMA chapter escorted the remains from Fargo to Grand Forks.
For the Morris American Legion Riders, Nelson said: “This is the first time we’ve ever been involved in anything like this.”
“How many times are we going to bring back a DNA-identified World War II veteran?” Nelson asked. “Probably never. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Typically, the escort would be in front of the hearse, with a family van carrying 10-11 extended family members following the hearse. Besides Nelson and his wife Tina, other members of the Morris chapter joining the escort included Chuck Anderson, Neil Reuter, Randy Schneider, Scott Heinrichs, T.J. Voges, Jim Jergenson, Travis Tonn, and Dave Choiniere.
“As American Legion Riders, we have a mission statement,” said Nelson. “For us, it’s (to serve) veterans, their families, and our community…It’s all for honor and respect, so we’ll ride – rain or shine.”
Nelson said there’s a strong network of other American Legion Riders, and they have district and state meetings. It was a former rider for the Fargo Moorhead Legion group who initially contacted the past director of the Morris riding group, Brooks Hill, who then contacted Nelson, who was able to pull together an escort group in two days. The Morris group left early in the morning of June 17 to get to their escort duties in Alexandria.
On June 18, there was a procession for Staff Sgt. Ellingson from the Fargo Air Museum parking lot to Grand Forks Veterans Park. A June 20 viewing of the casket and final farewell tribute was held at the Dahlen Lutheran Church in Dahlen, North Dakota.
As for the Morris American Legion Riders, they are gearing up for their Summer Fun Run on July 18, as well as the 10th and final year for the Taryn Paul Memorial Run on the Saturday of the Stevens County Fair, and they will make an appearance at the Prairie Harvest Fest’s Bike Show.
