MINOT — You can excuse the Nason brothers if they don’t spend a lot of time recounting old war stories about their years in the military.

They’re proud of their service, to be sure. But it’s a matter-of-fact variety of pride. For all five men, serving was just what you did.

“It was just like graduating high school — everybody had to do it,” said Robert Nason, 83, a former Army corporal who served from 1951 to 1953. “You didn’t think about it much in those days. You just did it.”

John, 86, served in the Navy at the tail end of World War II, from 1943-46.

Robert, 83, Richard, 82, and Harold, 81, all served in the Army from about 1951 to 1953, during the Korean War. Harold was stationed in Pusan, South Korea, and saw combat; Richard was sent to Germany as part of the allied occupation, and Robert served his time on American soil.

Donald, 79 and the baby of the group, went in just as his three brothers were getting out. He served in the special services, in the 112th Infantry Regimental Army Band stationed around Germany from 1953 to 1955.

“Kids today just don’t know what they’re missing,” Robert said. “You travel for free, you get some education and you grow up. You grow up really fast. I’m glad I served. Although I guess I wasn’t very glad at the time.”

The family is proud that from 1943 until 1955 there was almost always one of the Auburn-bred Nasons serving in the nation’s military. And they’re thankful of the fact that all five served and all five survived, returning home without a major injury.

And now that the brothers will all be in their 80s — Donald has a birthday this year that will take him across that threshold — it makes their history a little more special.

The brothers, a sister, Arlene, and another brother, Alfred — who died at 14 — all grew up on Court Street. They all went to Edward Little High School, and several worked as projectionists and staff at area theaters, especially the Auburn Theater on Court Street.

John was the first to serve. He left high school at 17 to enlist.

“I knew I was going to get drafted, so why not?” John said. “If you enlisted, you got to pick where you wanted to go. If they drafted you, they just put you wherever they wanted you.”

John wanted the Navy because the thought of the Army and having to carry everything with you just didn’t appeal.

“In the Navy, you had your bunk right there on the ship, and it went were you went,” John said.

He was sent to the Pacific Theater and survived two air raids. But the Japanese surrendered soon after he arrived. The biggest excitement he saw was a hurricane that beached his ship. It took the men several weeks of digging, blasting and a high tide to get it free.

“So that’s what I did,” John said. “That’s what kept me busy.”

He returned to the U.S. in 1946, finished high school and began working.

Three of his brothers joined up in 1951. Robert and Richard were drafted, and Harold enlisted so he could serve at the same time.

Richard and Harold were trained in radio operations at Camp Gordon, Georgia, but were split up. Harold went to Korea.

“When I was in Pusan, I saw these grave sites with crosses as far as the eye could see, so I think I’m lucky that I made it back,” Harold said.

Richard worked on the decommissioned tanks, repairing their radios before they were sold off.

Robert served his time as a supply officer in Yakima, Wash.

“I was short one day from going overseas,” he said. “You had to have so many days left in your service to get shipped out. I was short one day, or I would have gone to Germany, too.”

The three didn’t communicate at all during that time, no letters or anything.

“I saw them the day I went in, and the day I came out,” Richard said.

Donald was drafted when he graduated in 1953.

“When I got over, the regimental commander hollered at me,” Donald said. “I didn’t want to talk to him, but he said ‘You’re one of those Nason boys, aren’t you?'”

It turned out the commander was from Auburn as well and recognized Donald from his time in the Edward Little High School band.

“So he took me down to the band room and said, ‘He’ll play any instrument you want him to play,'” Donald said.

They played concerts all across Germany and marched in dozens of parades.

“Once we started a parade at 9 o’clock and we were still marching at two in the afternoon,” Donald said. “We just marched from town to town to town. We had a good band, so we were in demand.”

None of the men recall a big celebration when they came home.

John was still serving when the war ended, so he missed the big celebrations at the end of World War II and came home quietly. Harold said he remembers some people waving flags and signs and cheering on a bridge when he sailed into San Francisco.

Donald came home to his family, brothers and all.

“We bought him an ice cream cone,” Harold said.

All five settled close to home. John, Richard, Harold and Donald all live around each other on Garfield Road in Minot. Robert lives in Auburn.

“It was a different life when you were in the military,” Richard said. “You came out a different person. I didn’t like it, but I’m glad I went.”

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