KENOSHA — There is a Wisconsin family with a legacy of veterans who have served in the military for almost every war the U.S. has ever fought in.
Michael Hellquist, an Army veteran, can identify eight generations of relatives who have enlisted in the U.S. military. Hellquist's relatives have served in everything from Operation Iraqi Freedom in the 2000s to the Revolutionary War in the 1700s. And it's not just one relative who fought in the war against England. It was three.
“I always knew I was going to join a branch of the military from an early age," Hellquist, who served in the Army from 2007-2016 said.
His family of military service members includes his dad, grandfather, cousins, uncles, an aunt, great-grandfather, and many iterations of great-uncles/grandfathers/cousins. His dad was in the Marine Corps during the Cold War. His grandfather was a Marine during the Korean War. His great-grandfather fought in World War I.
Here's a list of veterans in his family. There are others not listed.
- Michael Hellquist, US Army, Operation Iraqi Freedom
- Robert Hellquist Jr., USMC, Cold War
- George Swenson Sr., USMC Korean War
- Lester Zitkus, Army, Korean War
- Verle Swenson, Navy, WWII, Korean War
- Russell McConnell, Army Air Corps, WWII
- George McConnell, Merchant Marines, WWII
- Robert McConnell, Navy, WWII
- Arthur McConnell, Navy, WWII
- Madeline Swenson, Army Nurse Corps, WWII
- Harry Swenson, Army Air Corps, WWII
- Robert Hellquist Sr., Army, WWII
- Hebret Swenson, Navy, WWI
- Roy Swenson, Army, WWI
- ranz Swenson, Navy, WWI
- Lemuel Samuel Rea, Union Army, Civil War
- George Means, War of 1812
- Benjamin Means, Continental Army, Revolutionary War
- Samuel Sloan, US Continental Army, Revolutionary War
- James Clark, US Continental Army, Revolutionary War
“It’s an enormous sense of pride that I have this lineage," Hellquist said.
Hellquist joined the army after high school just like his grandfather, George Swenson, did.
"I grew up in this environment, you know. And I'm just proud to be part of it," Swenson said.
It took several years, but Hellquist put this family history together by collecting military records, letters, searching Ancestry.com, the National Archives, a family bible that listed births and weddings, and being fortunate enough to have a grandmother and cousins who kept copious notes. Multiple relatives were members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a lineage-based organization for women with relatives who fought in the Revolutionary War.
“I have a couple of historian cousins that have pieced together the Swenson, McConnell, Means parts for me," Hellquist said.
He did this to honor his family's history. For his grandfather, he tracked down all the medals he earned and properly displayed them in a case.
"Fantastic. It is really," Swenson said.
Watch the story to learn about the 8 generations of military service members from the same family
Hellquist's family history is rich with military service, but the future is uncertain. The next relative to potentially serve is his nephew, but he’s only five.
“I would love for someone to pick up the mantle and keep going, but I have no control over what somebody else is going to do," Hellquist said.
So in the meantime, he will continue digging into his family history. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he found another family member who served in the military.
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