MGySgt Roger G. Lohsen

[AMarinesSon]

Roger George Lohsen, Master Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps - Retired, died at home in Norcross Georgia on Monday, October 25th, 2010. He was 84 years old. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he followed in the footsteps of one of his older brothers and enlisted in the Marine Corps in April, 1944, at the age of 17. After completing boot camp at Parris Island, SC and Advanced Infantry training at Camp Le Jeune, NC, he participated in the invasion and seizure of Okinawa, serving as an Assistant Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) gunner and rifleman throughout the campaign. At war's end, Corporal Lohsen was stationed at the Yokosuka Naval Base for the occupation of Japan. Sergeant Lohsen then served in the United Nations guard detachment in New York City. While serving as a military recruiter in Nebraska in 1949, Staff Sergeant Lohsen met a young woman who was considering a career as a Navy WAVE. Jeanne Shrewsbury became a Marine Corps wife instead, and bore him a son, Mark, days before he departed for the Korean War. He then joined the legendary 5th Marine Regiment on November 6, 1950, during their fight north in the Wonsan-Hungnam eastern offensive. Surrounded by the Chinese Communist Forces at the Chosin Reservoir, the 5th Marine Regiment fought their way out in the worst winter weather recorded in decades. Staff Sergeant Lohsen was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in the fighting at Hagaru-Ri, south of Chosin. Technical Sergeant Lohsen continued to serve with the 5th Marines during operations in south and central Korea and then returned to the United States in November, 1951. Master Sergeant Lohsen deployed for armed peacekeeping operations during the Lebanon crisis of 1958 and as part of the Marine Expeditionary Force for the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. Master Gunnery Sergeant Lohsen again deployed in 1967 to Viet Nam and served at Da Nang, Phu Bai, and Chu Lai. He retired from the Marine Corps after 25 years of service at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany GA. Following his military retirement, Mr. Lohsen was employed by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company as an area maintenance planner. He retired from Firestone in 1984 and entered the U.S. Civil Service, working at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany GA as an Electronics Technician in the Metrology Branch of the Repair Division. He retired from Civil Service in 1991. While living in Albany, GA from 1968 to 2010, Mr. Lohsen became an avid gardener and a skilled personal investor. When he wasn't teaching his son Brad the manual art of moving logs to create his garden beds, he taught mathematics at the Dougherty County Community College. Emulating his son Gary, Mr. Lohsen earned his private pilot's license in 1979. He loved flying and earned a multi-engine commercial pilot's license. Mr. Lohsen was an active member of the "Chosin Few" and Marine Raider organizations. In 2010, he and his wife relocated to Norcross, GA to be closer to their sons. Mr. Lohsen is survived by Jeanne, his wife of 61 years, and their three sons: Mark Lohsen and his wife Brenda, of Charlotte; NC; Gary Lohsen and his wife Michelle of Lawrenceville, GA; and Brad Lohsen and his late wife Susanne, of Norcross, GA. He was a happy and beloved grandfather to Grant, Andrew, Jake, Joel, and Jill. The family will receive friends and relatives Friday morning October, 29, from 10:30 am to 11:00 am, at Bill Head's Funeral Home, 3088 Highway 120, Duluth, GA. A memorial service will be conducted immediately following the viewing at the funeral home. Internment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. The family requests contributions to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in lieu of flowers. (www.nmcrs.org)