Lodge Programming Opportunity

Just before I left for the International Convention, I received some information about an interesting lodge programming idea. There is a gentleman named Olav Richard Crone-Aamot, or "OBA" as he was once known, who is one of the decreasing number of Norwegian-Americans to have lived through the Nazi occupation of Norway. This month he will be traveling from the South-East U.S. to Minot, ND for Norsk Hostfest and he would love to share his story with any lodges along his route.

Here's a little info about him:
Olav was then ll years and 4 months old when the Nazis invaded and from that day on Oba was obsessed with making trouble for the German invaders. He and his classmates searched for ways to irritate the Germans, anything from putting sugar into the gasoline tanks to sticking raw potatoes up the tailpipes of their vehicles or courier motorcycles.

Olav's father was an artillery gunner on Rauoey island, the very first island invaded by the Germans early on the morning of the 9th of April, 1940. The Germans overpowered the defenders and captured and imprisoned every one of them. When Olav's father returned home some five months later he was confronted with the problem of finding a way to help his family survive. How he did it is a facinating story and a testimonial to the Norwegian's will to overcome adversaries.

Oba went on to become a member of the Norwegian MILORG the resistance movement to the German occupation. From there he volunteered to become one of the 160 first Norwegians to join the Royal Norwegian Army in July of 1945 and participated in the liberation of Oslo from the German Army.

If you'd like to learn more, or schedule him to speak at your lodge, you can contact him at 304-775-5152 or e-mail twoaamots@frontiernet.net.