Rev. Michas Monroe Ohnstad

Reverend Michas "Mike" Ohnstad of North Branch passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at Ecumen of North Branch at the age of 99 years, 8 months and 8 days.

Michas Monroe Ohnstad was born August 14, 1926 to Michas and Eva (Broberg) Ohnstad in Hinckley, Minnesota. Following his graduation from Hinckley High School in 1944, Michas attended the Minnesota School of Business and went on to attain degrees from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY, and Augustana University in Rock Island, IL. Continued educational improvement found Michas at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, and Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden. Michas then received a Master's of Divinity from Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN and was ordained in 1956.

Prior to his post high school education, Michas was drafted into the U.S. Army; serving from 1944-1947 during World War II. Michas served in the 43rd Infantry Division, but saw little combat because of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was then personally assigned by Gen. McArthur to work with Japanese and American doctors in Hiroshima because of his exceptional short hand skills.  His job was to understand the implications of what happened and how to treat the people of Hiroshima.  This experience left a vivid and lasting impression on Michas for the rest of his life!   

He married Alma Rice of Cleveland, TX on June 25, 1965 and they continued to surround their lives with volunteerism. Both were involved with American Legion and VFW organizations, continuing lifelong commitments to their communities and beyond. Michas and Alma lived in the Stacy and North Branch areas the majority of their married life.

Elected to the MN State House of Representatives, Michas served Chisago, Isanti and Anoka counties (District 19A) from 1973-1974. He used his education to help others in the areas of faith, education and social service. Michas served on the State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Veterans Homes Board (Appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich and Governor Arne Carlson); and the State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators (Appointed by Governor Arne Carlson).  He also served as the Director of Rehabilitation, and the State of Minnesota Chaplain, as well as a United States National Chaplain for the American Legion.

Michas is survived by nieces and nephews Betty Reider of Hinckley, David Ohnstad of Sparta, WI, Marilyn (Bruce) Peterson of Duluth, Bruce Ohnstad of Minneapolis, Ed (Dede) Entner of Roseville, Leann Cozad of Maple Grove, Karen Entner of Golden Valley; many great-nieces and great-nephews, and many close friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents Michas and Eva Ohnstad; wife Alma Ohnstad; siblings Ronald (Doris) Ohnstad, Ruby (Louis) Entner, Ohny Ohnstad; nephew Kenny Ohnstad, niece Susan Ohnstad.

Reverend Paul Anderson will officiate funeral services for Michas: 11 AM; Friday, May 8, 2026 with a time of visitation and reviewal one hour prior to the service all at St. John's Lutheran Church in Rush City. The interment will take place at 1:15 PM in the Lutheran Memorial Cemetery of Hinckley.

Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Funeral and Cremation Service of Rush City ~ Olson Chapel www.FuneralAndCremationService.com

(The following article is from Ike's Soldiers: https://eisenhowerfoundation.net/soldier/michas-ohnstad ) Michas Ohnstad was the youngest of four siblings. He graduated from Hinckley High School in May, 1944 and, upon receipt of the famous 'Greetings' letter from President Roosevelt, he was drafted and inducted into the Army at Ft. Snelling, MN and further processed at Jefferson Barracks, MO in January, 1945 and sent for armored basic training at Ft. Knox, KY. Following a brief delay-en-route (not a furlough) after basic he went by troop train (the old coal fired steam type) to Fort Ord, CA replacement depot for processing for overseas duty. He departed by troop ship from California on July 7,1945 for a destination unannounced until at sea and after zigzagging, for security reasons, across the Pacific with a stopover in Hawaii he landed at Manila in the Philippines and then transferred to Cabanatuan, Luzon for service with the 43rd Infantry Division - Field Artillery Battalion. On August 6 and 9, 1945 President Truman ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (President Roosevelt had died on April 12, 1945) and on August 14,1945 (his 19th birthday!) it was announced that Japan had surrendered. By troop ship he was sent to Yokohama, Japan for Army of Occupation duty with the 1st Cavalry Division. On September 30, 1945 he received Orders from General MacArthur that read in part and in typical military shorthand: 'Following named enlisted member, now on temporary duty Advance Echelon, GHQ AFPAC, APO 500, WP Hiroshima and Nagasaki and such other places adjacent thereto as may be necessary for carrying out instructions. Upon completion of this duty, member will return Advance Ech. GHQ AFPAC, APO 500. EM auth travel between Hiroshima and Nagasaki at such times as may be necessary in the accomplishment of their mission. Member will report to Col. A.W. Oughterson for duty. Travel by military aircraft is directed for accomplishment of an emergency war mission . . . .' This order was for service with the ATOMIC BOMB COMMISSION which was composed of several American medical doctors and two or three enlisted men and a contingent of Japanese doctors and nurses and two male Japanese cooks both of whom had been combat soldiers. One of the cooks lost his wife and one child as a result of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The commission ate, slept and worked on site and the area was 'off limits' to area occupation troops because of radiation concerns. After the bombs were dropped early reports in the field in the Philippines indicated that 'vegetation would not grow for a hundred years' but that early report was far from reality. 'I was the only Minnesotan who served with the Atomic Bomb Commission and so at my demise that page of history will have been turned. Upon completion of the Atomic Bomb Commission assignment I served with the USA Typhus Commission in Tokyo. The task of the typhus commission was to spray Japanese civilians with DDT powder because at war's end lice were a health problem among the Japanese populace. The goal was to protect the Occupation troops from Typhus by spraying the civilian population. The Japanese welcomed the opportunity to be sprayed with the DDT powder and they lined up in long lines to await the spray treatment. Upon completion of USA Typhus Commission service my final service was in Tokyo at General MacArthur's headquarters in the Dai Ichi building. We would see General MacArthur every day. He was so disciplined that you could 'set your watch' by his departure time. The Japanese citizens had great respect for General MacArthur and in anticipation of his daily departure from the building they could be seen stopped on the sidewalk waiting for him to exit the building and to enter his chauffeured vehicle. I was returned stateside and received my Honorable Discharge after two years and eleven days with one year, four months, and two days foreign service. My rank at discharge was T/5 and I received the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Ribbon,'

(The following article is from The Pine City Pioneer: July 8, 2021: https://www.pinecountynews.com/communities/pinecity/i-just-did-my-duty/article_4b73bdd6-dff8-11eb-b720-07f3f931e52d.html) The 1945 surrender of Japan not only signified the end of World War II, it was also Michas Ohnstad’s 19th birthday. Ohnstad and his classmates graduated on May 23, 1944. His friend, Henry Adams, was drafted first. Adams was sent to the Philippines and was killed in action. Ohnstad was drafted into the Army just a few months later. On a brutally cold January day in 1945, at 3 a.m. he boarded the steam train at the Hinckley station and headed to Fort Snelling. From Fort Snelling he made his way to the Philippines where he was set to go to Japan as part of the invasion forces. He was part of the 43rd Infantry Division.On the 6th and 9th of August, 1945 the two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “So in a sense, one might say, my life was saved by the atomic bombs. On the 14th of August, my 19th birthday, Japan surrendered,” said Ohnstad. Because the draft board sent notices to soldiers who were chosen alphabetically. “By luck of the alphabet, I lost a friend and classmate in Henry Adams.” After the surrender of Japan, Ohnstad became part of the Occupation Forces. He was first sent to Yokohama Japan. “I was there for six days with the 1st Cavalry division. I then got orders from General MacArthur to go to Hiroshima and Nagasaki as part of the Atomic Bomb Commission. I was sent to both places, but because we were so busy, I only made it to Hiroshima,” he explained. Ohnstad served at Hiroshima from Sept. 30, 1945 through the Christmas season. He worked with doctors who were dealing with the victims of the bomb. Working with both Japanese and American doctors, who worked hand in hand investigating what really happened to people after the bomb exploded. When Ohnstad was with the Atomic Bomb Commission, they were isolated, off limits to any other troops, allied or otherwise, due to the secrecy of what they were doing. It was an investigation, they didn’t want to be interrupted. “The Japanese and American doctors were working together to understand all the implications of what happened and how to treat people. They were dealing with the deaths, diseases and hardships that the Japanese people were going through,” said Ohnstad. The commission worked closely with the Japanese people. “We had our own cooks even. Two of them were Japanese soldiers...they had been in combat but came back when the war was over. One of them had lost his wife and young daughter in the atomic bomb attack.” It was a highly classified intellectual investigation of the causes, consequences and circumstances of the bomb for the medical profession to learn from. How do we treat them, what works and what doesn’t work. Even the clothing they wore, some colors tolerated the radiation better than others. The doctors performed autopsies. “That was even part of my job...to an extent. I didn’t do the autopsies themselves, but I carried body parts and so on.” When that assignment was finished he was sent to Tokyo where he was part of the USA Typhus Commission. This involved spraying the Japanese people with DDT powder. The Japanese people wore two or three layers of clothing, it was all the clothes they had. They wore them all because they had nowhere to stay and keep their clothes. These layers of clothes were a breeding ground for lice and Typhus fever. So to protect both the Japanese people and the American troops, they sprayed them with the DDT powder. When that assignment was filled he was sent to General MacArthur’s headquarters, working with the records and so on. He continued there until he earned enough points to be sent home. Ohnstad believes one of the reasons he was selected by MacArthur is the schooling he received at Hinckley High School. “I took shorthand and that made me helpful to the doctors, so Hinckley had a part of Hiroshima,” he said. “Out of the little old Hinckley class of 1944, an Atomic Veteran developed shorthand and was able to transcribe doctors notes and so on. So Hinckley prepared me for this assignment.” “Society thinks of winning and losing when it comes to war. There are no winners in war...both sides lost lives,” said Ohnstad. “There have been people who want me to criticize President Truman for using the Atomic Bomb. The object of war is victory… it took two atomic bombs for Japan to surrender. But in every war, there are two losers...the victor and the vanquished.” Ohnstad went on to say “I’ve seen the atomic bomb first hand, and it’s not pretty. But as terrible as it was, there is a sense in which it saved lives, including mine. It was devastating of course, but it could have been worse. War is an ugly scourge of mankind. Imagine if we had invaded Japan...the number of deaths would have been horrendous on both sides. With tears in his eyes, Ohnstad spoke of the bloodless scars he suffers. “For 75 years I have lived Hiroshima on a daily basis. I can’t escape it, it’s there. Never a day goes by, I wake up to it. The sights, the sounds, the smells...it shows up in various ways. It’s one of the wounds of war.” “I’m absolutely not a hero! I’m not! I’m not! I know heroes when I see them. I just did my duty. The heroes do more than their duty.”