November 13, 2019
From Mercer County to the Netherlands
By Daniel Arens
How the journey of one man’s life liberated many others
For dozens of years, a uniform sat in a closet.
Many thousands of miles away, a small community museum honors those who allowed their town to live in freedom.
And, five months ago, a Father’s Day discovery brought the uniform and the village together again, 75 years later.
Gustav Morlock lived in Mercer County most of his life. A telegrapher, he was born in Pettibone, and after the war moved west and served as a depot agent for the railroad in Hazen, Zap, Stanton and Beulah. In the latter community, he finished his career and lived out the remainder of a long and remarkable life.
