06/21/2026
In honor of Father’s Day, we’re highlighting father and son Navy veterans Otto and Russell Blumenberg.
Otto Walter Blumenberg was born on February 13, 1900, in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on July 22, 1918, and served on a receiving ship in Puget Sound, Washington, before being discharged on February 25, 1919. During World War II, Otto returned to Navy service as chief of security at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois, serving from January 12, 1942, to December 17, 1943.
His son, Russell Lloyd Blumenberg, was born on March 4, 1922, in Port Washington. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on August 26, 1942. After training stateside, Russell served at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Honolulu, Hawaii, and later as a machinist’s mate aboard the USS Briscoe (APA-65), an attack transport that served in the Pacific Theater. He was discharged on March 1, 1946.
After the war, both men returned to Port Washington. Otto resumed his career in law enforcement and became police chief in 1945, serving until his retirement in 1962. Russell worked as a machinist for Wisconsin Electric Power Company for 37 years. Both remained active in veterans’ organizations, including the American Legion.
Their story is proudly represented in our collections through records, certificates, and other papers, along with this photograph of Otto and Russell together in Navy uniform at Great Lakes Naval Training Station when both were on active duty.
