Instructor: Mike Grobbel
This presentation will describe the incredible story of the 5,200 U.S. soldiers–the majority of them from Michigan–who were stranded in North Russia during the winter of 1918-1919, while engaged in bitter combat with the Bolshevik Red Army. They had arrived in Archangel, Russia in early September and their battles continued long after the Armistice was signed on November 11. They were eventually withdrawn from this obscure military intervention in June of 1919, but not before 235 soldiers lost their lives.
About the Presenter: Mike Grobbel is president of the Polar Bear Memorial Association. The association is dedicated to honoring and maintaining the memory of the U.S. soldiers of the American North Russia Expeditionary Force, also known as the "Polar Bears." Mike is also a board member of the Historical Society of Center Line and the Michigan Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth.
