Carl Philip Swanson ("Phil") was born in Illinois around 1914, the son of Swan and Anna Swanson, Swedish immigrants. He had at least one sister, Agnes, who married Oswald C. Hansen. The Swanson family lived in Sparta, Michigan, during World War II. Carl Swanson enlisted in the United States Army before July 1943 and had basic training at Fort Custer, Michigan, and Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. In October 1943, he joined the 976th Engineer Maintenance Company at Camp McCain, Mississippi. Swanson attended machinist's training in Atlanta, Georgia, from January-May 1944 and deployed to Europe in July 1944. His regiment, a part of the 3rd Army, served in England, France, Belgium, and Germany, and Swanson returned to the United States in January 1946. After the war, he married a woman named Anna, and they had at least one son, Paul. Carl Philip Swanson died in Newaygo, Michigan, on November 20, 2007.
From the guide to the Carl Philip Swanson correspondence, Swanson, Carl Philip correspondence, 1939-1946, 1943-1945, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
