Veterans Day 2006

Minnesota State Veterans Day Program

In honor of all armed forces veterans of the United States of America, the Commander's Task Force is sponsoring a ceremony at the Inver Grove Heights Veterans Memorial Community Center.

The event starts at 9:00 am with a Welcome Reception. The official program starts at 10:00 am and should conclude at 11:00 am. The location of the event is 8055 Barbara Ave, Inver Grove Heights, MN. For more information, call 651-297-4142.

More information

 

 

VA Urges Veterans to Wear Medals on Veterans Day

WASHINGTON (Oct. 18, 2006) -- The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and leaders of major veterans organizations today called on America's veterans to help kindle a new spark of patriotism on Veterans Day by wearing the medals they earned during military service.

"We are announcing a Veterans Pride Initiative to remind Americans of the pride and honor in the hearts of those who have served," Nicholson said. "We expect Americans will see our decorated heroes unite in spirit at ceremonies, in parades and elsewhere as a compelling symbol of courage and sacrifice on Veterans Day, the day we set aside to thank those who served and safeguarded our national security."

The campaign is modeled after a tradition in Australia and New Zealand, countries who honor the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) on April 25. ANZAC Day sees veterans wearing their military decorations whatever they are doing on that day. Nicholson said he hopes a U. S. tradition will ensue to emulate this pride in being a veteran and in honoring our veterans.

VA is offering information about the campaign at www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/docs/Veterans_Day-Veterans_Pride.doc where veterans also can obtain information about how to replace mislaid medals and learn how to confirm the decorations to which they are entitled.

LT. Ross Bales and the Potato Peeler Kids - Read a story by U.S. Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho)

Events elsewhere around the state

Medal of Honor Recipients To Be Recognized on Veterans Day, November 11

The last two United States Medal of Honor recipients to be buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery will be recognized and honored during a ceremony to be held at the Medal of Honor monument in the Cemetery on Veterans Day, November 11, 2006.

Lt. Richard Sorenson and Lt. Donald Rudolph, both World War II heroes from Minnesota, are buried at Ft. Snelling. Both veterans will be honored by having their names inscribed on the Medal of Honor monument in the center of the Cemetery and will each have a street at the Cemetery named after them.

The ceremony will begin at 10AM on Veterans Day and will take place at the monument. The speaker for the occasion will be Rev. Dr. Kenneth Beale, Jr., Chaplain of the Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel. The Ft. Snelling Memorial Rifle Squad and members of Bugles Across America will perform Honors and Taps in recognition of the most valuable service these two veterans performed for our country during World War II.

The Medal of Honor is the Highest Military Honor given by the United States to recognize exceptional valor and heroism in the line of duty. Lt. Sorenson, a member of the United States Marine Corps, was awarded the Medal of Honor for exceptional valor while serving with the Corps in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. Lt. Rudolph, a member of the United States Army, received the Medal of Honor, again, for exceptional service during his time as an enlisted man in the European Theatre.

The public is invited to attend this special ceremony to honor these two brave Minnesotans. Questions concerning the ceremony should be directed to the Ft. Snelling National Cemetery, 612-726-1127

Read more about the Congressional Medal of Honor

Veterans eat free at McCormick & Schmick's on November 5, 2006

All veterans receive a free lunch or dinner entrée at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants nationwide on Sunday, November 5th in honor of Veterans Day week. This popular Sunday event enables veteran’s families to dine together.

More information / McCormick and Schmicks restaurant locations

Hennepin County

Heroics of Minnesota's "Greatest Generation" featured at FREE Veterans Day programs at Hennepin County Libraries

In tribute to the extraordinary lives and contributions of Minnesotans and other Americans who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II, special Veterans Day and other programs will be presented in November at four suburban Hennepin County libraries.  Admission is free.

November 11, 2 p.m. - "History Traveler:  Currahee and Band of Brothers" at Wayzata Library, 620 Rice St., 952-847-6150.

Charlie Maguire, an Emmy Award winner and singer/songwriter, will retrace the training steps of World War II's now-legendary Easy Company in photos and songs. The storied heroics of the 101st Airborne Division's elite paratroopers were critical to the success of the Normandy invasion and other perilous missions.

Maguire, a longtime World War II history buff, took parachute jump training beginning in 2004 for a National Endowment of the Arts grant to interview the veterans.

In Maguire's words, "I journeyed to Toccoa, Georgia and ran the infamous Mount Currahee that all of Easy Company had to do in order to stay in the Airborne training program. I also took photos along the way. I was invited to see the installation of the new museum to Easy Company at the Stephens County Historical Society, whose staff and volunteers have worked so hard to find the funding to keep up with this now world-famous story. I also explored what is left of the actual camp."

Maguire will bring artifacts from Currahee and an example of the type of M-42 jumpsuit used by the Airborne during the early years of the war.

Easy Company veteran Herb Suerth, who lives in Wayzata, will be a featured guest. Suerth was a consultant to and part of the HBO mini series "Band of Brothers," has been involved in erecting memorials at each battle site where members of the Company perished, and is president of Easy Company veteran's association.

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Learn how to preserve your family's stories at "Minnesota's Greatest Generation" programs showing at three libraries.  The programs feature short films by amateur and professional filmmakers that were entered into a fall film festival competition at the Minnesota Historical Society.  They document personal stories of World War II and the legacy of people born between 1910 and 1929.  Events on the battlefront and the home front shaped a generation whose bravery and sacrifices resulted in the freedoms enjoyed by millions who followed.  The short films — 10 minutes or less — preserve family and national histories that should be seen by all generations.

Representatives from the Minnesota Historical Society will offer suggestions on how to preserve your own family stories. The programs are cosponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society and the Metropolitan Library Services Agency (MELSA).

November 9, 7 p.m. - "Minnesota's Greatest Generation" at Eden Prairie Library, 565 Prairie Center Dr. , 952-847-5375. The films, "We Could Even See Their Faces" and "Red Tail Reborn," highlight the stories by the first pilot over the Rhine River in WWII and the Tuskegee Airmen.

November 11, 2 p.m. - "Minnesota's Greatest Generation" at Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy. , Brooklyn Center 952-847-5600. The films, "A Sacred Heart" and "Karole Farley: All That Freedom," feature Minnesota poet Phebe Hanson and the early singing career of Karole Farley.

November 15, 7 p.m. - "Minnesota's Greatest Generation" at Southdale Library, 7001 York Ave. S. , Edina 952-847-5900. The films, "A Good Doctor" and "Eiler Hendrickson," provide a snapshot of two different lives -- a doctor and a renowned geologist who came of age during WWII.

Lakeville

November 11 - The City of Lakeville, MN will dedicate it's Veterans Memorial on November 11, 2006 at 11:00 am. The memorial is located at Aronson Park, 8250 202nd St. W., Lakeville, MN. The ceremony will include dignitaries, Lakeville VFW Post 210, American Legion Post 44, Lakeville High School Band, and more.

More information

Melrose

Veterans Day will be observed in Melrose on Monday, Nov. 13 at 10:20 a.m. in the Melrose School Auditorium. Master of ceremonies will be Adam Rushmeyer, and the Melrose Boys and Girls State representatives will participate. Kateri Gruber will give her Voice of Democracy speech. Music will be furnished by the Melrose Area High School Band, and the School Choir directed by Todd Prout and Stephanie Osterberg. Melrose American Legion Post 101 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7050 will advance and retire the colors. The community is invited to attend the program.

A program will also be held at St. Mary's School at 9 a.m. on Monday.

St. Paul

November 10, 8 pm - Jewish War Veterans Posts #162 and #354will sponsor Veterans Day services, 8 pm Friday, Nov. 10 at Temple of Aaron Synagogue, 616 S. Mississippi River Blvd., St. Paul. The speaker will be Clark Dyrud, Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, the State of Minnesota. He will speak on current issues within the state regarding veterans and the military. All veterans and their families, as well as the public are invited to attend. For information, call 651-698-8874.

November 4, 1 pm - Central Library. "Greatest Generation" Films: "Fata Buna" and “From the Mediterranean to Minnesota”.

“Fata Buna” by Derek Bolden documents the life of Ella Motu, matriarch of a Romanian-American family in Minnesota. Her stories take us through a life full of tradition, family and gratitude, all against a societal backdrop of the Great Depression and World War II.

“From the Mediterranean to Minnesota” by Matt Olson & Joe Isaacs chronicles the struggles Marcella Dinon and her family while living in North Africa and Europe during World War II.

More information

November 14, 7 pm - Hayden Heights Library. Greatest Genration Films: Civil Rights and the 1950s.

“Father Bill Goes To War and on to the GI Bill” by Billy Golfus describes Bob Lesch and his experiences in World War II with his two buddies Phil and Dick. He returned home to become an Episcopal Priest and fought another kind of war against poverty and racism.

“I Will Come Back” by Robb Mitchell views Buffalo Soldier Samuel Grant through the eyes of his three sons and a grandson. An African-American combat soldier in World War II Italy, Grant won several medals, and then came home to engage the heroic fight for Civil Rights.

More information

Willmar

November 9 to 11 - Willmar will host a three-day Veterans Day observance on Nov. 9-11 at the Willmar War Memorial Auditorium, 311 Sixth St. SW in Willmar. There will be a display of over 4,000 military items from the Civil War through the present. The display is from the collections of Johnathan Lindstrand and Dale and Sharon Koenen. It is open to the public.
The New Ulm Battery will have its original Civil War Brass Cannon on display. The display will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on those days. There will be an observance program on Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. with patriotic music, readings and a guest speaker, Lt. Col. Alex Plechash, USMC-ret.