veteran’s corner

 Tom Krabbenhoft

I hope everyone had a great Easter and enjoyed family and friends.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Minnesota National Guard deploying and how my group the FM Legion Riders went to Detroit Lakes and then to the Fargo Airport to see them depart. I wrote further how we should do what we can for these families, especially the kids of those deployed.

I received a phone call shortly after the paper was printed. A Veteran that served in the 50’s wanted to help. He generously and anonymously donated $5,000 to help these families out. I’ve spoken with my group, National Guard family readiness people, a few other groups and a couple of charities. We’ve began planning to utilize and maximize that wonderful gift. Many ideas have been floated already. One thing we need certainly is gas and food cards to area grocery stores. If anyone has contacts with store/chain management please contact me, 11btwk@gmail.com. We are open to ideas, input or more help how we can most effectively impact these families. Looking forward to seeing and writing about the positive impact this will make.

It’s true what they say, “The pen is mightier than the sword”.

Many thanks for this kind and selfless act and so close to Easter.

Many of us have used the services of Hospice.

In my own experiences. I’ve seen them provide dignity, decency and comfort not only for the dying but the family as well. They offer a very wide range of services.

Hospice of the Red River Valley covers a very large swath of 40,000 square miles and celebrating 40 years.

I’ve recently became aware of a program Hospice of Red River Valley performs for veterans. They have a pinning ceremony where the veteran is recognized for their service. Visiting their website they cater to many Veterans and their family’s needs in the final days of their lives.

For many Veterans military service may not have been the highlight of their life. It was however a BIG part of their life. Thanks Hospice for what you do for not only Veterans but all of us.

They are always looking for volunteers. They especially would like to have more Veterans assist with some of their programs.

Please call them 1-800-237-4629 for more information.

Our Veteran of the week is Curt Lund. He served in Vietnam in 68-69. This is when the Tet Offensive took place. After service he taught Industrial Arts.

At 73 years young he still enjoys hunting and fishing as often as he can.

Thanks for your service Curt.

Nominate a Veteran of the week. Email me at 11btwk@gmail.com.