Veteran’s Corner 

Tom Krabbenhoft

First, a loss of a veteran that left a permanent impact. Bob Stenerson passed away at 94 years young. He shared the name and worked at of one of the oldest businesses in the area Stenerson Lumber. He was an active member of the community in many capacities for years. He spearheaded fund raising efforts for the Hjemkomst Center. Bob served in the Army, stationed at Fort Rucker during the Korean War. We should all strive to be stewards of our community like Bob.
A shout out for International Women’s Day which was on March 8th. I have several outstanding women in my life including the majority of my healthcare providers at the VA. My primary is a NP or Nurse Practioner, and she has a fantastic LPN. Chiropractic and Cardiologist (because I’m up there in years) all women. I’ve had a lot of medical issues and providers over the years. I can honestly say it’s the best care I’ve ever received. I’m grateful for all of them.
I’m very optimistic the stellar care will continue even after 80,000 job cuts. Writing as a former federal employee I’ve seen firsthand some of the overstaffing and waste. The system never adapts rapidly to change.
Recently online you’ll see many experts on Ukraine. If you’ve followed this column for a while I’ve wrote about Ukraine many times, starting immediately after the invasion. People often cite the Budapest Memorandum signed in 94. There were several agreements treaties etc. before. The Belovezha Accords signed in 90, it certified the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Upon seeing the turmoil of Yugoslavia breaking up 15 former Soviet now independent countries signed this agreement. This led to the CIS Commonwealth of Independent States to even more treaties and mutual agreement pacts between individual countries. Truth is there are enough treaties for any flavor.
Digging further back is James Bakers statement to Gorbachev in 90 asked if NATO would keep expanding east and Baker said “not one inch.”
A very informative book published in 2021 by Mary Sarotte. She goes into great detail and covers the complexity of post-Cold War politics.

Send your veteran-related items to me at 11btwk@gmail.com.