veteran’s corner
Tom Krabbenhoft
Recently I wrote about the Minnesota National Guard deploying and the hardships the families are facing. We had a very generous anonymous donor step up to help these families out. Specks Bar in Fargo heard about this and decided to help out too and will be raising funds for the month of May. I’m very excited for what the FM Legion Riders and these donors can do for these families. Thanks Specks!!
The entire month of May is dedicated as Military Appreciation Month.
1 May- Killing of Osama Bin Laden. It is also Loyalty day established 1921. Where loyalty to the US is reaffirmed.
7 May, Fridays before Mothers day annually- Is military spouse appreciation day. Don’t forget the thank you.
8 May- VE day or victory in Europe. It’s the day Germany surrendered in WW2. Can you imagine the collective relief across the US when this was announced?
15 May, third Saturday annually- Armed Forces Day. Is intended to honor all members of the military.
Last Monday of May- Memorial Day. It started after the Civil War to honor the dead of both sides. It has expanded to include all deceased.
There are several ways to help out Veterans during this month.
I would encourage people to join a service organization. AMVETS, The American Legion or the VFW. Even if you have not served you can still join. ALL these organizations do SO much more than Veterans causes. Community outreach is huge with these groups. Especially youth and elderly programs.
Churches- You could reach out to a Veteran in your congregation. After arranging funeral escorts for many Veterans I’ve become acutely aware of many Veterans isolating themselves. The way PTSD is wrongly portrayed in the media as a violent disorder is false. It is a anxiety disorder. A congregation full of worshipping people can be very panic and anxiety provoking. A healthy looking veteran can be as physically incapable of going to church as a 95 year old wheelchair bound congregation member.
Donate time or money. Many groups do wonderful things for veterans and their families.
Contact me for information on anything that you feel you do. 11btwk@gmail.com
Veteran of the week is a friend of mine I served with, Greg Peterson.
Greg and I taught NBC classes yearly. I tease him of the “bummed” cartons of smokes he got from me. He reminded too of when we bumped into each other in the Mideast. Thanks for bringing back some good Greg. It has been a pleasure to see him advance and be successful in the military.
He also won the Balzum Wing Sling, which was held at the American Legion. His wings beat out over 30 other competitors. A post military career may be in the “wings” for Greg.
Submit a Veteran of the week or story idea to me at 11btwk@gmail.com.