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park rapids enterprise | Saturday, November 11, 2023
| VETERAN’S DAY SALUTE | C1
Veterans Day Salute Helicopter pilot Ryan Vredenburg flew in missions around the world Lorie Skarpness Park Rapids Enterprise
Contributed / Ryan Vredenburg
Nevis graduate Ryan Vredenburg said joining the Army was the best decision of his life. His job as a helicopter pilot took him to many different countries. He is finishing his 20-year career with an assignment as a flight instructor.
Ryan Vredenburg, a 2003 graduate of Nevis High School, has traveled extensively in his career with the Army since enlisting in 2005. “I had family members in the military,” he said. “It seemed like a good fit. I was very fortunate that my uncle, Rodney Vredenburg, took me under his wing and gave me an honest walk through about what it would take. You’ve got to have that work ethic. The military can be a challenging life.” After completing basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Vredenburg worked as a helicopter mechanic for seven years before
deciding to become a helicopter pilot. He described flight school as “information by fire hose.” “You get blasted for a year and a half with academics and flying every day,” he said. “Then you come home and do two to three hours of homework to prepare for the next day.” His first four-year assignment as a pilot was with an air assault unit in Fort Riley, Kansas. “Moving personnel and equipment from one spot to an objective within five seconds to a specific coordinate, very detail-oriented,” he said. “It was challenging and fun.”
VREDENBURG: Page C2
Menahga grad embarks on missions through Army Reserves By Shannon Geisen Park Rapids Enterprise
No intention to enlist
She was on her second year of earning her Associates of Arts (AA) Major Julia Harrison Livingston, a degree at a Fergus Falls community 1992 Menahga High School graduate, college when she went to a recruiter’s has been serving in the U.S. Army office with a group of friends. Reserves for 30 years. Simply tagging along, “I had no She has both an engineering and interest whatsoever,” she recalled. paramedic background. No one in her immediate family had Her military career also took her served in the military. on humanitarian missions to Panama But the college tuition benefits and El Salvador. intrigued her. Livingston plans to retire at the end The reserve unit she could join was in nearby Fargo. of this year.
With her AA, she could skip being a private and go straight to PV2. In the Army Reserves, Livingston had more options to travel to other states. Exploring beyond the border of Minnesota appealed to her. So she signed up. Oct. 22 marks three decades since that day.
Paramedic training
At 19 years old, Livingston went to basic training on July 1, 1994 in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
She was part of an all-female unit called the Delta Dogs. It was the last one. Going forward, basic training became co-ed. The goal is to avoid the attention of drill sergeants, she said, “otherwise, you get ‘special’ duties.” Those eight weeks were followed by 12 weeks of special training to become an emergency medical technician. “Originally, I didn’t want to deal with blood. Ever. So now, like a regular
LIVINGSTON: Page C3
MEET OUR HEROES!
Our patient, Ring and his owner Tony Rouillard! Ring spent 3 deployments in Afghanistan as an explosive detection dog in the Military. After that Ring worked alongside his handler, Tony, while both in Washington for the Navy. In January 2019, Ring retired and was adopted by Tony. Thank you both, for your service and commitment to each other and our Country!
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