THANK YOU, VETERANS & YOUR FAMILIES
for your sacrifices and courage
DALE VONDERHARR US AIR FORCE
CARL HOWARD PETERSON NAVY
CLYDE STREGE WW2 VETERAN USNAVY
CARL KJOS
CLIFFORD ANDREEN NAVY
CARL ARDOFF ARMY
BURTON SUNDBERG
BRUCE A. KLAASSEN ARMY SPEC 5 1968-1971
BURTON MCBROOM MARINES WWII
BRIAN WITTMAN ARMY SP4 229TH SIGNAL CO. PIRMASENS, GERMANY
BURT LUNDBERG ARMY SGT
ARDELL ENGWALL ARMY E-5
ALBERT ARDOFF NAVY
AL WATKINS ARMY
ALEX SUNDBERG
AGNES STRUBE BARTA 1ST LT US ARMY NURSE
ALAN STALEY, SFC U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
STALEY, SSG U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
ADAM
Preserving the history of those who protected freedom
BY SHELBY LINDRUD West Central Tribune
WILLMAR — West central Minnesota has a proud military history and that is portrayed in the various county historical societies and museums across the region. Within their walls are more than 160 years of history, including the stories, artifacts and memories of the men and women who served in uniform.
"We've always had a military display and there will always be one," said Kandiyohi County Historical Society Director Jill Wohnoutka. "It affects everybody. If they haven't served, they know somebody that served and it's part of being part of our county."
Just as they did nationally, times of war had major impacts on the region. The military history of this area started soon after Europeans first started calling it home. The 1860s saw two major military conflicts that required male settlers to don uniforms, pick up their rifles and march to war.
The first was the Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1864. At the Lac qui Parle County History Center in Madison, one can find swords, cannon fragments, spurs and even a medical saw dating back to the Civil War.
"We try to honor every generation of the military," said Lac qui Parle County Historical Society Director Barb Redepenning.
In west central Minnesota, specifically counties including Renville, Kandiyohi and Yellow Medicine, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 brought battle closer to home.
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Above: The Kandiyohi County Historical Society at its museum in Willmar displays military artifacts, uniforms, documents and papers from several conflicts. Historical societies and museums across the region have military exhibits, honoring the service men and women from their area.
Right: The Lac qui Parle County Historical Center in Madison has a large display of military uniforms from different conflicts.
Photos by Shelby Lindrud / West Central Tribune
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"I had to learn that story when I started here, because I'm not from the area. It is always a learning process," said Renville County Historical Society Director Nicole Elzenga. "History can be interesting. People need to realize it's not about dates, it's about the story behind it."
The World Wars were hugely impactful. The draft meant pretty much every family had someone fighting overseas, while life on the home front revolved around the wars.
Since so many historical societies had their start in the years after the World Wars ended, they have healthy collections of uniforms, artifacts and documents from the era. At the Renville County Museum in Morton, there is a collection of World War I gas masks which still have an odor more than a century after they were used.
"World War I is pretty strong," Elzenga said. "You can smell the essence of our exhibit, you can smell the lovely gas masks."
One of the more moving artifacts at the Lac qui Parle County History Center is the telegram announcing the death of a Madison soldier. His parents received the missive only a few days before the armistice, though the soldier had died a few weeks earlier.
"I can't imagine getting that telegram," Redepenning said. "We try to keep it as authentic as possible, to tell the human story."
World War II is also well-represented at historical societies across the region. Some of the most interesting artifacts on display, though, don't have to do with battle. Yellow Medicine County has examples of ration books that households used to purchase food, and in the Lac qui Parle County museum, there is the suitcase of a war bride who traveled to America after marrying her G.I.
"There are some souvenirs that the soldiers would pick up during the war," said Jennifer Disbrow, director of the Yellow Medicine County Historical Society in Granite Falls.
Another unique story is that of the USS Renville. It was an attack transport that saw action in World War II and the wars in Korea and Vietnam. The Renville County Museum has a small display about the ship, including a life preserver.
The wars that followed, Korea and Vietnam, may not be as heavily represented at the historical societies as the World Wars, but the stories are just as important. The Yellow Medicine County Museum has a flight suit from Vietnam and in Lac qui Parle County, the History Center shares the story of a pilot who flew Air Force One for President Dwight Eisenhower.
The historical society directors understand that when it comes to Vietnam, many veterans are still uncomfortable sharing their experiences, but they also want veterans and their families to know the county museums are there if they ever want to share.
"We want to share their stories, there are so many stories," Redepenning said. "They're all heroes. They all have a story."
The museums are also hoping to build collections of uniforms, artifacts and stories from the Middle Eastern wars, including Desert Storm and the 21st-century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While these wars are still fresh in living memory, it is important to preserve the history for future generations.
"They don't realize how important that is, that their military service was important," Elzenga said.
The historical societies depend almost exclusively on donations for their collections, including items with a military history. Without veterans and their families donating these items, the museums couldn't preserve and protect it.
"To preserve the sacrifices that they went through and make sure that it is known for future generations to look back on," said Jake Peterson, museum assistant at the Lac qui Parle County History Center.
U.S.-Dakota
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and Civil
Contributed / Jennifer Disbrow, Yellow Medicine County Historical Society The Yellow Medicine County Historical Society has uniforms, flags, photos and more that tell the military history of the county at the museum in Granite Falls.
Shelby Lindrud / West Central Tribune
War
War artifacts are shown at the Kandiyohi County Historical Society Museum in Willmar.
Celebrating the resilience of military children
Life in the U.S. Armed Forces can be challenging, especially for the youngest members of the nation’s military community: the 1.6 million children of service members. From constant change and uncertainty, to being uprooted every few years and finding their place in a new school with each new location, to their service member parent deploying suddenly for months — or even years — at a time, these realities of military life can take a toll.
“Military children go through many experiences that most children don’t go through,” said military spouse and mother Jessica McLaughlin. “Having to leave their friends and everything they know to move across the world presents a different set of challenges.”
The United Service Organizations (USO) is raising awareness about the specific challenges these so-called “military brats” face, and highlighting the invaluable role they play in the military community.
Military families can find year-round support and entertainment at many of the over 250 USO locations around the globe, where kid-friendly activities are designed to help them make friends with fellow military kids, or bond with their families. When stationed far from everything familiar, be that stateside or in distant locations
overseas, these centers are a home-away-fromhome, where military kids are surrounded by a supportive community and other military children who understand the unique challenges they face. Programs for military children, such as arts and crafts, game nights, cooking classes and scavenger hunts, are designed to offer a little fun so that they can forget, even briefly, the stress of life as a military child.
By age 9, Victoria Hegedusich has lived in California, Maine and Japan, and she’ll most likely move four or five more times before she graduates high school, as military families, on average, move every 2.5 years. Hegedusich and her family are frequent visitors at the USO Yokosuka Center in Japan, where they make use of the free Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, snacks, books and games, as well as take part in events and programs geared specifically to families and children.
“The USO is really fun. I like coming here to do the activities,” Hegedusich said, who has especially loved any events and programs that involve science.
To learn more about the life of military children and discover ways you can help support them, visit www.uso.org.
Military children are resilient, and thanks to programming just for them, they can feel grounded and appreciated, wherever they are.
Contributed / USO Photos
The children of active military members face experiences many of their agemates do not, and there are ways to mitigate some of the challenges that come with that.
BRET KASEL
US ARMY, 13TH PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS BATTALION DEPLOYED TO IRAQ IN 2003 AND 2006 TO 2007
ALEC SCOFIELD
ARMY RESERVES SPECIALIST
ALEC IS A 2013 LITCHFIELD HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE AND A 2018 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GRADUATE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. HE IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE U.S ARMY RESERVE 644TH BRIGADE RSG OUT OF FORT SNELLING.
HERBERT L SHARSTROM
WW2 VETERAN US NAVY SERVED ON THE SHIP/ AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORREGIDOR PACIFIC FLEE. WAS A SEAMAN SECOND CLASS. DATE OF ENTRY INTO ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICE 06-08-1943 THRU DATE OF DISCHARGE APRIL 20, 1946. WORLD WAR II WAS SEPTEMBER 1, 1939SEPTEMBER 2, 1945
MAJOR MICHAEL COOK
US AIR FORCE NATIONAL GUARD FLIGHT NURSE 1994-2018
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY KAY WESTLIE
BLACK & WHITE PICTURE IS OF HER DAD ON DEC. 7, 1945 WHEN HE WAS DISCHARGED. OTHER PICTURES ARE FROM 1991 WHEN HE WAS HONORED IN THE MONTEVIDEO FIESTA DAYS PARADE. 1 IS WITH HIM HOLDING HER TWINS AND THE OTHER IS WITH HER SON ZACH WEARING GRANDPA'S MARINE UNIFORM. HER DAD SERVED IN THE PACIFIC AS A MEDIC FOR 3 YEARS. HE HAD THE NAVY UNIFORM AND THE MARINE UNIFORM.
WILLIAM E. COOK
US AIR FORCE 16 TACTICAL AIRLIFT TRAINING SQUADRON 1968-1972
PRIVATE
EUGENE J. SELL
US ARMY 1ST DIVISION, 26TH INFANTRY REGIMENTSCOUT 1944-1945 STAFF SGT.
SGT. JOSHUA A
FLOYD HODGE
ELWOOD SORENSON NAVY AND ARMY
DOUG ARDOFF NAVY
DENNIS VONDERHARR US ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
ERVIN KALLSTOM ARMY
DAVID KEMP NAVY SUBMARINE SERVICE IC1
DUAINE HIRMAN ARMY 1957
ELARD GILBERTSON ARMY CPL EARL BANKS ARMY
DOUG VONDERHARR US AIR FORCE
DOUGLAS PAUL THOMPSON NAVY E4
DEAN C. LINDQUIST US NAVY DENTAL CORP APRIL 30, 1975April 22, 1977
DAVID AHLQUIST NAVY CLIFFORD SMITH ARMY KOREA DALE HENKELMAN ARMY
DAVID ARDOFF ARMY
CURTIS WOOD AIR FORCE
DARYL BARKER ARMY E-4 SPECIALIST
How to give back to the military community
STATEPOINT
When it comes to a vast operation like the USO, which has more than 250 locations around the globe that serve hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members and their families, volunteers are at the heart of the organization’s mission.
In fact, in 2023 alone, nearly 20,000 USO volunteers at home and abroad contributed more than 1.2 million hours of their time equating to 137 years’ worth of volunteering. Fun fact: Not all the organization’s volunteers are human!
Seventy-six canine volunteers contributed 4,800 hours to supporting service members and their families. Staff say that without their volunteers — human and dog alike — they wouldn’t be able to do what they do.
Whether it’s helping at community events for military spouses, greeting guests at the front desk of an airport center, organizing NFL watch parties for those stationed on the frontlines or simply providing a listening ear to a service member in need, USO volunteers help strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America’s military and their families.
Stories like Alina Wilson’s can serve as inspiration to those interested in giving back to their own community. A USO volunteer and military spouse, Wilson lent her support to the military community of Guam when the island
was devastated by Super Typhoon Mawar in May 2023. Guam is home to 20,000 service members and also several USO staff and volunteers.
At a time when many USO staff members were navigating the damage done to their own homes and dealing with no power or air conditioning in the middle of a hot and humid Guam summer, Wilson leaped into action. She played a huge role in helping the local USO center open its doors to service members and families recovering from the disaster to provide air conditioning, Wi-Fi connectivity, phones to call home, snacks, coffee, and a place of refuge. She went the extra mile every day by arriving early to prepare the center for opening and often stayed late to provide much-needed support.
“It was a devastating storm for the whole community of Guam. We worked really hard at the Tumon USO to get the power back on. We cleaned every day. We got there and tried to prepare the center to open as fast as we could,” Wilson said.
There are countless ways volunteers can support the military community. To find out more or to register to volunteer, visit uso.org/take-action/volunteer.
No matter where you live, or what your skill set is, you can take action that makes a real difference.
and their families.
Wearehonoredtoplayaroleindesigninganddedicating spacestohonortheVeteransinourcommunities.
Contributed / USO Photos USO volunteers help strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America's military
Veterans Rock nears completion at Wilson Park
BY STEPHANIE DICKRELL St. Cloud LIVE
ST. CLOUD — A new monument dedicated to honoring the service of veterans is nearing completion. The Veterans Rock was created by a local nonprofit that recruited Minnesota veterans from each service branch to contribute to painting the rock.
Caroline Stringer, president of the Veterans Rock nonprofit, said the monument should be finished in the next few weeks.
The rock is placed at Wilson Park, near an existing memorial. The new memorial is expected to be dedicated on Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11.
More information
For more about the Veterans Rock project, to learn about each artist and to get updates, visit facebook. com/VeteransRockMN.To donate, mail a check to St. Cloud Stand Down, Attn: Veterans Rock at 724 33rd Ave. N, St. Cloud.
Photos by Stephanie Dickrell / St. Cloud LIVE
The Veterans Rock in St. Cloud, created by a local nonprofit and painted by Minnesota veterans, is shown on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Wilson Park. The monument is expected to be dedicated in November 2024.
The oath people who enter the military take is included on the Veterans Rock. It is shown on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Wilson Park in St. Cloud.
RICHARD SCHROEDER ARMY
RAYMOND SUTTON MARINES
PFC ELLSWORTH BJORK ARMY PFC
ROLAND FROELICH ARMY WWII
RALPH OLSON 1ST SARGENT
PFC GERALD H. OLSON ARMY PFC ALEUTIAN ISLAND CAMPAIGN 1943-1944
RON DRAGT AIR FORCE 1960
RICHARD FERGUSON US NAVY
PHILLIP OLSON NAVY
RON ERICKSON ARMY
ROBERT RIPLEY ARMY
PERRY DRAGT ARMY 1964
MICHAEL BUNDY E-5 UNITED STATES MARINE CORP
PAUL RAMPAART US NAVY EN-3
NATHAN BARTA SSG US ARMY IRAQ AND AFGANISTAN
PETER RAMPAART US ARMY MAJOR
PHIL DRAGT ARMY 1967-1973
PETER "ANDREW" TENSEN US ARMY PFC
MARVIN TURNIPSEED
MATTHEW DINESEN MN NATIONAL GUARD SERGEANT
NORMAN BAKER ARMY
ROONEY
WEARDA ARMY
NAVY
MELVIN
PAUL
MICHAEL BLOCK
JAMES TURNER II WITH PRECIOUS USMC
JIM KLUEGEL ARMY CORP
JOHN DILLEY
JOE KOCH ARMY PFC
JOEL RAWKOWSKI ARMY
JOHN GRUNDSETH
JEROME KOOPMEINERS NATIONAL GUARD
JOHN BARTON
JON ADELMEYER ARMY
JOSEPH M FREESE US ARMY SGT
KEN COMBS AIR FORCE
JUDY SCHULTZ AIR FORCE & ARMY SERGEANT
JOHN TEBRAKE ARMY
JOHN AND GENE HIRMAN KOREAN CONFLICT 1955
JULIE (VONDERHARR) ASMUS US ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
KNUTE GJERDE NAVY
AEIKENS NATIONAL GUARD
VERNON PORTER AIR FORCE
TIMOTHY ROBERT BAILEY ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SPECIALIST E4 1986-1992
WINSEL CHRISTIANSEN WW2 1945-1946
WALLY SJOGREN
SPECIALIST MARIA COOK STEELE US ARMY, THIRD INFANTRY DIVISION 1991-1995
SSG GREGORY C. SCHMIT US ARMY E-6
WALTON J. SWART ARMY SPEC 4
VERNON NORLING ARMY
STAN HIRMAN NAVY 1964
SGT SCOTT BECKLER
ARMY NAT. GUARD 22 YR OF SERVICE DEPLOYED IRAQ 05-06 DEPLOYED IRAQ 05-06
STEVE KVAAL LTC(R), US ARMY
SERGEANT HARVEY WILLPRECHT KOREAN WAR 1950-1952
SGT. 1ST CLASS PETER MIDDLETON PRESENTLY SERVING IN THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE
DEVIN BUNDY
LYLE SIMENSON NAVY AIR LYLE SHOWN ON MIDWAY ISLAND. LYLE WAS A CREW MEMBER ON P.5.M MARLIN SEAPLANE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
RUSSYL EMBERLAND AIR FORCE A/1C 1955-1963
SERGEANT MATTHEW GAUER MINNESOTA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
RONALD LINN ARMY
SGT BRIAN MUNDAHL
SCOTT R. BUTTERFIELD US NAVY E5
AL KLEM
US ARMY 1968 - 1971, SERGEANT E-5 RADIO (MORRIS) CODE OPERATOR, COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF. SERVED 18 MONTHS ALONG THE DMZ IN KOREAWITH THE 2ND INFANTRY DIVISION
SPC
When donations are made, the historical societies try to collect the stories accompanying the artifacts. Without the story, a helmet is just a helmet, but with it, that helmet can come alive. This is why many of the directors urge and advise veterans to think of making donations themselves. They know better than anyone what each item means.
"We'll take it anytime they want to give it to us," Wohnoutka, said. "It is getting the story down, and their dates down. That's the valuable, precious stuff that goes away when they go away."
The county historical societies are also interested in collecting oral histories from veterans. This allows the service members to share their stories in their own words and allows future researchers and visitors to hear those stories in the veteran's own voice.
Veterans from Renville County can fill out the museum's Honor Roll form online or come to the museum, which allows them to share details of their military service. Those who live in other counties should check with the local historical society if they're interested in sharing.
Lac qui Parle and Kandiyohi counties also have extensive collections of oral histories and paper documents from each county's veterans and their families.
The military exhibits are important pieces in historical societies and are usually popular with visitors. They are a way to not only protect, preserve, share and explain the history, but also a way to honor these men and women who served in uniform.
"They fought for us, for freedom," Disbrow said. "Making sure we have this stuff, it is kind of like honoring them in a way, these people who fight and keep us free."
