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Friday, May 25, 2007
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Military men and women to be honored in lakes area
This holiday weekend the Brainerd lakes area will remember and honor the nation's service men and women in a variety of ways through music, speeches and parades as the country observes Memorial Day.
Brainerd
Brainerd's Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Laurel Street bridge. A wreath will be tossed into the Mississippi River in memory of those veterans lost at sea. A prayer will be given by Chaplain Rev. Harold Tongen, the firing of a rifle salute by the American Legion for the Marine Corps and taps being played by Archie Katchie.
There will be a short march to the All Veterans Memorial next to the Crow Wing County Courthouse where a wreath will be placed in honor of all U.S. veterans of the armed forces followed by a prayer from Tongen and taps by Katchie.
In honor of veterans of the Bataan Death March, a brief ceremony will be conducted at the Bataan Memorial, next to the National Guard Armory on Wright Street with the placing of a wreath and a prayer by Tongen.
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A Memorial Day service at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls is planned for 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist
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The Memorial Day parade will begin at 10 a.m., starting with lineup on First Avenue Northeast, proceeding east on D Street to Third Avenue Northeast and then north to Evergreen Cemetery where the final ceremony will be conducted. (In the event of adverse weather, the parade will be canceled and the alternate site for the additional ceremonies will be the Franklin Arts Center auditorium).
Prelude music will be by the Brainerd High School band under the direction of Paul Melby.
Master of ceremonies will be Dick Lyscio. Tongen will give the invocation.
Raising of the American flag with "Salute to the Colors" will be presented by the Brainerd High School band.
Colors will be posted by the Marine Corps and placing of memorial wreaths will be done by representatives of auxiliary units of veterans organizations such as Marine Corps, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Order of Purple Heart, Blue Star Mothers and Daughters of American Revolution.
Greetings will be by Baxter Mayor Darrel Olson, Brainerd Mayor James Wallin and Crow Wing County Board Chair Dewey Tautges.
Alexa Dubal, American Legion Girls State participant, will deliver the Gettysburg Address.
Robert Nelson, representing the Crow Wing County veterans service officer, will give the Memorial Day address.
A selection will be performed by the Brainerd High School band.
Benediction will be given by Tongen.
Retiring of the colors will be performed by area veteran color guards.
Taps, with echo, will be done by the Brainerd High School band buglers.
Baxter
An annual community Memorial Day production - Freedom Celebration - to honor service men and women in America's armed forces is planned Saturday and Sunday in Baxter.
The production uses music, drama, speaking and media presentations to recognize and express appreciation for veterans. In addition, special "hands-on camps" representing service branches will be set up an hour before the program.
The Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard camps will include activities.
The event is 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Heritage Assembly of God Church, 13242 Berrywood Drive, Baxter.
Maj. Mike Pazdernik will speak at the event, which will feature the Fallen Soldier Ceremony. Music includes a song by the children's choir, as well as the main program's music and drama presentations. The event includes personal interviews by soldiers in the lakes area.
Activities in the camps include face-painting, knot-tying and a pull-up bar among other options.
"This is a very moving program put together with the main goal to honor those that gave so much for us," organizers said to describe the event. "We want to take the time to thank and honor all branches of service. The most moving part of the program continues to be when the veterans and soldiers are physically called forward and applauded."
The event is free and open to the public.
Nisswa
The Nisswa American Legion will host a Memorial Day service at noon Monday at the Legion.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty is scheduled to speak. He will fly to the area from St. Paul after the Fort Snelling National Cemetery Memorial Day program.
Keynote speaker in Nisswa will be Air Force four-star Gen. Bruce Carlson. Carlson was born in Hibbing and graduated in 1967 from Brainerd High School. He was commissioned in 1971 after completing the University of Minnesota-Duluth's Air Force ROTC program as a distinguished graduate. Carlson is experienced in multiple aircraft weapon systems with more than 3,000 flying hours in F-4 (Phantom), OV-10 (Bronco), A-10 (Thunderbolt), F-16 (Fighting Falcon), F-111 (Aardvark), EF-111 (Raven), AT-38 (Talon), F-117 (Stealth Fighter) and B-52 (Stratofortress).
He has held various assignments in flying units. Staff assignments have included positions at Tactical Air Command Headquarters U.S. Air Force, offices of the Secretary of the Air Force and Secretary of Defense, and as the director of force structure, resources and assessment with the Joint Staff.
He commanded the Air Force's Stealth Fighter wing, the 49th, at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Before assuming his current position, Carlson served as commander, 8th Air Force, Barksdale, La., and joint functional component commander for space and global strike, U. S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB in Nebraska.
In 1979, he graduated from U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis AFB in Nevada. In 1989, he was a distinguished graduate, master of arts degree, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
At the Memorial Day event, Nisswa Mayor Brian Lehman will honor local veterans, former state Sen. Don Samuelson will honor all veterans and there will be a fly-over by the 148th Air Wing out of Duluth.
Wayne Vold will provide patriotic music. The service will last about 50 minutes.
Other area events include:
Backus
The Backus American Legion will start its Memorial Day services at 10 a.m. Monday at the Backus Cemetery on Highway 371 and at 11 a.m. at Ponto Lake Cemetery, seven miles east of Highway 371 on Cass County Road 87.
Hackensack Area Chamber of Commerce Coordinator and Backus American Legion Auxiliary President Jean Dawson will address both the Backus and Ponto Lake services.
Crosslake-Fifty Lakes
The Crosslake-Fifty Lakes American Legion Post 500 will host a Memorial Day service at 10 a.m. Monday at Pinewood Cemetery in Crosslake honoring veterans.
Crosslake Lutheran Church will host a community observance at 10 a.m. Monday at the Outdoor Worship Center on Daggett Pine Road across from the Crosslake Community Center. Bill Lund, former U.S. Army officer, will be the guest speaker. He is an Edina native and a 1964 graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he played basketball and was in the ROTC program. He was commissioned in the artillery and assigned to the 1st Calvary Division, which became an airmobile division using helicopter mobility and tactics. After training, the division shipped out to Vietnam and he was assigned as an artillery forward observer and attached to the 7th Cav, and infantry battalion in the division. The unit saw much action in the la Drang Valley, scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War and the subject of the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young" and the movie "We Were Soldiers." Lund is one of only a handful of officers who survived.
The celebration will feature music from the church choir, taps and an aerial flyover by the North Star Squadron, a group of fixed wing aircraft. The leader of the squadron, Howard Pihlaja, is adviser to the Civil Air Patrol in Brainerd and a retired Northwest Airlines 747 captain and former Army helicopter pilot.
Veterans from World War II through the present Operation Iraqi Freedom will be honored.
The theme is "continuing search for peace and goodwill among all people." Attendees can stay in their cars and listen to the service over the radio, or sit outside on benches and chairs.
Lund also will speak at an 8:30 a.m. indoor worship service at the church, located on Route 66, in downtown Crosslake.
Hackensack
The Hackensack American Legion will conduct a service at 1 p.m. Sunday at Finley Cemetery. On Memorial Day, the Legion will host a 10 a.m. service at Hillcrest Cemetery.
Jenkins-Pequot Lakes
The Jenkins VFW Post 3839 and Pequot Lakes American Legion Post 49 will host a Memorial Day service at 10 a.m. Monday at Pequot Lakes High School.
After the service, participants will march to the Pequot Lakes cemetery for a military ceremony and then to Sibley Park for a naval ceremony.
Little Falls
A Memorial Day service at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Retired Gen. John W. Vessey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will give the keynote address.
The Richfield Symphonic Band will give an instrumental prelude at 1:30 p.m.
The traditional Parade of Flags will open the formal program at 2 p.m. The public is urged to bring lawn chairs for seating.
All veterans organizations, posts and auxiliary units are invited to carry their colors in the parade. All participants should be at the cemetery by 1:15 p.m. to line up.
Individuals and/or groups may present wreaths during the program. After the program, the Little Falls American Legion Auxiliary will host a reception.
There will be a section for handicapped parking.
The program is sponsored by the Minnesota State Veterans Memorial Association.
The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery is adjacent to Highways 371 and 115, seven miles north of Little Falls.
Pillager
A Memorial Day program will be 10 a.m. Monday at the Pillager High School. Following the program there will be a short service at Wildwood and Gull River cemeteries.
Pine River
The Pine River American Legion will conduct its Memorial Day service at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Pine River dam.
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