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Emphasizing the positive Soldiers will tell about the good being done in war zones Staff Writer Brainerd residents have an opportunity to hear about the effectiveness of U.S. military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from soldiers who have served there.
"Operation: Awaken - Citizen's Call to Duty," sponsored by the Central Lakes College Veterans Club and the Minnesota Freedom Council, will be 7 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Central Lakes College gymnasium in Brainerd. The event is open to everyone.
The idea to have soldiers talk about their experiences and the good being done in Iraq and Afghanistan was the brainchild of Dale Walz, former legislator and Baxter police officer.
Walz said his idea was a diamond in the rough until about three weeks ago when he heard Guy Green on 3WI Radio talking about a man who gave a presentation at the Brainerd Public Library.
Green said the man's presentation condemned U.S. military actions in Iraq and said the country was better off under Saddam Hussein than it is now.
"It was a catalyst for us wanting to give the American military the chance to explain their mission, unfiltered through politicians or, pardon my French, the press," Green said. "To have firsthand knowledge from people who were there, who did the mission and experienced the mission. That is an important, the most important, element of the rally."
The event has moved far beyond just being a response to the library presenter's claims, Walz said.
"This is us wanting the truth to be told and for people to recognize the good our soldiers are doing and thanking them and their families they leave behind," Walz said. "The families are as much involved in as the guy going off. They have a lot of hardship here with those guys oversees and this is a tribute to those families as well, in my opinion."
Special guests at the event will include Ret. Lt. Col. Joe Repya and Ret. Gen. John Vessey, a former chairman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff who lives in Garrison.
Featured speakers will be Ret. Lt. Col. Mike Baumann, author of "Adjust Fire;" Baumann's Iraqi interpreter, who was forced to flee Iraq with his family; and Ret. Capt. Jason Meszaros, author of "Interrogation of Morals."
Green, Walz and several others have been working to get the event going. They wanted to hold it as close to Christmas as possible so soldiers who will soon be shifting out will be able to attend with their families.
Walz said he hopes for abig turnout at the event.
"I hope that gymnasium is so full that we crack the plaster on the walls because it's overflowing," Walz said. "I want people to hear the truth about what's going on. That's our main objective, to get the truth out there and show these guys that we care for them."
One rule Walz made was that the event would not be political. He said no politicians past, present or wanna-be will be allowed anywhere near a microphone on Dec. 21, himself included.
What Walz and Green don't want people to do is view this as a pro-war rally but a pro-soldier event. Green said everyone in the world is anti-war, though at times it is a necessity.
"Peace is not merely the absence of war," Green said. "Peace is the foundation by which countries can come together with an understanding."
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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