Today's date: September 10, 2010
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| Honor Flight - Southwest Minnesota Proclamation signed |
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March 4, 2010 |
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Secretary of State Mark Ritchie greeted the many World War II veterans who had traveled to St. Paul on Friday for the signing of the Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota Proclamation. 
Denis Schneider, Avoca, MN, greeted Secretary of State Mark Ritchie as Ritchie shook hands and visited 
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie signed a proclamation on Friday which was issued by Governor Pawlenty that designates the month of March as Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight Initiative Month. | submitted by Margaret Popp |
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I was privileged to be one of 39 pople, including 23 World War II veterans, to make the trip to St. Paul on Friday, february 26. The Honor Flight - Southwest Minnesota was honored with a Proclamation naming March, 2010, as Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight Initiative Month, signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. The signing ceremony took place in the Minnesota State Department meeting room and featured Mark Ritchie, Secretary of State. He spoke to the veterans and the committee members, stating, “I applaud Honor Flight - Southwest Minnesota for their efforts to galvanize their communities in the spirit of service to organize this mission of honor for those who stood on the frontlines of freedom and faced down evil.” The Honor Flight dates were announced as April 30 and May 1, with an itinerary handed out to those attending. The 110 veterans and the 40 guardians accompanying them will be contacted in the next few days. At this time there is a waiting list of at least 37 applicants. The committee anticipates there will be more veterans wanting to apply for Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., so a second Honor Flight will be in the planning. Buttons are being sold to raise some of the funds needed for this Honor Flight, at the cost of $5.00 each. Buttons are available by contacting Butch Kruger at the American Legion/Community Center or at the Fulda Free Press. Approximately $110,000 of the $136,000 that is needed has been raised. Murray County will be having a Veterans Honor Flight 5K Run/Walk event on Saturday, April 17. Watch the paper or listen to the radio for more details. The Honor Flights are being given to our WWII veterans at no cost to them. We honor them by supporting this cause with donations or participating in the events planned around them. Please do your part. They did theirs and more by being willing to serve their country, sometimes at great cost or the ultimate sacrifice. Time and again these veterans are humble enough to say they were only doing what they had to do and giving their praise for the ones on the home front supporting them during those war years. It is 65 years since this greatest of all wars ended, and of the millions who served, there are only thousands left. Most of the veterans taking part in the Honor Flight are now 85 years or older. Many more are physically unable to be on board. Let us not take our freedoms for granted. They are protected for us by the brave men and women serving in our armed forces. Say “Thank You” when you see a veteran from WWII and from any conflict or era because even in peace time they are serving to keep us safe on the “home front”. |
©Fulda Free Press 2010