WAR

Secrets of a fortress: Inside Litchfield’s GAR Hall

Susan Lunneborg — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:00:00 GMT

LITCHFIELD, Minn. — Visitors to the Grand Army of the Republic Hall in this central Minnesota city are able to step back 140 years thanks to the decision of the Civil War veterans who built it.

The deed for the property, turned over to what was then the village of Litchfield, spelled out that the building was to be preserved and used in a manner that maintained its original purpose — to honor Civil War veterans and preserve their history.

“The building itself is the first GAR hall built in the state,” Meeker County Museum Executive Director Danelle Erickson said in an interview for a story published by the West Central Tribune in 2022. Other Grand Army of the Republic posts formed in the state of Minnesota had gathered in homes or other available spaces.

The Grand Army of the Republic was first organized by Union veterans of the Civil War in 1866 in Illinois. The history published on the website of the Meeker County Museum and GAR Hall states that the organization’s purpose was to "maintain fellowship for the men who fought to preserve the Union and to help widows, orphans, and handicapped veterans."

The Grand Army of the Republic conducted regular meetings and had thousands of posts throughout the United States, along with thousands and thousands of members, according to Erickson. There were close to 300 members of the Litchfield post throughout the years.

The first Grand Army of the Republic post in Litchfield was formed in 1874 but died out with the death of the founder two years later. Another was formed in 1883, and many of the first meetings were in the county courthouse, according to another online history by the museum.

Members of Frank Daggett Post No. 35 decided in March 1885 that they needed their own building, and construction began in May of that year, using cream-colored brick from the local brickyard. The cornerstone was laid by Memorial Day, according to the online history.

The building is described in a 2010 inventory for the State Historic Preservation Office as "reminiscent of a small, medieval fortress” with features that include a central tower, turrets that project above the parapet wall and an inscribed stone with the raised letters “GAR” and the 1885 date.

“It’s very memorable from the outside, that fortress look. It just kind of shows a lot about the men that were here at the time,” Erickson said in the 2022 interview.

The bulk of the work was completed by October of 1885. One of the final things added was a “spectacular, 16-globe chandelier,” according to another online history by the museum.

Today, the Meeker County Historical Society is the caretaker of the GAR Hall. The Meeker County Museum, built in 1961, is attached to the back of the building.

Officially called “Meeker County Museum at the GAR Hall,” it includes a pioneer cabin and exhibits that include artifacts relating to the history of the Dakota people, schools in Meeker County, Minnesotans serving in war, medicine and more.

The two-story museum also houses a research library for genealogy enthusiasts.

In the anteroom of the GAR Hall are Civil War artifacts, including cannons, literature and photos of important players in the war.

The old wooden chairs upon which veterans sat during meetings are set up in the main hall as if ready for a meeting. The altar stands at the front of the room for use by a veteran leading the meeting. Photos of members line the walls, and the decor is original to the time.

The Grand Army of the Republic Hall was added to the National Register of Historical Places on May 21, 1975. The areas of significance for the designation are architecture and social/humanitarian.

When Erickson became museum director, she learned that some local citizens were concerned the history of the GAR Hall was not being maintained in accordance with the deed. Historic documents, including the 1885 deed, were then reviewed to better understand the intentions of the original members who had deeded the building to the city.

Erickson said the goal of all parties involved was the same — preserving the history but just with some “different views on how that was done.” The result of their work was the creation of a handbook detailing the proper care and upkeep of the facility.

The GAR Hall and museum, located at 308 N. Marshall Ave. in Litchfield, are open year-round for walk-in tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

GAR Hall programming includes Civil War roundtables the second Thursday of every month, featuring various speakers throughout the year.

“The Civil War, especially for American history, is pretty much one of the most written about book-wise,” Erickson said in 2022. “Each year there are thousands of books, hundreds at least, on the Civil War. It’s very much a topic that people are interested in, and continue to be interested in.”

For more from our Lakes Country Treasures series, click on the gems in the map below.

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Mall of America features Vietnam War 50-year commemoration exhibit

Mark Wasson — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 22:11:48 GMT

BLOOMINGTON — Chuck Jones was just 18 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1966 before being shipped out to Vietnam.

"I went from high school right into a war zone," he said. "All I knew was my school and playing baseball."

A military brat, he spent his childhood going to whatever base his father was assigned to. It was on one of those bases where a Navy corpsman taught him how to take temperatures and blood pressure.

After an injury that forced him out of baseball, he decided being a medic is what he wanted to do.

"Little did I know about the Vietnam War and how much of a commodity the medics were, but I soon found out," Jones said.

He stayed in country for 11 months before being sent home after he was injured by shrapnel for the third time.

"I have scars in my arms but I was very fortunate," he said. "I have worse mental wounds than anything else."

Jones, a Purple Heart recipient, is taking part in a rolling 50-year commemoration of the Vietnam War. The war saw its first U.S. advisors in 1950, then a gradual buildup until combat forces were deployed to South Vietnam in 1965. The war officially ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon, leaving 58,220 U.S. military personnel and about half a million North Vietnamese aligned forces and an equal number of civilians dead in its wake.

The three-day event is taking place at the Mall of America and features objects from the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Riley, near Brainerd. The event goes through Saturday.

Gov. Tim Walz and a host of other speakers are expected to deliver remarks during the event.

"It's a period of history that a lot of people would rather forget but we can't forget, said Brad Lindsay, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. "We had about 94,000 veterans in the state of Minnesota that served during that era and we want to make sure that their sacrifices aren't forgotten."

The event is part of a 13-year commemoration period established under President Barack Obama in 2012. That period will end on Nov. 11, 2025.

Almost 57 years after he returned home, Jones reflected on his time in Vietnam.

"I had no concept of war. One day I was eating steak in a steak house and two days later, I was over in a jungle getting shot at by people that I didn't know who they were or why we were even shooting at them," he said. "It's kinda like today, same things going on, only in different parts of the world."

When he got back to the States, Jones embarked on an impressive medical career, eventually landing a position with the Minnesota Vikings to do MRIs for the team. He's staffed two Super Bowls and four NCAA Championships.

Jones, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, wants younger generations to talk to veterans about their experiences.

"The war is still inside," he said, pointing to his head and adding that to him, it was a "goofy" war. "I had no clue about it until I was there."

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Refusal of World War I military service led to Hutterite brothers’ deaths at Fort Leavenworth

Erik Kaufman — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:15:00 GMT

FREEMAN, S.D. — Some estimates state that 20 million people, both soldiers and civilians, died during World War I.

Among those were Michael and Joseph Hofer, a pair of brothers from near Alexandria in Hanson County in South Dakota. But the two did not die on the front lines of battle.

The two died while in the custody of the United States military, which had court martialled them after they refused to be drafted into military service during World War I. As Hutterites, the two lived at Rockport Colony, came from a pacifist religious tradition and refused any military service, a position that the government, at the time, did not accept easily.

“It had to be a horribly frightening time,” Norman Hofer, a retired farmer from Freeman, South Dakota, who serves as an expert on local Hutterite and Mennonite history, told the Mitchell Republic in a recent interview. “It’s a sad story and yet it’s also a story of a people whose country can be extremely forgiving.”

Now 86, Hofer grew up with the story of the two brothers and their reluctant term in military service. Over the years he has given presentations on the brothers and general Mennonite and Hutterite history, and the story has also been chronicled by others in texts such as “Pacifists In Chains — The Persecution of Hutterites During the Great War” by Duane C.S. Stoltzfus, “The Prairie People — Forgotten Anabaptists” by Rod Janzen and “Hutterite CO’s in World War One,” edited by Patrick Murphy. Letters home from the men and the accounts of David Hofer, the surviving brother, also gave narrative to the experiences of the men.

Hofer has a personal connection to the story. His grandfather was a first cousin to the two brothers, who died in 1918 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after they had also spent time at the infamous Alcatraz prison in San Francisco when it was still being used as a military prison. Military representatives said they died of illness during their incarceration, but many of their fellow followers believed they were treated poorly due to being conscientious objectors and died as a result of injuries received at the hands of guards at the prison.

The story is now well over 100 years old, and Hofer said it is still recounted in some historical and religious circles. But the roots of the issue at hand — the Hutterites refusal to bear arms — dates back further than that.

A stop in Russia

Hutterites were part of a larger immigrant group that had their origins in German-speaking parts of Europe. Like many others, those who made up the group moved from their home countries to Russia at the behest of Catherine the Great, who ruled as empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She was hoping to entice German-speaking peoples to populate the Russian prairie and boost the culture and the economy.

“She was not Russian, she was German. A German princess married a Russian prince, and when the old folks die they end up being emperor and empress,” Hofer said. “He’s a wimp, and she's an outspoken driver and she’s going to be the queen.”

People of many denominations flocked to Russia and the promises made by Catherine the Great. That included land to work that they could eventually own. They could be a part of and practice whichever religious denomination they chose as long as they did not try to proselytize each other. And they could freely choose their occupation, forgoing the old apprenticeship model of their previous countries.

But one particular promise stood out to them.

“And the frosting on top of the cake — you will never serve in the Russian army. It was a big one for the pacifist Hutterites and Mennonites,” Hofer said.

About a century later, the political winds began to change. The death of Catherine the Great left those German-speaking immigrants without their major supporter, and with that came mandates that they would have to learn the Russian language as well as eventually serve in the Russian military.

Groups of scouts were sent to the Great Plains of the United States to evaluate land, where Mennonites and Hutterites soon settled in waves. Some chose to live communally in colonies, as many still do today around South Dakota and North Dakota, as well as Canada and other places. Others preferred to live on individual farms and make their own way in the world outside of communal living. Hofer is a descendant of those who chose to live on their own outside the colony.

But the pacifist traditions of the Hutterites and Mennonites remained. And that became a serious issue during World War I.

Dying for their principles

Michael and Joseph Hofer, along with their brother David Hofer and a brother-in-law Jacob Wipf, all from Rockport Colony, were conscripted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War I. It was exactly what they had left Russia to avoid, but now that possibility was here in their new home, and they were put in a difficult position.

They explained to Army officials their faith barred them from taking the life of another person or wearing the clothing of someone who does. It made no difference. Their refusal earned them 20 years of hard labor, starting at the Alcatraz United States Military Prison in San Francisco.

There they suffered in harsh conditions. According to historians, they developed rashes and had difficulty fighting off insects because their hands were chained on bars above their heads, which lifted them up on the tips of their toes. They suffered beatings, and one account indicated one of the brothers being rendered unconscious.

The four were eventually transferred to the Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks in Kansas, where Michael and Joseph Hofer both died a few days apart in 1928. The official cause of their death was attributed to illness, but family members and fellow colony members highly suspected that the harsh treatment and conditions of their imprisonment were the true culprits behind their passing.

On top of it, when the family of the dead arrived to claim the bodies, they discovered that both had been dressed in a U.S. Army uniform, which some considered a direct affront to their beliefs and wishes.

Hofer recalled an old-timer from the area who had attended the funerals at Rockport Colony.

“He was a little boy when that happened, and that was such a big funeral that it was almost dark by the time the procession got to the cemetery because it was swamped with colony people and all the rest,” Hofer said. “As they were there in the cemetery, they looked over the valley and could see the bridge where it crosses the James River. He heard the wagon cross the bridge planks carrying the body of the second brother.”

The deaths of the Hutterites were not overly publicized, although it was picked up in a handful of publications, including newspapers in Fargo, Oklahoma and in Canada.

The death of the brothers occurred around the time of a growing exodus of Hutterites out of South Dakota, though Hofer said the brothers’ deaths were not really a motivating factor in their departure, as concerns had been brewing for some time prior. Many South Dakota colonies at the time moved wholesale to Canada, where they were not subjected to the whims of the United States military complex.

This included Rockport Colony, which is now occupied by a different sect of Hutterites than the one that counted the Hofer brothers as members.

Change and aftermath

While Hofer laments the position the brothers were in and their fate – as a Mennonite he himself is a conscientious objector – he empathizes with the United States government officials who clearly did not know how to handle the delicate situation.

“Among my Hutterite friends, they love to lambast the Army and the U.S. government. But hey, just a minute, they were dealing with something they had never really had to deal with. We had had an exemption for 100 years in Russia, so this was something new. What were they supposed to do?” Hofer said. “I’m totally convinced that after World War I was over and World War II came along, (the U.S. government) said they weren’t going to repeat what happened in World War I.”

With the arrival of World War II about two decades later, the United States government established the Civilian Public Service organization, an option for conscientious objectors to fulfill their service obligations through civilian programs. Those opting for service with CPS made significant contributions to the national good in the areas of forest fire prevention, erosion and flood control and medical science as well as reform of the mental health system.

Pacifists generally embraced the new program, Hofer said, particularly the option to address the mental health crisis occurring in the country at the time. That aspect of service became a tradition among Mennonites in the decades that followed, with the religious group establishing several mental health hospitals in the United States. The program even drew pacifist women volunteers that were not subject to the military draft.

They only wished to avoid military service and for the most part were more than willing to go to work for the betterment of their fellow citizens, especially when other young men were required to serve in the military.

“I don’t think it's fair if my neighbor’s boys are dying in a foreign battle and that my son should sit at home. There has to be something, even if you can’t pick up a gun. You can still serve time,” Hofer said.

Conscientious objectors today are guided through the Selective Service System, which attempts to match them with local employers. Many types of jobs are theoretically available, though jobs must be deemed to make a meaningful contribution to the maintenance of national health, safety and interest. Those jobs include placements in the areas of conservation, caring for the very young or old, education and health care.

The length of service in the program would usually be about 24 months.

In addition to the establishment of alternative programs for conscientious objectors following World War I, the government made overtures of reconciliation toward Hutterites who had left the country to avoid conscription. Those who had left were welcome to return with no penalties to be handed out. Hofer said he knows of no trials held for Hutterites who left for Canada to avoid the draft.

That was the action of a government admitting it wished it had handled things differently, Hofer said.

“It’s so easy to say the military and U.S. government was wrong and that they were all sinful. No!” Hofer said. “It changed a lot. It changed us and it changed them, too.”

Today, the story of the Hofer brothers and their fellow conscripts is well-known among various Hutterite, Mennonite and pacifist groups, Hofer said. The Hutterite group that occupied Rockport Colony in 1918 long ago left to relocate to Canada, with another group having since moved into the former location, but the brothers are still remembered for their perseverance of faith.

Hofer said if nothing else, the United States government coming up with a true alternative program to military service is a powerful legacy left by Michael and Joseph Hofer, the Hutterites and their Mennonite neighbors.

“Nobody. The military, the Mennonites, the government, the court system. Nobody wanted to repeat that,” Hofer said. “To have someone who says ‘no, I’m not going to go’ and then to be forgiving enough that a few months later when the war is over to say ‘come back and continue your life’ (is significant),” Hofer said. “They said ‘look, we’re not going to do this again,’ and were willing to come up with a program.”

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WATCH HERE: Look back at as Honor Flight veterans from WWII, Korea and Vietnam build unexpected connections

Tracy Briggs — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 11:04:00 GMT

FARGO — No doubt many of you know about Honor Flight. Some of you have flown on trips to Washington, D.C., as an honored veteran or with a loved one who is. Maybe you volunteered or worked on the medical staff or with the media.

But the new documentary “Bridging Generations — Honor Flight from WWII to Korea and Vietnam,” is shedding new light on one element of the trips (established nationwide in 2005 to honor veterans with a free trip to the nation’s capital) that still brings a tear to my eye.

I’ve been talking about Honor Flight since I started working on the WDAY World War II Honor Flight project back in the fall of 2006. I’ve done countless speeches to service groups and schools and talked way too much about it to anyone who might happen to bring it up as we pass in the frozen food aisle of the grocery store. (I can only imagine how much ice cream melted in shopping carts as I waxed eloquent about the project I love, while some poor soul tried to get away from me).

I’ve watched as WDAY-TV has done award-winning news stories and documentaries on the local flights, now called Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota/Minnesota. Forum Communications also put together a 10-year anniversary book in 2017. So on this Veterans Day 2023, you might think there is nothing new to be said.

I disagree. And rather than risk any more drawn-out conversations and melted ice cream I’ll explain why here.

It involves one intriguing aspect of Honor Flight — an unexpected one for many of us who’ve worked on the project — that hasn’t been talked about in great detail.

The story that still gives me chills

It starts with a story from an early flight in 2007. I get chills every time I tell it.

A man came up to me in the airport in Washington D.C. as we were waiting to get back on the plane to Fargo after one of our trips. He was on the trip as an escort for his dad, a WWII veteran, and was himself a Vietnam veteran.

He proceeded to tell me that while he and his father had a good relationship, they never spoke to each other about their time serving in their respective wars. He told me he felt he had to protect his dad from hearing about the horrors he faced, and his father was probably doing the same in trying to protect him.

But as they walked through the memorials that day, from the expanse of the World War II Memorial, alongside the lifelike statues of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and past the 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, something started to happen.

Their internal walls started to come down.

The man told me, with tears in his eyes, that he and his father started to talk about their respective war experiences. At first, they were tentative as they began to share stories of how scared they were, the bloodshed they witnessed and the friends they lost. As the conversation continued, they went deeper unveiling what had been hidden for so many years.

I’ll never forget what he said next.

“It turns out we had eerily similar experiences,” he said as he looked down and shook his head.

He told me until that day they had never talked so openly. The man said he couldn’t help but think of the years wasted when they could have been there to support each other when the nightmares got too real, but at least they connected now before it was too late.

This wasn’t the only story I heard like this. One daughter told me a few years after she flew with her dad that the last years of his life were the best. He was less guarded, more open and happier — the trip being the catalyst for emotional healing.

Others have written that their veteran mothers and fathers who went on the trip chose to be buried in their Honor Flight shirts or jackets.

Family bonds

When National Honor Flight kicked off its trips shortly after the construction of the World War II Memorial in 2004 and as WDAY (now Veterans Honor Flight) got on board in late 2006, I think those of us planning the trips expected a few things to happen.

We knew veterans might tell us they didn’t deserve the accolades they were getting (they did). We suspected that they’d enjoy time spent reminiscing about their time in the service with other veterans and that seeing some of the memorials might stir up some strong emotions, both good and bad.

But I never expected to see how Honor Flight was helping build family bonds — deepening the connection between fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who were learning more about one another while pushing wheelchairs or taking photos.

When I stepped away from Honor Flight in 2017, Veterans Honor Flight was busy taking both WWII and Korean War veterans on the trips. Vietnam veterans were still waiting for their turn. I asked the group’s leader Jane Matejcek to give me a call when Vietnam veterans started making up the majority of their travelers. After all, they deserved the same coverage we gave to the WWII and Korean War veterans when they started taking their local trips in 2007 and 2015.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed that call. But it came in the late summer of 2022. Jane and the rest of the board let videographer Ezra Van Den Einde and I come along on the next three trips to try and tell the story, not just about the Vietnam veterans being the newest travelers on the flights, but how for some, life had come full circle.

One of them was Paul Everson, a Vietnam veteran from Greenbush, Minnesota, who helped his WWII veteran father Jeff Everson on a flight in 2007. This time around, Paul was the honored vet who asked his son, Todd, who served in Iraq and Bosnia, to join him on the trip in September of 2022. It was moving to see a second generation sharing stories and memories together. Paul and Todd said Jeff was always in their thoughts.

We also profiled a delightful 94-year-old Bismarck man named Johnny Nagel who, as a newly drafted soldier back in 1952, had plans to meet up with a hometown buddy, George Jangula, after he realized they were stationed just a mile apart in Korea. They made a date for a Saturday but George didn’t show up. He was killed on Friday. Johnny, together with his son, set out to honor George at the Korean Memorial.

We also spoke with Russ Stabler of Hunter, North Dakota. He didn’t bring a loved one on the trip, but said he came to the wall to remember his Vietnam brothers who couldn’t be there.

As Honor Flights inch closer to their 20th anniversary in 2025 and the travelers keep changing, the stories might too. On this Veterans Day, I hope you’ll take a half-hour to honor and remember these WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans who’ve taken the trips over the last few years and perhaps dream about what’s next for generations of veterans to come.

How to watch

“Bridging Generations — Honor Flight from WWII to Korea and Vietnam” will be televised at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, on WDAY Xtra. This will not be on WDAY-TV’s main channel.

Find WDAY Xtra on the following cable channels:

Midco in eastern North Dakota: Channel 596 Midco in western North Dakota: Channel 594 Sparklight: Channel 1096 For other cable providers, check local channel listings

DirecTV and Dish Network do not carry WDAY Xtra. Utilize another method to view the documentary.

Streaming:

The program will also be streamed online at InForum.com/WDAYPlus, or you can download the WDAY+ app on your cell phone or smart TV.

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Finland's NATO membership celebrated at FinnFest 2023

Jennifer Kotila — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 11:44:00 GMT

DULUTH — It was an overflow crowd for the keynote panel on Finland, the United States and European and American Security at last week's 40th annual FinnFest.

FinnFest attendees were aware that Finnish Ambassador to the U.S. Mikko Hautala and Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, a retired four-star general with the U.S. Air Force and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (2013-2016), were speakers on the panel and retired U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson was the moderator.

They did not know that the “member of United States Congress” on the panel was U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar until she walked onto the stage with the other panelists.

The main focus of the panel was what Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty in April of 2023 meant for European and American security in relation to Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. The panel took place July 28 in the Lake Superior Ballroom at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

FinnFest is an annual gathering of Finnish Americans and others interested in Finnish culture and heritage. It includes educational workshops on culture and history, musical performances, Finnish film presentations and the Tori marketplace and pop-up cafe featuring Finnish food.

Before becoming the Finnish ambassador to the U.S., Hautala was the Finnish ambassador to Russia from 2016-2020.

“His insight will not only be helpful for you today, but also helped all the Nordic countries and our country as we debated and dealt with the important issue of Finland and Sweden getting into NATO,” Klobuchar, D-Minn., said.

Sweden has not yet entered NATO, but Klobuchar said a vote is expected to take place this fall.

Breedlove spent much of his career in Europe and said he worked to forward NATO and Finland.

“I first stood on the inner-German border in 1983 as Captain Breedlove of the U.S. Army,” he said. “I served thereafter seven times in Europe, in the Air Forces of this nation and also all the nations of NATO as ... Supreme Commander. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this great country joining our Alliance, and we’ve been growing stronger together.”

Klobuchar was introduced by Wilson as a bipartisan, results-oriented leader in Congress for the accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty, the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and many other foreign security and domestic issues.

Klobuchar informed the crowd that she woke up in Washington, D.C., that morning after voting the night of July 27 on the defense bill, which passed with bipartisan support in an 86-11 vote. The bill included funding for NATO and Ukraine.

Noting she had visited Ukraine in August 2022 and witnessed the “incredible resolve in the Ukrainian people,” Klobuchar said, “So much of (that resolve) was the leadership of our country and President Biden and both Democrats and Republicans, which is very key to all of this, standing together in Washington to this day, with that vote last night, and saying that we stand with democracies, we stand with Ukraine, and part of this was the importance of Finland and Sweden being part of NATO.”

Klobuchar also recalled the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the world as he stood on the streets of Kiev on the night of the Russian invasion, saying three simple words, “We are here.”

“What you now have seen from America, from Finland, from our NATO allies, is a call that I also think (Russian President) Vladmir Putin did not expect,” she said. “We are here, too, and we are here with democracy.”

Hautala noted that he spent part of the day July 27 with the Ukrainian community in the Twin Cities, some of whom were refugees arriving in the U.S. last year after the invasion.

“The basic message I got from them, in those hours I spent with them, was an undefeated spirit to not only survive but also succeed and build a better Ukraine,” he said, noting a special connection between Finland and Ukraine based on their history with Russia. “We do realize what it means when Russia invades your country illegally, tries to subjugate you, tries to take your territories and there’s horrible violence involved.”

Finland’s history with Russian invasion includes the Winter War, which lasted from November 1939 to March 1940, with Finland losing 800 men a day during the peak of the fighting, according to Hautala. Finland’s population at the time was 4 million people.

“This is something that brings, mentally, the Finns and the Ukrainians together,” Hautala said. “They also seek strength from our story. They see that we survived, we managed to build a new Finland, and, after all those decades, we are part of NATO. But, not less meaningful, we are six times in a row the happiest nation on Earth.”

Finland’s accession to NATO

Hautala explained there were two triggers that drove Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after decades of independence from a military alliance, the first of which was Putin’s demands to the U.S. in early December of 2021 that NATO not allow any additional countries to join the alliance.

“We concluded that, if this kind of an arrangement becomes a fact, it would permanently mean that we are left in a gray zone with the Russians, waiting on what their subsequent design could be,” he said. “That was impossible for us really to accept, because our principle has always been that we may join and we may apply, and Russians were trying to take that possibility away from us.”

While Finland and the U.S. have been strong partners for about three decades and Finland has worked closely with the alliance for about 20 years, according to Hautala, it was the “brutal attack” on Ukraine that finally drove Finland and Sweden to apply for "accession," the formal process to become a party to the treaty and a NATO member.

“(Finnish) President (Sauli) Niinisto said publicly the very morning of the attack that now the masks are off, we can only see the cold face of war,” Hautala said, noting it was a wakeup call for Finland’s population that it had to join the alliance soon.

“As the General knows, what happened with Ukraine kind of woke people up, not only from the pandemic malaise, but also just from this long slumber of not realizing how valuable it was to keep our friends close,” Klobuchar said.

The accession of Finland, and soon, Sweden is “bringing all the Nordics for the first time in history ... to the same alliance,” Hautala said. “This will have profound meaning, not only for Finland, but for all the Nordics, including NATO and defense of northern Europe — NATO’s northern flank.”

The U.S. Senate voted 95-1 to allow Finland to join, and Klobuchar told the story of receiving a thank-you note from President Niinisto for her speech on the Senate floor. She cast her vote following the only senator who voted no.

“What I said that day is still true today, that Finland is a stellar example of a country that looks beyond its borders, it has a commitment to peace and stability, it’s an economic powerhouse, it has a sophisticated reserve force of 900,000 strong,” she said, noting that she also addressed her “no vote” colleague, saying, “Perhaps the senator from Missouri has never visited the country of Finland. Perhaps he is not aware of all the technical advances and all the prowess that they would bring to NATO.”

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Before there were American Legions or VFWs, Civil War veterans built this place in Minnesota

Jennifer Kotila — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 19:30:00 GMT

LITCHFIELD, Minn. — Since its construction in 1885 by the Grand Army of the Republic veterans, GAR Hall in Litchfield, Minnesota, remains the same as it was when being used by the Civil War veterans who built it as a place to gather, connect and socialize.

“The building itself is the first GAR hall built in the state,” said GAR Hall and Meeker County Museum Executive Director Danelle Erickson. While there were other posts and groups throughout the state, they would use pre-existing buildings or gather in homes. “It’s kind of almost a precursor to the VFW, American Legion, that kind of thing. It was kind of a way for the soldiers to stay connected.”

Currently, Erickson and the Meeker County Historical Society are waiting to hear if GAR Hall will be granted National Landmark status; it is already on the National Register of Historic Places. There are only 25 National Landmarks in Minnesota.

Today, there is only one other GAR Hall still in existence in the state, Erickson said. “So, it’s kind of the first and the last in a way,” she said of GAR Hall in Litchfield. The other remaining hall is located in Mower County.

The Grand Army of the Republic held regular meetings and had thousands of posts throughout the United States, along with thousands and thousands of members, according to Erickson. There were close to 300 members throughout the years at the Litchfield hall.

“It’s very memorable from the outside, that fortress look. It just kind of shows a lot about the men that were here at the time,” Erickson said about the design of the brick building.

“Another thing unique about this building here is those men all knew they weren’t going to live forever, so as soon as they built it and dedicated it, they then turned it over to the Village of Litchfield,” she said, noting the city had yet to be incorporated. “When the men were done using this after they had passed away or whatever, that then the city would take over and kind of become caretakers.”

And the reason you step back in time to the late 1800s and early 1900s when stepping through the front entrance is because the deed for the property specifically spelled out that the building was to be preserved and used in a manner that maintained its original purpose — to honor the Civil War veterans and preserve their history.

The old wooden chairs upon which those veterans sat during meetings are set up as if there will be a meeting tonight. The altar stands at the front of the room, waiting for whoever is going to lead the meeting. The photos that line the walls are of the members of the hall. The decor is original to the time.

Today, the Meeker County Historical Society is the caretaker. The Meeker County Museum is attached to the back of the building, and was built in 1961.

The Meeker County Museum is two stories of artifacts from the early pioneers. It contains a cabin from Acton Township and the items the family that lived in the cabin used, as well as Dakota Native American artifacts. Also on display are military artifacts from the wars in which the U.S. took part from World War I forward.

In the anteroom of GAR Hall are Civil War artifacts, including cannons, literature and photos of important players in the war.

While some of the men honored at GAR Hall were local to the area prior to the Civil War, many came to Litchfield and Meeker County following the war.

In 2021, prior to Erickson becoming executive director, there was a group of local citizens who were concerned the history of the building was not being maintained in accordance with the deed.

“I came in on the end of it and kind of gathered bits and pieces here,” Erickson said. “The people that were concerned, we met with them, and really, our goal is the same — to preserve the history. Just kind of different views on how that was done.”

Coming in as the new director, Erickson and the group pulled out the historic documents, including the 1885 deed, to really understand the intentions of the original members when they deeded the building to the city.

There is now a handbook so everybody is on the same page regarding the care and upkeep of the facility.

Programming at GAR Hall includes Civil War roundtables the second Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m., with different speakers throughout the year.

“The Civil War, especially for American history, is pretty much one of the most written about book-wise,” Erickson commented. “Each year there are thousands of books, hundreds at least, on the Civil War. It’s very much a topic that people are interested in, and continue to be interested in.”

GAR Hall and Meeker County Museum are located at 308 North Marshall Avenue, Litchfield, and are open year-round from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

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The first American killed in the Vietnam War was born in Minnesota and died watching a movie

Tracy Briggs — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 18:33:00 GMT

FARGO — Chester “Chet” Ovnand certainly had nothing to prove. In 1958 at the age of 44, he had retired from the U.S. Army after proudly serving in both World War II and Korea. He was living a comfortable life in Copperas Cove, Texas, when something called to him from Vietnam.

Before he was a Texas man, Chet was the Minnesota-born son of a Norwegian-born carpenter. Perhaps it was his Scandinavian sense of responsibility, but Ovnand had to be part of the fight. It would eventually lead to tragic consequences but also his place in history as the first American casualty of the Vietnam War.

While some middle-aged men decided Vietnam was a young man's battle, Ovnand opted to rejoin the army. He was assigned to an eight-man American Military Assistance Advisory Group sent to train South Vietnamese troops. He was stationed at a base camp in Bien Hoa, 20 miles northeast of Saigon, where trouble was brewing.

In a 1984 interview with People magazine, his wife Mildred said despite her husband voluntarily serving in Vietnam, he was still homesick and looking forward to coming home soon. With every letter he wrote to her, he would count down the days.

On July 8, 1959, with 115 days left in his deployment, Ovnand dropped a letter in the mess-hall mailbox. It would be his last.

According to a TIME magazine report from that night, after mailing the letter, Ovnand and five others sat down in the gray stucco mess hall to watch a movie — “The Tattered Dress" starring Jeanne Crain. They set up the home movie projector and settled in for a night that, perhaps, made them feel a little closer to home.

But they’d only make it to intermission.

“While they were absorbed in the first reel, six Communist terrorists (who obviously had cased the place well) crept out of the darkness and surrounded the mess hall. Two positioned a French MAT submachine gun in the rear window, two pushed gun muzzles through the pantry screen, the other two went to the front of the building to cover the Vietnamese guard. When Sgt. Ovnand snapped on the lights to change the first reel, the terrorists opened fire,” according to TIME.

When Sergeant Ovnand snapped on the lights to change the first reel, the terrorists opened fire.

Ovnand and Maj. Dale Buis of Imperial Beach, California, fell and died within minutes of each other and became the first U.S. soldiers to die in combat in Vietnam. (It's not clear who died first, so they are both credited as "the first.") Capt. Howard Boston of Blairsburg, Iowa, was seriously wounded, and two Vietnamese guards were killed. Within minutes Vietnamese troops arrived, but the rest of the assassins had already fled. Maj. Jack Hellet of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, escaped without injury. Two other officers in the unit were also safe, having chosen that night to play tennis on the base instead of watching the movie.

Who was Chester Ovnand?

While official military records of Ovnand list his home state as Texas, Ovnand began life in Minnesota. He was born to Engebret “Bert” and Mable Ovnand in Thief River Falls. When Chester was 6-years-old, in 1920, the family, which now included younger sister Furleigh, moved to Adams, North Dakota, where Bert worked as a carpenter.

Following his parents' divorce, Ovnand and his sister moved to Mankato, Minnesota, with their mother who, by 1930, had remarried. In 1937, Ovnand married Catherine Reynard. The couple would later divorce.

When WWII broke out, Ovnand was working in retail. He enlisted in Milwaukee in 1942. Following his service from 1942 to 1945, he later served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.

During his time in the service and after his death in Vietnam, Ovnand received several commendations and medals including the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Gallantry Cross and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

A street in Fort Hood, Texas, was also renamed Ovnand Boulevard.

All of it served as little consolation to his wife who learned about her husband’s death while sipping coffee and watching the "Today" show.

"I miss him every day," she told People magazine. "I just regret the whole damn war. I hated every minute of it."

Mildred died in 1987, just five years after her husband had the distinction of being just the second name, of 58,000 total, inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Buis is the first because names are listed first according to chronological date of death and next alphabetically. However, Ovnand’s name is actually inscribed twice on the wall because it is misspelled on the first panel. Authorities remedied the mistake, by inscribing it on a later panel.

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World War II pilot from Minnesota buried with full honors Saturday in France

Linda Vanderwerf — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 22:40:59 GMT

BENSON, Minn. — U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William J. McGowan, of Benson, was buried with full military honors Saturday in France, 78 years after his plane was shot down on D-Day in Normandy, France.

McGowan’s family members traveled to the Normandy American Cemetery in France for the burial. The cemetery is the burial site of more than 9,300 men and women who died while serving their country.

McGowan, 23 when he died, was buried about 350 miles away from his uncle and namesake who died during World War I and is buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.

Speaking on behalf of the family, McGowan’s nephew Paul Stouffer said during the service that they chose to have him buried in France without hesitation.

“His remains were meant to be here in Normandy,” Stouffer said.

While there were many days of grief and questions for his parents and family while McGowan remained missing all those years, Stouffer said, “When it came to Normandy, they were comforted. We feel that they would also be comforted knowing that their son and brother is buried here.”

He concluded: “Thank you to the American Battle Monuments Commission for allowing one more amazing young man to join these other extraordinary young men and women at this beautiful memorial. You are not forgotten.”

The P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft McGowan was flying was shot down and crashed near the French city of Saint-Lô, in a field near the village of Moon-sur-Elle, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Witnesses told the American Graves Registration Command in 1947 that the aircraft had burned for more than a full day and was deeply embedded in the ground. A recovery team removed aircraft wreckage, but searchers did not find McGowan’s remains.

As a result, his remains were declared non-recoverable, and his name became a part of the Wall of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery.

In 2010, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command traveled to Moon-sur-Elle to interview witnesses and survey the crash site. During the survey, the team found numerous pieces of aircraft debris and recommended excavation of the site.

The site was excavated in July and August 2018, and possible remains were found. McGowan’s remains were identified in May 2019.

When McGowan was buried, a bronze rosette was placed next to his name on the Wall of the Missing to show that his remains had been found.

”It is the American Battle Monuments Commission’s mission to care for those individuals who gave their lives in service to our nation, no matter how many years have passed since they made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Scott Desjardins, Normandy American Cemetery superintendent.

“It is our solemn honor to provide Lt. McGowan a final resting place among those he served beside,” he said. “It is a privilege to be able to honor his service, achievement and sacrifice, as well as all those who have given so much in the name of freedom.”

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently, there are 72,639 service members still unaccounted for from World War II, with approximately 30,000 assessed as possibly recoverable.

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Russians close in on east Ukrainian cities, defenders set to quit Sievierodonetsk

Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth / Reuters — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 13:20:44 GMT

KYIV — Ukrainian troops were set to withdraw from the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of intense bombardments and street fighting, the regional governor said on Friday, as Russian advances raised fears they could be cut off and surrounded.

Russian troops fully occupied a town south of Lysychansk, which lies across the Siverskyi Donets River from Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow claimed it had encircled about 2,000 Ukrainian troops in the area.

The Russian advances appeared to bring the Kremlin closer to taking full control of Luhansk province, one of Moscow's stated war objectives, and set the stage for Lysychansk to become the main frontline city on that front.

Ukrainian forces had for weeks held out against an onslaught in Sievierodonetsk, trying to wear down Russian troops through attrition and buy time for the arrival of heavy weapons supplies from the West.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said troops in Sievierodonetsk would have to be withdrawn and they had already received the order to move to new positions.

"Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense," Gaidai said on Ukrainian television.

Friday also marked four months since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops over the border, unleashing a conflict that has killed thousands of combatants and civilians, uprooted millions people, and seen cities blasted to bits by Russian artillery and air strikes.

NOTHING LEFT TO DEFEND

Some of the heaviest fighting has taken place in Sievierodonetsk, where street-by-street combat has raged for a month with Russia painstakingly taking more ground.

"Our forces had to withdraw and conduct a tactical retreat because there was essentially nothing left there to defend. There was no city left there and, secondly, we could not allow them to be encircled," said Oleksander Musiyenko, a Kyiv-based military analyst.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the Russians were trying to surround Lysychansk and mounting assaults on Sievierodonetsk to win full control. But spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk declined to comment on Gaidai's remarks about a withdrawal.

About 6 miles south of Lysychansk, Russian troops had entered the town of Hirske and fully occupied the district on Friday, municipal head Oleksiy Babchenko said.

"There is a red flag flying over the municipal administration (in Hirske)," a spokesperson for the regional administration told Reuters by telephone.

Russia's defense ministry said it had encircled up to 2,000 Ukrainian troops, including 80 foreign fighters, at Hirske.

Reuters could not independently verify the report and the Hirske spokesperson declined to comment on the assertion.

Ukraine's general staff said on Friday the Russians had fired from tanks, mortars and artillery and mounted air strikes near Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk and nearby towns.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.

Ukraine's foreign minister played down the significance of the possible loss of more territory in the Donbas.

"Putin wanted to occupy the Donbas by May 9. We are on June 24 and still fighting. Retreating from a few battles does not mean losing the war at all," Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Analysts say the Russian forces are taking heavy casualties and face problems in leadership, supplies and morale. Nonetheless, they are grinding down Ukrainian resistance and making incremental gains in the east and south.

Russian control of the Donbas region though proxy separatists would allow it to link up with the already occupied Crimea to the south, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

DICTATORSHIP AND DEMOCRACY

Despite Ukraine's battlefield difficulties, it has won new support from the West. On Thursday, European leaders approved Ukraine's formal candidature to join the European Union.

Although the journey to full membership will take years, the move was a boost to Ukrainian morale.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday their decision to accept Kyiv's candidacy was among the most important for Ukraine since it broke from the Soviet Union 31 years ago.

"But this decision is not just being made for the benefit of Ukraine," he said. "It is the biggest step towards strengthening Europe that could have been made right now...when the Russian war is testing our ability to preserve freedom and unity."

Moscow began what it calls its "special military operation" on Feb. 24, saying it wanted to ensure security on its borders. Kyiv and the West say Putin launched an unprovoked invasion to grab territory and bring Ukraine back into Moscow's fold.

Ukraine's Kuleba, talking to Corriere della Sera, sounded pessimistic about the prospects of any peace talks soon.

"Only our military victory will convince Russia to engage in serious peace negotiations. Weapons will secure the diplomatic route," Kuleba said.

Kyiv was still open to the idea of a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting in which "every point would be subject to dialog," he said. But Ukraine was engaged in an existential struggle, he said.

"This is a war between dictatorship and democracy not chosen by us."

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; writing by Michael Perry and Angus MacSwan; editing by Himani Sarkar and William Maclean.)

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