In the News

St. Michael’s is offering ‘Yellow Ribbon’ program

Lori Carlson, Savage Pacer
5 Mar 10
When John Hamre returned from serving in the Vietnam War, he was afraid to even tell people he was in the Army.

“We were treated pretty badly when we got back,” Hamre recalled.

Although soldiers returning from duty in Iraq haven’t been shunned and disparaged like many soldiers were at the end of America’s combat role in Vietnam, today’s servicemen and women – and their families – are still very much in need of support, said Hamre, a Prior Lake resident whose son, Leif, served in Iraq.

Read more at Savage Pacer

Greater Brown County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon at Brown County Congress

Jennifer Boettger, Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch
3 Mar 10
Special guests at the Brown County Congress of Elected and Appointed Officials last Friday included SFC Stephen Whitehead; retired 1SG Paul Severson; and National Guard Citizens Committee Chair, Jerome Benz.

The purpose was to explain Brown County’s goal of becoming a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon County in Minnesota. This would make Brown County the third such county in Minnesota.

Read more at Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch

Spring Lake Park commits to military families

Maria Elena Baca, Star Tribune
2 Mar 10
Spring Lake Park Mayor Bob Nelson wants his city to feel like home for service members and their families.

So last month, the City Council voted unanimously to seek Yellow Ribbon City designation — an outward sign of the community's commitment to helping military families get through their loved ones' deployments and to assisting returning veterans in re-acclimating to their daily lives.

Read more at Star Tribune

Lake Elmo becomes 'Beyond the Yellow Ribbon' city

Derrick Knutson, Oakdale Lake Elmo Review
21 Feb 10
Two Lake Elmo residents have started an initiative to help make the city a "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon" community. The residents received the full support of the City Council at its Dec. 15 meeting.

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is a program started by the Minnesota National Guard to help "provide services, training and resources to service members and their families throughout the deployment cycle," according to the organization's Web site.

Read more at Oakdale Lake Elmo Review

Cities take the 'Yellow Ribbon City' challenge

Heather Edwards, Southwest Review News
18 Feb 10
This week, yellow ribbons will decorate South St. Paul's business district.

The ribbons are being hung to show the city's support of military families and the desire to become a Yellow Ribbon city. Community members are invited to attend a Yellow Ribbon meeting at South St. Paul City Hall, 125 3rd Ave. N., on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A Yellow Ribbon city, designed to support the various needs of military families, is a part of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, which was created by the National Guard as a means to lend support during pre-deployment, deployment and reintegration into mainstream society.

Read more at Southwest Review News

Mahtomedi's Yellow Ribbon Network expands efforts

Kristine Goodrich, White Bear Press
9 Feb 10
MAHTOMEDI — As she drove home through Mahtomedi for the first time after a year-long deployment in Iraq, Capt. Tanya Klaiber first thought the flashing lights that pulled up behind her meant she was about to get a speeding ticket.

Soon she learned the two Washington County Sheriff squad cars and Mahtomedi fire truck were part of a surprise “welcome home” celebration for Klaiber last month. She received a colorful escort to the Mahtomedi Education Center where friends, family and even total strangers were waiting with well wishes.

Read more at White Bear Press

For Soldiers, welcome home is just the beginning

Emily Zimmer, The Farmington Independent
4 Feb 10
As the 1,000 or so soldiers with the 34th Infantry Division return from Iraq they will undergo more training. But unlike the training they received to go to war, this time they will learn how to adapt to the world they left a year ago.

Coming back from war isn’t a simple process. For many it means learning to be part of their old lives again. It can be difficult for the soldier and it can be difficult for the people who love them.

Read more at The Farmington Independent

Red Bulls returning home

Keith Grauman, Hastings Star-Gazette
29 Jan 10
About 20 Hastings residents are among 1,000 members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Infantry Division that will be returning home from Iraq in the coming weeks.

The first wave of soldiers came home Sunday night, about 250 men and women, and they were dropped off at locations in Rosemount, Inver Grove Heights and Stillwater. There will be three more waves of returning soldiers before all 1,000 are home.

Read more at Hastings Star-Gazette

A day of appreciation

Deb Gau, Marshall Independent
29 Jan 10
The words of the day were sacrifice and support - the sacrifice area soldiers make in serving their country, and the different ways area civilians have found to support soldiers and their families.

"It really means a lot," said Capt. Bryan Watters of the Minnesota National Guard.

Read more at Marshall Independent

Soldiers return to Stillwater on Sunday

Peter, Cox, Stillwater Gazette
27 Jan 10
Sunday, Stillwater welcomed home the first of four groups of soldiers returning to the community after a yearlong deployment in Iraq.

Despite there being an ill-fated Vikings NFC Championship game on as the soldiers returned, almost 200 people showed up to show support to the returning troops, said Gary Kriesel, head of Washington County's Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network.

Read more at Stillwater Gazette

They'll tie yellow ribbons — and trim the tree, too

Kevin Giles, Star Tribune
27 Jan 10
Michelle Meier confided to a co-worker how sad she was that her National Guard husband, returning alone from his Red Bull unit in Iraq because of a medical ailment, would pass without notice.

"I just didn't think it was fair because he wasn't going to get the hero's welcome he deserved," said Meier, who was preparing that morning of Dec. 11 to greet her husband, James, at the airport. "In just a few hours, somehow, word had gotten out and there were probably 20 or 25 people there."

Read more at Star Tribune

Home Make Over

WCCO TV
20 Jan 10
TJB Homes, a home contracting business in Blaine, Minn., puts new windows and a door in the Markgraf's family home while Dad Terry is in Iraq.

Read more and watch the video at http://wcco.com/video/?cid=5

Residents seek Yellow Ribbon status for Red Wing

Jen Cullen, The Republican Eagle
19 Jan 10
Some local residents want to make Red Wing a Yellow Ribbon City.

Businesses, churches, law enforcement and other organizations in Yellow Ribbon cities - like Farmington, Hugo, Stillwater and Woodbury - provide soldiers and their families support and resources before, during and after their deployment.

"If they know we have this kind of a program in their city ... they know their family can contact us," said Jan Frazier, an auxiliary member at the Red Wing American Legion. "That takes a lot of pressure of them while they are over there."

Read more at The Republican Eagle

Red Bulls return to U.S.

Stillwater Gazette
14 Jan 10
Soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Red Bull Infantry Division are returning to Fort Lewis, Wash. following their 12-month deployment to Iraq. The 34th Infantry Division Soldiers will undergo medical and administrative processing at Fort Lewis before they return to Minnesota. The soldiers' exact return dates to Minnesota will be released as soon as they become available, according to the National Guard.

Since May 2009, the 34th Infantry Division provided command and control of military forces in the southern third of Iraq. Headquartered in Basra, the 34th Infantry Division led a force of approximately 14,000 U.S. service members throughout nine of Iraq's 18 provinces.

Read more at Stillwater Gazette

St. John Neumann named 'Yellow Ribbon Church'

Julie Carroll, The Catholic Spirit
12 Jan 10
When Dawn Daley’s husband, Lt. Col. Ted Daley, was deployed to Iraq in 2007, the mother of four children worried, “What if somebody’s sick and I have to go to work and I don’t have any time off left?”

Because there is not an Army base near her Eagan home, Daley didn’t expect much support from the community. That’s why she was surprised when one day she received a phone call from someone asking if there was anything she needed.

Read more at The Catholic Spirit

Governor, Guard recognize Woodbury as a 'Yellow Ribbon' city

Hank Long, Woodbury Bulletin
5 Jan 10
The city of Woodbury was among about a dozen other local governments, churches and businesses to receive official “Yellow Ribbon” proclamations from Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday afternoon at Century College in White Bear Lake.

The Minnesota National Guard’s “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” campaign held a Yellow Ribbon Summit at the college to recognize members of the community who have developed a network of support for deployed Guard service members and their families.

Read more at Woodbury Bulletin

Read more articles on the Yellow Ribbon summit:
Isanti County News
MPR News
Star Tribune
KTTC
St. Croix Valley Press
Pine City Pioneer
Stillwater Gazette

World Apart: Father separated from family by war

Don Shelby, WCCO
15 Dec 09
It's at this time of the year, when families gather together for the holidays, that loved ones who can't be there are missed the most. That's especially true for the families who have men and women serving in the military.

In November, Don Shelby and photojournalist Tom Aviles were embedded in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. They met Master Sgt. Rich Kemp and carried this message home to his wife Terri and two daughters — Taylor, 6 and Erica, 3.

Read more and watch the video at WCCO

Guest Column: Community keeps military spouses strong

Sherry Eisenhart, St. Cloud Times
7 Dec 09
The holidays aren’t easy for everyone. They are busy, stressful and lonely for some. I fit the lonely aspect.

My name is Sherry and I have a soldier who is currently serving with the 34th Infantry Division in Basra, Iraq. Being a part of the military lifestyle is something that is not for the weak. I have had to learn how to be strong over the years. I’ve always managed to pull through however, this year it is a bit different.

Click here for the rest of the article.

A virtual fort

Julie Pfitzinger, Star Tribune
5 Dec 09
Seventeen-month-old Lily Van Hecke toddles around a meeting room at the Edina Library, tightly clutching "Buddy," a life-sized puppet dressed in camouflage pajamas, delightedly showing him off to her mom, Jen, and others at a parent-child playgroup for military families. Today's theme is the five senses, though Lily is most interested in a younger baby in the group and a sing-along version of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider."

Lily's father, Eric, a member of the Army National Guard, is deployed in Iraq and has been gone since early summer. Since they don't have family members in town, Jen Van Hecke, who lives in Minneapolis, said she is excited about meeting other military moms with young children and learning how to keep Eric and Lily connected while he is away.

Read more at Star Tribune

Program message's: Remember military during the holidays

Lisa Schwarz, St. Cloud Times
30 Nov 09
While you were eating turkey and planning your assault on the Black Friday sales, about 2,000 Minnesota National Guard members were stationed far from home, many in harm’s way.

The National Guard’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, which works year-round to support deployed and returning troops and their families, is making a special effort to help during the holidays. Its prime focus is on directing charitable efforts toward helping military families.

Read more at St. Cloud Times

Support for our Soldiers: Stillwater looks to become a Yellow Ribbon City

Peter Cox, Stillwater Gazette
25 Nov 09
If all goes as planned, and it appears it will, Stillwater should become a Yellow Ribbon City in January.

Stillwater City Councilman Mike Polehna has been leading the charge for the city. He says the effort has come out of personal experience.

Polehna noted his family's military history (his uncle died at 19 during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and his father fought during the Korean War) and Ben Johnson, a Stillwater native and Green Beret, as personal inspirations in his life.

"This is the least I can do for the guys out protecting us," he said.

Read more at Stillwater Gazette

Gift of car eases burdens of local military family

Leslie Ehrenberg, Appleton Press
30 Oct 09
A military spouse in Appleton was the recipient of a 1995 Nissan Maxima from a benefactor in the metro area. Ssg. Matthew and Sheila Moss of Appleton live four miles out of Appleton with their three children - all under the age of 5. Alexis is 4, Samantha is 3, and Lilly 1. A full-time National Guard Soldier, Matthew works in the Madison Armory. This past spring he was deployed with his unit to serve in Iraq.

For the full story from the Appleton press click here

Stillwater to become Yellow Ribbon city

Loretta Harding, St.Croix Valley Press
29 Oct 09
At its Oct. 20 meeting, the Stillwater City Council unanimously voted to become a Yellow Ribbon city. By passing Resolution 2009-173, the council issued its statement of support for members of the Minnesota National Guard and Reserve and families. The resolution is necessary for Stillwater to become a Yellow Ribbon community that complies with state laws about employees on leave for duties with the National Guard.

Read more at St.Croix Valley Press

A taste of home, away from home

Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune
16 Oct 09
The volunteers of the Armed Forces Service Center call themselves Minnesota's best-kept secret. Born during the Vietnam era when returning soldiers were sometimes scorned by a public soured by war, the group that welcomes traveling troops coming through the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport now struggles with a post- 9/11 problem — a concern over security that means many people don't know of its existence.

Read more at StarTribune.com

Soldiers Returning Home Find It Hard To Get Jobs Reporting

Reporter: Pat Kessler, WCCO channel 4
7 Oct 09

It's hard enough for veterans to adjust from the intensity of a war zone to civilian life, but now it's coming in a bad economy where employers are drastically cutting jobs or hours.

Captain Nathan Foster rescued wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan."It's noisy. It's busy. It's a never ending story," said Foster. "It's 24 hours a day."It's the most rewarding work he said he has ever done. "We do our part and they do their part. If they're willing to go into houses. You better be willing to risk your life to go get them out of there when they do get hurt," said Foster.

However, here's not much demand for Medevac chopper pilots stateside. Since returning home in July, Foster's been applying for military jobs.

Read more at WCCO

Woodbury Residents Work Toward Becoming Yellow Ribbon City

By Officer Candidate Melanie Nelson, Minnesota National Guard
Oct. 2, 2009
Mayor Bill Hargis welcomed the crowd and introduced the evening's guest speaker, State Adjutant (and Woodbury resident) Major General Larry Shellito. Shellito spoke of how good it made him feel when he walked into his neighborhood grocery store to get bread and eggs and walked out with four "thank you for your service" comments from other shoppers. Click here to read more.

Minnesota Guard at the Dome

By John Holler, VikingUpdate
Sept. 25, 2009
The Vikings have agreed to new partnerships with Twin Cities-based Caribou Coffee and the Minnesota Army National Guard... Fans will be able to check out official National Guard armored vehicles and meet some of Minnesota’s own soldiers at Gate H of the Metrodome before Sunday games. Click here to read more.

Pawlenty on the Mark

By the International Falls Daily Journal editorial staff
Sept. 23, 2009
Pawlenty visited International Falls Tuesday to speak at the Governor’s Employer Summit, organized by the Minnesota National Guard. Click here to read more.

Group plans 'Yellow Ribbon' kickoff

By Scott Wente, Woodbury Bulletin
September 9, 2009
Tom Grezek said it was difficult for relatives back home when he and his two brothers served in the military during the Vietnam era. “There was absolutely no support out there,” said Grezek, Woodbury’s American Legion post commander. The Red Cross could help with emergencies, he recalled, but there certainly was no organized group of neighbors ready to step in and complete basic household tasks for a military family...
Click here to read more. (Registration required)

Summer camp helps soldiers' kids adjust

By Sea Stachura, Minnesota Public Radio
June 24, 2009
Hudson, Wis. — A summer camp in Hudson, Wis. is helping provide a bit of normalcy for kids whose military parents have been deployed overseas. Click here to read the full story and to view photos of the Youth Camp event.

Military kids go to camp

By Dan Linehan, The Free Press
June 14, 2009
The Army, working with numerous groups including 4-H and the Minnesota National Guard’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, organizes Operation Boots On, a two-day camp for kids with loved ones in the militarycamp, which is also free. It’s a kid-friendly simulation of military life with activities like using Global Positioning System to find puzzle pieces, eating military food called Meals Ready to Eat or MREs and a “shooting range” using marshmallows blown out of plastic pipes. Click here to read the full story and to view photos of the Operation Boots On camp.

ROCORI Cities March Toward "Yellow Ribbon Community" Part Two

May 16, 2009
The Race toward becoming Minnesota's first Yellow Ribbon Region began a few weeks ago as a part of the 2nd Annual Old Glory Run. All three cities that make up the land of ROCORI pledged to pursue this designation over the next year. Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond joined six other central Minnesota communities in publicly announcing their pursuit of the "Yellow Ribbon Communities" program. Mayors from all nine cities joined together, as a part of the "Old Glory Run" closing ceremonies, to sign their letters of intent. Click here to read the full story. You can also view a video of the event by clicking here.

Group working to make Washington County first ‘Yellow Ribbon’ county

By Yvonne Klinnert, Lake Elmo Leader
March 11, 2009
The meeting was called by a number of Washington County leaders after meeting Lt. Col. Barbra O’Reilly and Col. Kevin Gerdes at a Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at which the board commended the send-off of the 34th Infantry Division, Army National Guard Division Headquarters in Rosemount, known as the Red Bulls. Click here to read the full story.

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