March, 2012 - The American Legion Department of North Dakota

North Dakota 

Legion News 

Department of North Dakota 

For God and Country 

VOL. 66 405 W. MAIN AVE. SUITE 4-A, WEST FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, March 2012 NO. 3 

Oran Keith 

Legionnaire 

of the Year 

Oran Keith 

is this year’s 

recipient of the 

Legionnaire of 

the Year Award. 

Oran will be 

r e c o g n i z e d 

during the De- 

The Message (American Legion Auxiliary) Inserted In Middle Section 

Oran Keith 

partment Convention 

June 

22-24, 2012, 

in Jamestown, 

ND. Oran has 

been a member 

of Bothun- 

Peterson Post #213 in Sherwood, ND, for 59 

continuous years and has been very active 

in the Sherwood post activities. He has 

held nearly every office in the organization 

and is currently serving as the Post Finance 

Officer, which he has held for several 

years. In addition, he serves on the Gaming 

Committee, and provides his leadership and 

guidance to promote other programs in the 

SEE LEGIONNAIRE 

Cont. on Page 12, Col. 1 

Kelly Janke Named “RAY ATOL” Law 

Enforcement Officer of the Year 

Nominated by W.L. COWPER Post 

#238 of Michigan, ND, Kelly Janke, 

has been selected for the Ray Atol 

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 

Award, by the North Dakota American 

Legion. Janke has served the law 

enforcement industry for over 14 years 

and is currently serving as the Sheriff of 

Nelson County. During his tenure with 

the law enforcement, Kelly has attended 

several education programs sponsored by 

leading crime organization throughout 

the country. Several of which have 

been offered by the Federal Bureau of 

Investigations (FBI), Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) and 

Midwest Counter Drug Training Center. 

During the past year, “Calls 

for Service” in Nelson County have 

experienced a dramatic increase. 

Imagine an unexpected thirty-three 

percent increase to your work load.Calls 

increased from 1200 up to 1600 actions 

per year. The Sheriff responded to some 

unusual, non-typical enforcement calls; 

an armed stand-off with a local farm 

family, apprehending a double murder 

fugitive, enforcing a waterway project 

protest, and a child abduction. 

S h e r i ff 

Janke is the 

leader of his 

department, 

he teaches 

his team to 

“believe” in 

themselves, 

your teammates. 

He 

s u p p o r t s 

his officer’s 

ideas, their 

future, and 

Kelly Janke 

encourages 

them to know and understand that they can 

make a difference. They can accomplish 

issues quicker by working together and 

he inspires them to make a difference in 

the lives of the people of Nelson County. 

Sheriff Janke was appointed to the ND 

Criminal Justice Information Sharing 

Board; He currently serves as the Vice 

President of the ND Sheriff’s & Deputies 

Association. Previously he has served 

three years as its President. 

Sheriff Janke and his wife Karla, 

SEE OFFICER 


Spring District 

Meetings 

March 26-31 (Monday – Saturday) 

April 10-13 (Tuesday – Friday) 

The 2012 North Dakota American 

Legion Spring District Meetings will 

be held Monday, March 26 - Saturday, 

March 31 and Tuesday, April 10 - Friday, 

April 13. These dates were approved by 

the Department Executive Committee and 

locations set by the District Commanders. 

Each District will have the opportunity 

to confirm the appointment of their Vice 

Commander to represent them as District 

Commander for the upcoming Legion year. 

Each District will also select an individual 

to fill the District Vice Commander position. 

This individual will serve one year as the 

Vice Commander and with hopes of being 

confirmed as District Commander the 

following year. 

In addition to election of new officers, 

reports will be given on the recently 

concluded Oratorical Contest and the 

upcoming Boys State Session and American 

Legion Baseball season. 

The first week of meetings will begin 

Monday, March 26, in the Fifth District 

at Washburn hosted by Victor B. Wallin 

Post 12. Then on to Carson where Walter 

J. Thome Post 45 will host the Seventh 

District Meeting on Tuesday evening. 

MEETINGS 


Non-Profit 

Organization 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Fargo, ND 

Permit No. 891 

2012 SPRING DISTRICT 

MEETINGS 

Mon., March 26 - 5th Dist . . . Washburn 

Tues., March 27 - 7th Dist . . . . . Carson 

Wed., March 28 - 8th Dist . . . . . Reeder 

Thur., March 29 - 9th Dist . . . . . Stanley 

Fri., March 30 - 6th Dist . . . Bottineau 

Sat., March 31 - 3rd Dist . . . . Langdon 

Tues., April 10 - 2nd Dist . . . .Larimore 

Wed., April 11 - 1st Dist . . . . . . Fargo 

Thur., April 12 - 4th Dist . . Carrington 

Fri., April 13 - 10th Dist . . Hankinson

NORTH DAKOTA LEGION NEWS 

Official Publication of The American Legion 


Published at 402 Hill Avenue, Grafton, N.D. 

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY 

Dave Johnson 

Teri J. Bryant 

Publisher and Editor 

Assistant Editor 

PO Box 5057, West Fargo, ND 58078 

Email adjutant@ndlegion.org 

Subscription Rates, 60 Cents Per Year 

www.ndlegion.org 

To Members of The American Legion 

Phone 701-293-3120 

Department of North Dakota, Included 

Fax 701-293-9951 

as part of the Department dues. 

Department Commander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Krause,205-0064, bobkrause@cableone.net 

Department Commander-Elect . . . . . . . Dave Rice, 866-9085, commander@trisstateveterans.com 

Department Vice Commanders 

Eastern Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Antal, 284-6886, aflc@polarcomm.com 

Central Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bob O’Shea, 448-2866, n/a 

Western Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kenneth Hasby, 627-4294, kaje91@hotmail.com 

Department Adjutant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Johnson 

Department Finance Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .George Zeller, 622-3004, gazcpa@westriv.com 

Department Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Al Gaines, 928-0735, foreveryoungranch@hotmail.com 

Dept Executive Committeemen 

Eastern Region . . . . . . . . . . Kenny Weiderholt, 678-2366, Kenneth_weiderholt@hotmail.com 

Central Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Ludwig, 947-5445, robertrl@gondtc.com 

Western Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dale Roth, 824-2635, airo@pop.ctctel.com 

Past Department Commander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry Vetter, 343-6397, lavetter@polarcomm.com 

Dept Sergeant-At-Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leon Hiltner, 256-2188, lhiltnerwales@yahoo.com 

NEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Curtis Twete, 322-5622, cotwete@stellarnet.com 

Alt NEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carroll Quam, 899-2011, cquam@wah.midco.net 

Department Judge Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patricia Hodny, 247-3301, hodnylaw@yahoo.com 

Department Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Karen Meier, 463-7344, bgkjmeier@restel.net 

Department Service Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Deremo, 451-4646, serviceofficer@ndlegion.org 

Department Membership Chair. Eugene Kachena, 284-6913, Eugene.kachena@sendit.nodak.edu 

District Commanders 

First District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ron Matthews, Matthews@702com.net 

Second District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rodney Kadlec, 284-6981, n/a 

Third District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dan Agnes, 256-3055, agnesfam@utma.com 

Fourth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Florence Glatt, 307-0358, fglatt@daktel.com 

Fifth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ronald Dykema, 782-4486, hayguy@bektel.com 

Sixth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arnold Havelka, 340-2965, ajhavelka@yahoo.com 

Seventh District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Delbert Weishaar, 584-3818, delweis@westriv.com 

Eighth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Petermann, 483-5176, bmann@ndsupernet.com 

Ninth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roman Fettig, 965-6948, roman.fettig@sendit.nodak.edu.com 

Tenth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dwight Boucher, 242-7154, dfboucher@rrt.net 

District Vice Commanders 

First District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gregory Kraiter, 282-6809, gkraiter@q.com 

Second District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roger Sateren, 247-2333, rogersateren@hotmail.com 

Third District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna Spivey, 256-2867, dakotarebel144@yahoo.com 

Fourth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Albert Gray, 252-3278, bmgrav66@live.com 

Fifth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lenae Schneider, 254-4137, lenae@dakotacustomquilts.com 

Sixth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Lindblom, 465-0238 

Seventh District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. J. Meberg, 878-4164, djmeberg1@gmail.com 

Eighth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pat Mischel, 974-3121, pmischel@ndsupernet.com 

Ninth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Broderson, 842-2005, rdbroderson@yahoo.com 

Tenth District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Randall Cale, 678-2294, randall.cale@sendit.nodak.edu 

Commander Comments 

Greetings All, 

I trust everyone had a great 

Thanksgiving holiday in November. I 

had a brief lull in activity, so I enjoyed the 

weekend and relaxed as much as possible 

with family and friends. 

On December 3rd, there was a 

retirement ceremony for our own, Mr. Dave 

Rice. After 42 years in the Navy and Navy 

Reserve, he decided it was enough. The 

program was very interesting and all had a 

good time at the party after. 

On the 7th, the Auxiliary held their 

annual Gift shop at the VA hospital in Fargo. 

I had the opportunity to help this year by 

visiting with the patients as they picked 

out gifts for their family members and 

themselves. What a rewarding experience. 

The Auxiliary did the same thing the next 

day at the North Dakota Veteran’s Home in 

Lisbon. It was great to visit with some very 

familiar people from that area that are now 

residents. 

On the 14th and 15th the annual 

financial audit was held by the Legion 

Audit Committee at Legion Headquarters. 

The audit went very well with all finances 

audited and being in good order. 

An outstanding highlight of December 

was the return of the last North Dakota 

Guard Soldier from Iraq. Staff Sgt. Teresa 

Pavljuk arrived at Hector Airport on the 21st 

and was greeted by Governor Dalrymple, 

Senator Hoeven, General Sprynczynatyk 

and representatives from most of the 

Veteran’s Organizations including the 

American Legion. 

I took a few days after Christmas and 

went fishing at Lake of the Woods. Fishing 

was great, but catching was so-so. We did 

have plenty to eat and even managed to 

bring a few fish home. 

January started off fairly slow with a 

few meetings during the first two weeks. I 

traveled to Carrington on the 14th of January 

to attend the East Region Oratorical contest. 

There are no losers in these competitions, 

only winners. The two finalists from the 

east competed with the two finalists from 

the west at the Winter Conference. 

On the 28th, Gail and I traveled 

to Belfield, ND, to attend their Annual 

Robert Krause 

Department Commander 

Membership Dinner. The turnout for this 

dinner amazed me in that most of their 

membership was there. The food was great 

and the fellowship even better. 

On the 30th, I attended the Fargo Post 

2 Baseball Hall of Fame banquet in Fargo at 

the Holiday Inn. Ferguson Jenkins was the 

featured speaker. Paul Honl, Mike Wieser 

and Greg Stephens were inducted into the 

Fargo Post 2 Hall of Fame. 

The annual North Dakota American 

Legion Winter Conference was held in 

Bismarck on February 3-5. The conference 

was well attended and was enjoyed by all. 

Our National Commander Fang Wong 

attended and was the featured speaker at 

the Saturday evening banquet. He also 

attended many of the regular meetings and 

handed out plaques to the families of the 

fallen officers, Bryan Sleeper and Steven 

Kenner at the Sunday Memorial Service. 

The American Legion extends its deepest 

sympathies to these families. 

Mr. Wong presented the winning 

trophies to the finalists of the High School 

Oratorical contest. First place went to 

Anjali Lall, Second place to David Shelton, 

Third place to Hannah Marie Wegner and 

Fourth place to Tara Jo Loomer. All of 

these contestants did an excellent job and I 

congratulate them all. 

Mr. Wong also presented the Samsung 

Scholarship award to Marie Goerger from 

Wyndmere. She was one of only nine 

students in the country to receive this 

prestigious award. Thank you, Commander 

Wong, for your visit and participation. 

We are at that time of the year when we 

need to clean up our membership drives. We 

are still over 1500 short of our membership 

goal for the year. This may seem like a lot 

however, I am confident that we can achieve 

this with some good hard work. Remember 

- just ask!!! 

I hope everyone is making plans for the 

upcoming district meetings and I hope to 

see you all there! 

God bless our troops and God bless you 

all. 

402 Hill Avenue, Grafton, ND 58237 

701-352-0640 

910 Central Ave. NE, Suite F, East Grand Forks, MN 56721 

218-773-2577 

Have You Paid 

Your 2012 

Membership 

Dues?

North Dakota Legion News March 2012 Page 3 

Service Officer’s Column 

VA Health Care and Who’s Eligible 

Several years ago Congress passed 

what is commonly known as the Means Test. 

The Means Test essentially categorized 

veterans into groups. Depending on what 

“priority group” you fall into will dictate 

whether you are entitled to health care from 

the VA. Once you apply for enrollment, 

your eligibility will be verified. Based on 

your specific eligibility status, you will be 

assigned a Priority Group. Your priority 

group may depend on your family income 

and assets. Depending on what priority 

group you’re in, you may have to make copays 

to the VA for medication, outpatient 

and inpatient visits, etc. If you have private 

health insurance coverage the VA may also 

bill your insurance carrier. The following 

clarifies who falls into what category. 

Priority Group 1 

• Veterans with VA Service-connected 

disabilities rated 50% or more. 

• Veterans assigned a total disability 

rating for compensation based on 

unemployability. 



disabilities rated 30% or 40%. 


• Veterans who are former POWs. 

• Veterans awarded the Purple Heart 

Medal. 

• Veterans awarded the Medal of 

Honor. 

• Veterans whose discharge was for a 

disability incurred or aggravated in 

the line of duty. 


disabilities rated 10% or 20%. 

• Veterans awarded special eligibility 

classification under Title 38, U.S.C., 

§ 1151, “benefits for individuals 

disabled by treatment or vocational 

rehabilitation.” 


• Veterans receiving increased 

compensation or pension based 

on their need for regular Aid and 

Attendance or by reason of being 

permanently Housebound. 

• Veterans determined by VA to be 

catastrophically disabled. 


• Nonservice-connected Veterans 

and noncompensable Serviceconnected 

Veterans rated 0%, whose 

annual income and/or net worth are 

not greater than the VA financial 

thresholds. 

• Veterans receiving VA Pension 

benefits. 

• Veterans eligible for Medicaid 

benefits. 

Jim Deremo 

Department Service Officer 


• Compensable 0% Service-connected 

Veterans. 

• Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation 

during atmospheric testing or during 

the occupation of Hiroshima and 

Nagasaki. 

• Project 112/SHAD participants. 

• Veterans who served in the Republic 

of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 

and May 7, 1975. 

• Veterans who served in the Southwest 

Asia theater of operations from 

August 2, 1990, through November 

11, 1998. 

• Veterans who served in a theater of 

combat operations after November 

11, 1998, as follows: 

• Veterans discharged from active duty 

on or after January 28, 2003, for five 

years post discharge 


• Veterans with incomes below the 

geographic means test (GMT) income 

thresholds and who agree to pay the 

applicable copayment. 


• Veterans with gross household 

incomes above the VA national income 

threshold and the geographicallyadjusted 

income threshold for their 

resident location and who agrees to 

pay copays 

Veterans eligibility for enrollment: 

Noncompensable 0% service-connected 

and: 

• Subpriority a: Enrolled as of 

January 16, 2003, and who have 

remained enrolled since that date 

and/ or placed in this subpriority 

due to changed eligibility status. 

• Subpriority b: Enrolled on or after 

June 15, 2009 whose income 

exceeds the current VA National 

Income Thresholds or VA National 

Geographic Income Thresholds by 

10% or less 

Veterans eligible for enrollment: 

Nonservice-connected and 

• Subpriority c: Enrolled as January 

16, 2003, and who remained 

enrolled since that date and/ or 

placed in this subpriority due to 

changed eligibility status 

• Subpriority d: Enrolled on or after 

June 15, 2009 whose income 

exceeds the current VA National 

Income Thresholds or VA National 

Geographic Income Thresholds by 

10% or less 

Veterans not eligibility for enrollment: 

Veterans not meeting the criteria above: 

• Subpriority e: Noncompensable 0% 

service-connected 

Subpriority f: Nonservice-connected 

Once enrolled, the VA will provide 

a full spectrum of medically necessary 

services, based on the judgment of your VA 

primary care provider and in accordance 

with generally accepted standards of 

clinical practice. Examples of these health 

benefits include Preventative, Inpatient 

and Specialty Care Services, Ancillary 

Services, and Mental Health Care. VA 

strives to ensure that you have access to 

all of your needed services wherever you 

receive your VA health care. This may be 

on-site during inpatient hospitalization, at 

one of our primary or specialty care clinics, 

at a Community Based Outpatient Clinic 

(CBOC), in a Community Living Center 

(formerly known as a VA nursing home), 

or in a residential care facility. However, 

all services may not be available at every 

location. Sometimes, you may need to travel 

to another VA facility or a community care 

facility to receive the necessary treatment. 

If that is the case, your VA provider will 

work with you to find the place best suited 

for you to obtain the required services. 

To learn more about your VA health care 

benefits please go to http://www.va.gov/ 

healthbenefits/ and follow the links there. 

Lester W. Peterson Post #191 

of Gwinner is proud to endorse 

Robert (Bob) Krause 

to seek the position of 

Alternate National Executive Committeeman 

Bob Krause 

Bob is a 40 year (PUFL) member of the American Legion and has served 

as Post #191 Commander, 10th District Vice Commander, 10 th District 

Commander, East Region Vice Commander, Department Commander 

Elect and is currently serving as Department Commander. 

Bob served as a Medic in the US Army from 1970 to 1972. 

Bob is an active Legion member involved with Color Guard activities 

as well as fundraising, Veterans Day dinners, Memorial Day activities and 

many other duties with Post #191. 

Bob has been a member of several community organizations that 

include, Church Council and the North Sargent School Board where he 

served as Board President. Bob is retired from Bobcat where he worked 

in various capacities for 32 years. 

Bob and his wife Gail recently moved to Fargo from Gwinner. They 

have 4 grown children and four grandchildren.

Page 4 March 2012 North Dakota Legion News 

2012 North Dakota Boys State June 10-15 in Wahpeton 

By Neil Litton, Boys State Director 

As it has since 1938, the 70th session 

of North Dakota Boys State Program will 

educate and inspire young future leaders 

from around the state in June 2012. This 

year, the program runs from June 10-15, 

and will once again be held on the campus 

of North Dakota State College of Science in 

Wahpeton. 

Each year, Legion members across the 

state work carefully to select high school 

juniors from their community to participate 

the program. This year we encouraged the 

Posts to make contact with their local high 

school earlier to talk with the boys about 

attending North Dakota Boys State. They 

will not know about the program unless a 

member of the Post takes the time to arrange 

for a meeting. 

This year, boys wishing to register for 

Boys State can do so on-line by visiting www. 

ndboysstate.org. Here you can register online 

for Boys State. The registration goes to 

the Department Headquarters and is fed back 

to the local Post. If you haven’t visited it yet, 

we encourage you to do so. Brochures and 

other registration materials were mailed out 

to all posts, high school counselors and high 

school principals the first part of January. 

Once selected, the delegates enter a 

weeklong program that teaches them the 

form, function and responsibilities of state 

government. This is done by having the boys 

run their own simulated state government. 

The delegates form political parties, 

campaign for elected office, and write 

and publish a newspaper of each day’s 

events. On Tuesday, they elect a governor 

who presides over the session. They also 

elect other state and local governmental 

positions. This “learn by doing” method is 

the backbone of all Boys State programs. 

Among the highlights of the week is the 

emergency management exercise that places 

delegates in the role of leaders facing to a 

string of simulated disasters that they must 

respond to. With the cooperation of college 

staff, the disaster management exercise is 

conducted in real time, using telephones and a 

computer network to deliver news and updates 

to the delegate-run command centers. 

Outstanding delegates, cities and 

counties are recognized at an awards 

ceremony at the end of the week. The 

delegates compete for the following awards 

during the week: 

ArveDahlen-Milt Rue Award 

Harold Piper Award 

A.D. Mckinnon Award 

Harry Edblom Award 

Boys Nation 

The Leroy Pease Memorial Award 

The M.B. Zimmerman Award 

John K. Kennelly Memorial Award 

The Jack Williams Trophy 

The Pancratz-Morris Award 

The Marcus L. McDonald Award 

Kirk Smith Award 

Emergency Management Awarded (Pod 

Award) 

The David Wolf Memorial Award 

Director’s Award for Excellence 

More than 29,000 young men have 

graduated from North Dakota Boys State 

and many have gone to become leaders 

and role models. These include North 

Dakota Senator John Hoeven, Judge 

Kirk Smith, retired North Dakota Justice 

Ralph Erickstad, basketball coach Phil 

Jackson, and Past National American 

Legion Commander H.F. “Sparky” Gierke. 

Nationally, the program boasts numerous 

impressive alumni, including former 

Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton. 

At the end of the week, Boys State staff 

members select two outstanding individuals 

from each state to participate in Boys 

Nation, a national program that parallels 

Boys State.Boys Nation takes place in July. 

Know someone that should go? If you 

have a potential delegate you would like 

to nominate, please contact Josh Jeffers, 

Deputy Director in charge of Recruiting, 

at 701-202-9302 or joshua.jeffers@ 

ndboysstate.org (student must currently be 

in their junior year of high school). 

SAMSUNG SCHOLARSHIP 

Worldwide electronics leader Samsung 

endowed a scholarship fund of $5 million to 

be administered by The American Legion in 

1996. Meant to show appreciation for U.S. 

veterans who came to Korea’s aid during 

its struggle against communist forces in the 

Korean War, the Samsung American Legion 

Scholarship Program established a series of 

scholarships derived from interest and other 

income from the principal amount. In 2010, 

ten $20,000 scholarships and 88 $1,000 

scholarships were awarded. 

Scholarships are restricted to high 

school juniors who complete either a Boys 

State or Girls State program and are a direct 

descendant - i.e. child, grandchild, great 

grandchild, etc. - or a legally adopted child 

of a wartime veteran who served on active 

duty during at least one of the periods of war 

officially designated as eligibility dates for 

American Legion membership. 

Winners are selected according to 

academic record, involvement in school and 

community activities, community service 

and financial need. Applicants who are 

direct descendants of Korean War veterans 

receive special consideration. One winner 

is chosen during the week of Boys State and 

awarded a $500 scholarship and entered as a 

finalist in the national pool. A few years ago 

North Dakota had a finalist that received a 

$20,000 scholarship. 

ND Boys State Looks For Support 

North Dakota Boys State, a non-profit 

organization of the North Dakota American 

Legion, is facing ever-increasing costs to 

sponsor boys for the week they spend at 

the North Dakota State College of Science 

during the program. 

Boys State is unquestionably the finest 

youth program sponsored by the North 

Dakota Legion and one that we can be 

very proud of.We, of the Legion, realize 

how important the program is in the state 

of North Dakota and that every effort must 

be made to maintain the high standards that 

Name: 

Address: 

Carl. E. Rogen Post #29 

of Watford City Endorses 

Jerry Samuelson 

For Alternate National Executive 

Committeeman 

National Positions Held: 

VA & R 

Distinguished Guest 

Americanism Council 

Rehabilitation Advisory Board 

Post Offices Held: 

Post Adjutant 

Post Service Officer 

Post Boys State Chr 

Post Drill Team 

have always been upheld in the program. 

It seems that each year expenses and 

charges from the college and for supplies 

necessitates an increase in costs for the 

program.The Boys State Committee and the 

Department Executive Committee has set 

the registration fee at $200 per delegate. 

To help hold down yearly sponsorship 

fees in the coming years, donations are 

requested to help defray housing, food, 

supplies and other necessities of the 

program. 

We urge Posts and individuals to 

consider a donation to North Dakota Boys 

State to help with maintaining costs for the 

nearly 150 boys from across the state who 

participate in North Dakota Boys State 

each year. With your help, we will be able 

to maintain the high quality of the program 

from year to year. 

Use the below form to send your 

donation to North Dakota Boys State, PO 

Box 5057, West Fargo, ND 58078.Thank 

you for your support. 

CONTACT INFORMATION 

Questions or comments regarding 

ND Boys State can be addressed to: Neil 

Litton, ND Boys State Director, PO Box 

5057, West Fargo, ND 58078 or by calling 

the Department Headquarters at 701-293- 

3120.For specific inquiries contact Teri at 

Department Headquarters at programs@ 

ndlegion.org 

North Dakota Boys State Donation Form 

Town: 

Amount of 

Donation: ($10.00) ($25.00) ($50.00) (Other) 

Send To: 

North Dakota Boys State 

PO Box 5057, West Fargo, ND 58078 

Jerry Samuelson 

USN Ret. 

Department Positions Held: 

Chairman DEC 

Department Commander 

West Region Vice Cmdr. 

West Region Oratorical Chr. 

9th District Cmdr. 

9th District Vice Cmdr. 

Professional Positions: 

Past President ND Assoc. 

Of County Veteran Service 

Officers 

Past President Arnegard 

Lions Club 

Mckenzie County School 

District #1 Board Member 

Veterans Organizations: 

American Legion 

40 et 8 

VFW


Chaplain’s Message 

Why Not Give Praying A Try 

Greetings fellow Veterans, 

After living most of my life in the Great 

State of Minnesota right next door to Ole 

and Lena,I need to admit that the older I get 

the more I look forward to spring! Not that 

I’m complaining about this winter! Not one 

little bit! I sold my snowmobile years ago 

and my cross country skis are doing just fine 

where they are in the garage! 

I still really enjoy the change of season 

from winter to spring and for me the month 

of March is the beginning of spring. When 

March comes, I know that the weather will 

be warmer and the warm sun will change 

the landscape. All the ducks and geese will 

be coming back soon, the trees will start 

budding out soon and we will be celebrating 

what Jesus did on the cross for us at Easter! 

All these changes represent new life and 

that always gets me excited! I love seeing 

the Lord’s handiwork keeping life fresh and 

new. 

This morning I read one of my 

favorite bible verses that always reminds 

me of keeping my life “Fresh and New”! 

This verse is found in Paul’s first letter to 

the Thessalonians! It is 1 Thessalonians 

5:17. Actually, this verse is about one 

of the only bible verses that I have been 

able to memorize! The verse is “PRAY 

CONTINUALLY”!That’s it! Just two 

words! I like short verses! This short verse 

says a lot without a lot of words. This short 

verse is easy to memorize, easy to figure out 

and this short verse should be very easy to 

do! Or is it? 

So why does the Apostle Paul remind us 

that we should “PRAY CONTINUALLY” 

you ask?Well, since you asked; I would 

say because Jesus set the standard for us 

by being in communication with His Father 

all the way up to His crucifixion. Not only 

did Jesus pray for Himself, but Jesus also 

prayed for His Disciples and Jesus even 

prayed for all of us that believe in Him. You 

can find all these prayers in the seventeenth 

chapter of the Gospel of John! 

Well you say, my life is okay, I’m 

getting by! When I’m really, really, really 

in a real tough bind I’ll pray for some help 

from Jesus! Or when Great Uncle Ole fell 

and broke his other bad hip I asked Jesus 

to heal Him. I even pray once in a while at 

church. I don’t want to overdo this praying 

thing, besides; Jesus is just too busy to listen 

to me! And besides He doesn’t answer all 

my prayers anyway! 

Well I believe Jesus does want to hear 

from us a little more than two or three times 

Al Gaines 

Department Chaplain 

a year! The Good Word tells us that Jesus 

does hear our prayers and Jesus does answer 

our prayers. The answer to our prayer may 

not be in our own timing as fast as we 

want the answer! Our prayer may not be 

answered how we would like it answered! 

But your prayer will be answered! When 

Paul says “PRAY CONTINUALLY” that is 

for our benefit more than Jesus’ benefit. 

I truly believe that Jesus just loves to 

hear from us. Just like when I call old Lars 

on the phone back in Minnesota we just talk 

and talk and talk! This is the same way we 

can be talking to Jesus! When I strike up the 

conversation with Jesus we just talk, I find 

out that I have a lot to tell Him and a whole 

lot to thank Him for! Sometimes I do all 

the talking and sometimes I just do all the 

listening! 

An Old Veteran, Walter Kallis, down in 

Mott, North Dakota, showed me that prayer 

is one of the greatest blessings that the Lord 

has blessed us with. Prayer is so powerful it 

brings us together with Jesus and remarkable 

amazing things happen when we pray. 

All throughout history nothing great ever 

happened without prayer! Prayer is a direct 

link to the Creator of the Universe! Sorry 

to break this news to you if you believe in 

evolution! Can you imagine what could 

happen if all of God’s Children got together 

and prayed! Look what happened to the 

very first church when all of God’s people 

were together in Acts 2! WOW!!!! 

I truly believe that Jesus would just 

love to hear from you today and answer all 

your prayers because every answered prayer 

brings 100% glory to the Father in Heaven. 

So my encouragement to you today is to 

give this praying thing a try! Get into a good 

habit of “PRAYING CONTINUOUSLY”! 

Take the time to thank the Lord for all your 

blessings! Thank the Lord for meeting your 

needs! Ask the Lordto meet the needs of 

others! Especially the poor, the widows and 

the orphans! Pray for those that don’t know 

Jesus and are headed the wrong way! 

And thank The Lord for bringing 

spring like weather to North Dakota! If you 

don’t know where to start praying, just start 

by thanking Jesus for dying on the cross for 

us! Enjoy the Easter season with a prayer 

on your lips. 

If I can serve you in any way, my 

e-mail address is foreveryoungranch@ 

hotmail .com. 

God Bless. 

Traumatic Brian Injury and Veterans 

By Dr. Alan Fehr 

Every day is an opportunity to learn new 

things. For example, I have learned that if 

I want to know what 

percent of Veterans 

have suffered a 

traumatic brain injury 

(TBI), the answer 

depends on how I ask 

the question. 

I have recently 

had the experience of 

standing in front of 

a group of National 

Guard Service 

Members, most of 

Dr. Alan Fehr 

whom had combat 

experience, and learning that nearly all of 

them have had a TBI at some time in their 

life – if I ask a broad enough question. If I 

ask the audience if they have ever had a head 

injury or TBI, I would get few responses. If 

I ask if they ever had a concussion, I would 

get more affirmative responses. 

I get nearly 100% affirmative response 

when I ask if at any point in their life they 

have ever had a concussion or blow to the 

head from accident or injury that resulted 

in being either unconscious or at least 

resulted in being dazed for a few seconds. 

Being dazed, consistent with the statement 

“had my bell rung,” is the threshold of 

a mild TBI. Mild TBIs or concussions 

are common life experiences from many 

situations, including battlefield blasts, motor 

vehicle accidents, falls, and sports injuries. 

There are many symptoms common to 

TBI. Loss of consciousness or alterations 

of consciousness (e.g. being dazed) are 

common. Other symptoms may include 

headaches, dizziness, sleep problems, 

disorientation, nausea, and problems with 

attention, memory, and balance. 

And the symptoms can be subtle – it 

just takes longer and is more effort to 

do the things a person used to do with 

ease. Most TBIs are mild with symptoms 

being temporary. Complete recovery is 

expected within hours or days. 

More severe TBIs are less common 

and involve neurological problems that may 

take up to two years to achieve maximum 

recovery. Moderate to severe TBI involves 

more severe problems that interfere with 

ability to function in daily life. 

With severe TBI recovery may be 

incomplete but the good news is that we 

are learning that the brain is more flexible 

to recover than we had previously thought 

possible. People can learn ways to retrain 

themselves, compensate for lost skills, and 

overcome many of their deficits. We used 

to think that there wasn’t much that could be 

done to overcome a TBI but now we know 

that isn’t true. 

Although TBI rehabilitation takes hard 

work and the involvement of family and many 

professionals, this field is rapidly changing 

and developing as new treatments and 

strategies continue to challenge what we had 

thought were limits to recovery. People don’t 

recover by themselves; they need support and 

encouragement from their families. They 

need the skilled treatment of many providers, 

including medical professionals, occupational 

therapists, physical therapists, and speech and 

cognitive therapists. And they may need the 

wisdom of professional counselors to help 

them to stay focused and on track. 

I expect that in five years the field of 

rehabilitation for TBI will be dramatically 

improved as treatments and therapies 

continue to evolve and change our knowledge 

of the field. Veterans having problems should 

keep knocking on their professional’s door as 

new answers will continue to emerge. 

For more information, go to the 

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center 

wesite: http://www.dvbic.org/ 

Dr Alan Fehr is a clinical psychologist 

and the Director of Psychological Health 

for the ND National Guard. He can be 

contacted at: alan.fehr@us.army.mil or 

701-225-1050. 

David Rolfson 

for Western Region Vice Commander 

Carl E. Rogen Post #29 of Watford City is proud to endorse David Rolfson 

to seek the position of Western Region Vice Commander. David is a member 

of the Watford City Post #29 and has served as Post Commander, 9th District 

Vice-Commander and 9th District Commander and is currently the Post 

Chaplain and a life-time member of the VFW. 

David and his wife Jan, farm and ranch in McKenzie 

County. David has served in various farm and community 

organizations including the western ND District Council 

(ELCA), Area Council on Drug Abuse and Alcoholism 

(United Way), County Chairman-Thrivent Financial for 

Lutherans and is currently President of the Lutheran Church 

he attends.


Adjutant’s Perspective 

Greetings, to my fellow Legionnaires, 

Auxiliary Members and the Sons of The 

American Legion. I thank you all for 

making my first Winter Conference a 

memorable experience. It is always difficult 

to put a name with a voice until you’ve had 

the opportunity to add the face to the voice 

and name. The Winter Conference provided 

me the time and place to put these vital 

aspects together and helped to close this 

loop of Who’s-Who in the ND American 

Legion. 

With Winter Conference behind 

us, our focus has quickly shifted to the 

Spring Meetings, March DEC meeting, 

legislative activities, and planning for the 

Dept. Convention this coming June 22- 

24 in Jamestown. With all these events 

happening, it would be easy to overlook 

several very important items that are basic 

to our everyday needs as an organization. 

You’ve heard this before, but I’ll mention it 

again, and hopefully add some new facts to 

the issue, Membership. We all know it takes 

work to meet our retention rates, and to sort 

through the veterans of our communities, 

seeking those whom have yet to join the ND 

Legion. Let me give you a few facts that I 

found in my research on our ND Veterans 

and ND American Legion Membership. 

The following information is very 

interesting, and was obtained from the 

data base of the Veterans Administration. 

The time period reviewed is the 10 years 

spanning 2001-2010. Total veterans in ND 

in 2001 equaled 60,838, ten years later the 

count was 55,471 representing a nine percent 

reduction of living vets. This compared to 

our membership over the same period quite 

different. In May of 2001, the end of our 

membership year, our members counted 

at 22,732, ten years later our membership 

had dropped to 17,680. This represents a 

reduction of twenty-seven percent in our 

membership. This fact is significant, just 

by itself. If we take one more step and 

compare our membership as a percentage of 

the states veteran population, it shows us we 

have also lost in the percentage of veterans 

available to be members. In 2001, we had 

thirty-seven percent of the states’ veterans 

signed up as members, while in 2010, our 

membership penetration also followed the 

decline, and it fell to a thirty-one percent 

of the state’s veterans. Of course, it’s easy 

to say or justify the loss to several reasons; 

the first usually would the loss via the death 

rates of our World War II veterans. During 

this ten year period, the death rate varied 

very little from the statistical average of 

1560 deaths per year. Comparing deaths 

David Johnson 

Department Adjutant 

to the number of veterans, (770 per year) 

separating from active service, the net 

difference in death’s and separations doesn’t 

provide a singular reason for our declining 

membership by itself. During my review 

of the Age Group demographics, another 

interesting fact presented itself. Our 

largest membership group during this ten 

year period, the 50-54 year old veteran, is 

shifting as it ages. The 55-60 age groups 

numbered 7,022, ten years later has dropped 

to 5,544. ND experienced a net loss of 1500 

veterans just in that age group. We’ve lost 

members for a variety of reasons, and I’d 

bet some post have lost members simply 

due to the shifting of the state’s population 

from the rural communities to the larger 

metro communities. 

I know this is a very sterile topic and 

fairly boring number crunching. What it 

does do is to remind us that our member 

group is aging, and that our membership 

data base is not a fixed amount. The veteran 

group in the state is shifting, during this 

period of time, our Guard and Reserve 

forces have been reduced, and the total 

military force structure is being redesigned. 

Our youth, ages 30-45 have different needs 

than what we had in our day. Methods of 

communication are different, how they see 

the world and how they integrate into our 

communities is vastly different. 

At the Winter Conference, our National 

Commander Fang Wong, asked us a simple 

question. “Why did we join the American 

Legion?” Our answers were very different 

and still very personal. The key to this 

question is still very simple. The standard 

business evaluation of a product is to define 

the “benefit-value” a product provides a 

customer. The veteran is our potential 

customer, so what is the benefit and value 

we provide to them? What value does 

your post provide to a new member? It is 

important for us all to be able to answer this 

question. It will be difficult to ask the next 

generation to join if we are unable to answer 

this question. The next generation is willing 

to step forward and answer the call, if; 1) 

they see a purpose in the donation of their 

time, 2) they will feel a part of the process, 

3) if there is something in it for them. Our 

job, our responsibility to the future of our 

organization, is to be able to meet those 

needs. Answer their questions honestly, and 

get them into leadership positions early. 

Our job is not limited to simply “asking 

them” to join. It also includes teaching and 

mentoring the new member, helping them 

to understand the value of the American 

Legion, that it is a resource for their family, 

friends, fellow vets, and their community. It 

is important for all of us to dig deep, and 

get a solid understanding of the value of our 

membership and then ask those whom have 

not made their decision to join us in our need 

to provide services to those disabled while 

in service to our country. Membership is 

not limited to the renewal contests, or the 

“last push”. It needs to be in your everyday 

thought process. Ask yourself, “Who in 

my everyday activities, is a Vet? Are they 

a member?” 

Please do not hesitate to contact 

myself, or one of our staff, Jim Deremo; 

Department Service Officer located at the 

ND VA Administrative offices, Teri Bryant; 

Programs Coordinator, or Sarah Kim; 

Administrative Assistant. We are here to 

help you with your needs. Best regards, 

and please step up and introduce yourself to 

me when I am visiting your Post or District 

meetings. 

94th American 

Legion Department Convention 

June 22-24, 2012 

Jamestown, ND 

S.B. Aasen Post 210 is proud to endorse 

Wayne D. Satrom 

for National Vice 

Commander 

We are asking for your support 

as Wayne seeks the 

endorsement of the Department 

of North Dakota 

• Paid up for Life member of the 


• Member of Post 210 for 41 

years 

• Past Post Commander 

• Post Boys State Chairman 

• Post Oratorical Chairman 

• In charge of the Post Honor 

Guard 

• First District Vice Commander 

• First District Commander 

• East Region Vice Commander 

• Commander Elect 

• Department Commander 

Wayne D. Satrom 

• Alternate NEC 

• Appointed to the National 

Convention Commission for 

the last few years 

• American Legion Foundation 

Board from East Region 

• North Dakota Veterans 

Foundation Board 

• National Guard and Reserve 

Liaison 

We are very proud of Wayne and would appreciate your support as he seeks 

the Department’s endorsement for the position of National Vice Commander at 

the State Convention in Jamestown. 

Wayne has been married to his wife Virginia for 46 years. Virginia is a Paid- 

Up for Life member of the American Legion Auxiliary. They have two children, 

a daughter, Shawn and a son, Chad. Chad farms with his dad near Galesburg. 

They have five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.


Executive Committee Report 



Executive Committee Meeting 

Seven Seas, Mandan, ND 

1100 hrs, October 15, 2011 

Chairman Larry Vetter called the 

meeting to order at 11:00 am with a salute 

to the colors and the pledge of allegiance. 

Dale Roth offered the prayer. 

On a MOTION by Kenny Wiederholt 

and SECONDED by George Zeller to 

approve the agenda with the addition of 

the copier, Fallen Officers and Curt Twete 

had information to present at the end of the 

meeting was unanimously approved. 

Minutes from 9/23/11 Conference Call 

On a MOTION by Dave Rice and 

SECONDED by Dale Roth the minutes 

were unanimously approved. 

Minutes from 9/29/11 Conference Call 

On page 2, Line 6 the name George 

Zeller was incorrectly spelled George Zeller. 

On a MOTION by Bob Krause and 

SECONDED by George Zeller the minutes 

were unanimously approved with the 

accepted revision. 

Minutes from 6/23/11 Dickinson 

On page 1 the financials for the General 

Fund should be 1 year is subject to audit and 

2 years are approved. 

On a MOTION by George Zeller and 

SECONDED by Kenny Wiederholt the 

minutes were unanimously approved with 

the accepted revision. 

Minutes from 6/26/11 Dickinson 

Carroll Quam has not received any 

updates or changes for the Conference or 

Convention Handbook. 

Past Department Chaplain J. David 

Jones had a heart attack and passed away. 

Dave Rice recommended spelling out 

Courage Carries On in the minutes instead 

of using CCO. 

On a MOTION by Bob Krause and 

SECONDED by Dave Rice the minutes 

were unanimously approved. 

Financial Report by 

Finance Officer George Zeller 

The financials were sent out 2 weeks 

prior to be reviewed and for questions to be 

asked prior to the meeting. 

General Fund 

There is a large difference in PUFL 

payments between 2010 and 2011. This 

s the 

tEndorsement 

Larry Vetter 

Committee Chairman 

Some of the CD’s are coming due. 

Each member of the board is asked to do 

some rate shopping with a maximum of 2 

years and a recommended one time bump. 

Programs Account 

A discussion was held regarding the 

Auxiliary being charged $3000 an issue. 

Curt Twete is concerned the percentage 

is incorrect and the wrong formulas have 

been used. George will take a look at the 

breakdown of charges and get back to the 

board. 

Courage Carries On (CCO) is now a 

program and is being pulled out of VA & 

R. The expenses were coming out of one 

account and donations were going into 

another account. 

On a MOTION by George Zeller and 

SECONDED by Dave Rice, the financial 

report was unanimously approved and 

subject to audit. 

George Zeller discussed the 990’s for 

Boys State were not completed the last 3 

years and will ask Patricia Hodny to write 

a letter to the IRS to remove the penalties. 

On a MOTION by Dale Roth and 

SECONDED by George Zeller to approve 

to purchase software or PC Anywhere under 

$250 as long as there is a secure internet 

connection was unanimously approved. 

Old Business 

The new Adjutant’s counter offer was 

discussed in length along with the issues 

with the handbook. 

On a MOTION by Dave Rice and 

SECONDED by Dale Roth to pay David 

Johnson $37,500 ($35,000 salary and $2500 

instead of health insurance) a year with the 

understanding Dave Johnson will not ever 

be able to receive health insurance was 

approved. 

Roll Call 

Bob Krause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 

David Rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 

Kenny Wiederholt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 

George Zeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 

Dale Roth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No 

Robert Ludwig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No 

Larry Vetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Abstained 

al vice Commander 

issue will be looked into. 

Bob Krause will present the offer to 

Normandin needs to be moved to other David Johnson while putting emphasis on 

income. 

declining the insurance. 

Payroll is down $8000. 

No update on the Past Adjutant. 

Misc. is mostly security. 

New Business 

The payroll liabilities have been paid, On a MOTION by George Zeller 

but not taken off of the books as paid. and SECONDED by Robert Ludwig and 

unanimously approved to accept CVB bids 

for 3 and 4 years out this winter conference 

and accept CVB bids for 4 years out at 

future winter conferences. 

On a MOTION by George Zeller 

and SECONDED by Dale Roth and 

unanimously approved to accept the bid for 

the new copier to replace the current copier, 

color printer and risograph. 

Bob Krause discussed designing a new 

ND Legion pin. Bud Goldsmith presented 

4 different pin designs. Cost and quantity of 

pins discussed with the possibility of having 

a centennial pin in seven years. Send out pin 

design requirements to ND High Schools 

for a contest. Discussion was tabled until 

Winter Conference. 

The employee manual needs to be 

reviewed. 

A discussion was held regarding 

changing the Legion Preamble from Great 

War to All Wars. 

A discussion was held regarding the 

Bismarck fallen officers and the 1983 

Resolution resolving they will be recognized 

upon recommendation of the Americanism 

Committee. A special Americanism 

Committee meeting is to be held to discuss 

and vote on recognizing the two Bismarck 

officers and have the presentation at the 

Winter Conference. 

Commander Appointments 

6th District Vide Commander – Bob 

Lindblom of Butte. 

Western Region Oratorical – Jerry 

Samuelson of Watford City. 

Boys State – Josh Jeffers. 


SECONDED by George Zeller and 

unanimously approved to accept the listed 

appointments. 

Curt Twete discussed the Samsung 

Scholarship recipient from Wyndmere and 

recognizing her. 

Curt Twete discussed the possibility of 

appointing Cathy Keogh as the Women’s 

Veterans Outreach Coordinator. 

Curt Twete discussed at the closing 

of the NEC meeting Commander Wong 

appointing committee to look into starting an 

organization for spouses of female veterans. 

Curt Twete discussed National’s 

Resolution No. 1 regarding National 

Defense Funding. 

Curt Twete discussed penalty clause 

for authorization for Legion baseball which 

was originated in Connecticut. 


SECONDED by Kenny Wiederholt and 

was unanimously approved to adjourn the 

meeting. 

Meeting adjourned 2:29 pm. 

THE AMERICAN LEGION 

TED VALERIUS POST 97, LARIMORE NORTH DAKOTA 

is proud 

to present their endorsement of 

Larry Vetter 

as he seeks the department endorsement for 

National Vice Commander 

Larry Vetter 

nt of the Larimore Ted Valerus Post 97, Larry Vetter announces he is seeking 

r National vice Commander. Vetter is currently the Department Executive 

Larry is a 23 year continuous American Legion Member 

and has held the positions of Post Commander, District vice 

Commander, District Commander, Regional vice Commander, 

MPA Chairman, Commander Elect and Department 

Commander. Larry also was instrumental in starting the 

American Legion Riders for the Department of North Dakota. 

Larry has held the national appointment to the Trophies, 

Awards and Ceremonials committee for 5 years and currently 

holds an appointment to the National Foreign Relations 

Council. 

Larry is a Vietnam era veteran. He served 2 tours in 

Vietnam as a combat helicopter pilot accumulating over 

1200 hours of combat flight time. He was awarded several 

air medals, the Army Commodation medal, the Bronze Star 

and the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. He also 

achieved the rating of Master Aviator. 

Your support for Larry as he seeks the department endorsement for National vice Commander 

in Jamestown this June would be greatly appreciated.


Fargo, ND, Junior Wins 2012 Oratorical Contest 

Davies High School Anjali Lall, 

sponsored by Fargo Post #2, was named 

the North Dakota American Legion 

Oratorical Champion following the 2012 

State Contest, February 4 at The American 

Legion’s Winter Conference in Bismarck. 

Anjali was the 1st Place winner in the East 

Division Contest. Anjali is the daughter of 

Vinod Lall, of Fargo. 

The purpose of The American Legion’s 

High School Oratorical Contest is to develop 

a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the 

Constitution of the United States on the 

part of high school students. Objectives 

of the contest include the development of 

leadership qualities, the ability to think 

and speak clearly and intelligently, and the 

preparation for acceptance of the duties and 

responsibilities, the rights and privileges of 

American citizenship. 

State Champion, Lall received a $250 

cash scholarship provided by the ND 

American Legion, a $175 Cash Scholarship 

Award from the Sam Tolchinsky Endowment 

Fund, administered by the ND Community 

Foundation, and the C.W. Leifur Traveling 

Trophy, which will remain on display at her 

school until next year’s contest. She had 

previously won a $300 Cash Award from the 

ND American Legion and a desk set as the 

1st Place Eastern Division Champion along 

with a $300 Cash Award from the Chuck 

Schroeder Memorial Oratorical Fund for 

winning the 1st District Contest. 

Anjali began her run for the title by 

winning the District 1 Contest and she then 

finished First at the Eastern Division Contest. 

She moves on to the National Contest, 

which will be held in Indianapolis, IN, April 

13-15, 2012. Top winners from all states 

will come together at one site for 3 rounds 

of competition. The first round will have 9 

contests each with 6 contestants. Winners of 

these 9 contests will advance to the second 

round of 3 contests with 3 contestants each. 

The final round will consist of the 3 finalists 

to determine the 2012 National Oratorical 

Contest Champion. Lall will also receive a 

$1,500 Scholarship for competing in the first 

round of the National Contest. If she wins 

the first round, she will advance and she will 

receive an additional $1,500 scholarship if 

eliminated or if she advances to the National 

Finals, she will win either $14,000 - $16,000 

or $18,000 in scholarships. 

Second Place went to David Shelton, 

son of Joseph and Debrorah Shelton, who 

won the 2nd District Contest and finished 

Second in the East Division. David is a 

sophomore and home schooled and will 

receive $200 from the ND American 

Legion and $125 from the Sam Tolchinsky 

Endowment Fund to go along with the $300 

Cash Award for the District and $200 Cash 

Award and a desk pen set for Second Place 

in the East Division. 

Hannah Marie Wegner, a Senior at 

Beach High School, will receive a $150 

cash scholarship from the North Dakota 

American Legion and $50 from the 

Kennelly Scholarship Award for finishing 

Third at State. As the Eighth District winner 

she received a $300 Cash Award. Wegner 

finished First in the Western Division 

Contest and earned a $300 Cash Award 

from the ND American Legion and a desk 

pen set. Hannah Marie is the daughter of 

David and Tammy Wegner. 

Tara Jo Loomer, a Junior from Watford 

City High School, finished in Fourth Place at 

State after winning the 9th District Contest 

and finished Second in the Western Division 

Contest and earned a $200 Cash Award from 

the American Legion and a desk pen set. 

Tara Jo will take home a $100 Cash Award 

from the North Dakota American Legion for 

the state contest and $300 Cash Award for 

the District. Tara Jo is the daughter of Olaf 

and Elizabeth Loomer. 

The North Dakota American Legion 

provides for the Cash Awards earned at 

the Divisional Contests. Cash won at 

the District level contests come from the 

Chuck Schroeder Memorial Oratorical 

Contest Fund now administered by the 

ND American Legion. District winners 

receive Cash Awards of $300 for First, $200 

for Second and $100 for Third. This year 

$6,250 in Cash Awards was earned by the 

winners of The American Legion High 

School Oratorical Contest in North Dakota 

1st District - First Place - Anjali Lall, 

Fargo, Davies High School - Junior. 2nd 

Place - Holly Johnson, Galesburg, Hope- 

Page Public School - Freshman. 

2nd District - First Place - David 

Shelton, Arvilla, Home Schooled - 

Sophomore. 2nd Place - Brady Gudgel, 

Park River, Park River High School - 

Senior. 3rd Place - Gaelen Mibeck, Grand 

Forks, Home Schooled - Junior. 

3rd District - First Place - Kirsten Stave, 

Rolette, Rolette High School - Junior. 

4th District - First Place - Eric 

Allmaras, Carrington, Carrington High 

School - Senior. 2nd Place - Caleb Reich, 

Medina, Home Schooled - Senior. 

5th District - First Place - Teddi Lyn 

Bergquist, Wing, Wing Public High School 

- Senior. 

6th District - First Place - Thomas 

Burke, Minot, Bishop Ryan High School 

Minot - Junior. 

8th District - First Place - Hannah Marie 

Wegner, Beach, Beach High School - Senior. 

2nd Place - Kayla Olson, New England, 

Scranton High School - Sophomore. 3rd 

Place - Kara Stegner, Amidon, New 

England High School - Junior. 

9th District - First Place - Tara Jo 

Loomer, Watford City, Watford City High 

School - Junior. 2nd Place - Samantha 

LEFT TO RIGHT: DEPARTMENT ORATORICAL Chairman Ron Broderson, National 

Commander Fang Wong, 1st Place Anjali Lall, 2nd Place David Shelton, 3rd Place Hannah 

Marie Wegner, 4th Place Winner Tara Jo Loomer and Department Commander Robert 

Krause. 

Jorgenson, Watford City, Watford City 

High School - Junior. 3rd Place - Tori 

Williams, Keene, Watford City High 

School - Sophomore. 

10th District - First Place - Samantha 

Goerger, Wyndmere, Wyndmere High 

School - Freshman. 2nd Place - Luke 

Anderson, Wahpeton, Wahpeton High 

School - Senior. 

Novotny Kachena Post #208 

is proud to endorse 

Eugene F. Kachena 

for Department 

Commander Elect 

Eugene is a 39 year member of Pisek 

Post #208. He has served as Post vice 

Commander, Post Commander, District 2 vice 

Commander, district 2 Commander, Eastern 

Region vice Commander and is currently the 

Department Membership Chairman. He also 

serves on the National Americanism Council. 

Eugene and his wife of 44 years, Barbara 

Ann, reside in Pisek. They are the parents 

of five children and have to date seven (soon 

to be eight) grandchildren. All five children 

have education degrees, with four currently 

teaching and one full time in the 188th ND 

Eugene F. Kachena Guard in Grand Forks. Having taught for 30 

years and farmed for 39 years, Eugene is 

now retired from both of those occupations. Eugene continues to be active in 

officiating VB, BB and Baseball. He also serves as part-time play by play broad 

casters for KXPO radio in Grafton. He currently is serving as president of the 

financial council of St. Mary’s Church in Park River. He is Clerk-Treasurer of 

Rushford Township and is a member of the Weed Board in Walsh County. As 

time permits, he operates a small contracting business. 

Pisek Post #208 would appreciate your support as Eugene seeks the 

position of Department Commander Elect.


Last Vietnam Vet Retires From Navy Reserve 

Your NEC Report 

THE LAST SALUTE. Being Piped Ashore for Senior Chief Quarter Master David Rice. 

(Photo by MM2 Philip Kander) 

By: Wendy Reuer, 

Reporter, Fargo Forum 

When Senior Chief Quarter Master 

David Rice reached the top of his pay grade 

as a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves, he 

could’ve retired at any time. 

But even after about 30 years, Rice 

wasn’t ready to retire. He stayed on and 

continued regular drills and practices with 

fellow shipmates for another 13 years – 

without pay. 

“I didn’t really care because I just enjoyed 

doing it,” Rice said. “When the Navy quit 

paying me, they could afford to pay two 

younger men or women. So I said, ‘Yeah, they 

deserve a shot just like I did.’ ” 

As he approached age 60 in 2011, he 

was forced to retire at the Navy’s mandatory 

retirement age. 

After 42 years of serving his country, Rice 

quietly and honorably retired in December. He 

is the last Vietnam combat veteran to serve in 

the North Dakota Navy Reserves, and possibly 

the last Navy reservist retiree in the nation that 

served in Vietnam, according to fellow Navy 

reservist Jerry Rostad. 

On April 19, 1972, Rice was on a Navy 

ship, fire raining down on all sides – from 

Vietnamese air fighters, approaching gun 

boats and offshore. 

“One of the ships took a direct hit,” Rice 

said. “Thank God nobody was killed.” 

It was one of the defining moments in 

Rice’s life. It was also an ironic moment. 

In June 1969, the 17-year-old’s mother 

signed a waiver allowing him to join the 

Navy. Rice wanted to join the military, but 

his two older brothers, who were already 

involved with the Vietnam War as Army 

soldiers, did not want their little brother to 

see combat. 

“They didn’t want me in Vietnam,” Rice 

said. “She signed the waiver hoping to keep 

me out of Vietnam. Six months later, guess 

where I was: Vietnam.” 

More than 40 years later, Rice describes 

that harrowing instance of combat in his home 

near Harwood with remarkable clarity and 

calm – likely how the veteran reacted then. 

While in the Navy, Rice said he loved 

the service, the traveling and his shipmates. 

He worked as a navigational specialist and 

was usually stationed on the bridge, which 

gave him a worldview from the ship. 

“I always knew where we were and 

where we were going,” Rice said. 

After serving four years, Rice was 

discharged and returned home to North 

Dakota to attend North Dakota State 

University. He later worked for the NDSU 

Extension Service until retiring in 2008. 

While attending NDSU, Rice learned 

of the Navy Reserve office in Fargo and 

eventually signed on, serving 38 years. 

SEE VIETNAM 


Thursday, June 21, 2012 

1:00p Golf Tournament 

6:00p Foundation Meeting 

Friday, June 22, 2012 

10:00a Department Executive Committee Meeting 

10:00a-6:00p Registration – Civic Center 

1:00p Resolutions Committee Meeting 

1:30p Organization/Membership & Post Activities Meeting 

2:30p Credentials Convention Committee Meeting 

2:30p Finance/Budget & Audit Convention Committee Meeting 

3:30p Constitution/By Laws & Rules Convention Committee Meeting 

3:30p VA&R Committee Meeting 

3:30p Dist Cmdrs & Pres Rehearsal 

4:30p Past Department Commanders Social/Dinner 

4:30p 40 et 8 Buffet & Grand Cheminot 

7:30p Joint Opening Session 

6:30p Parade 

9:00p Foundation Raffle Appreciation Reception 

Saturday, June 23, 2012 

7:30a 40 et 8 Breakfast and Grand Promenade 

National Commander Wong, true to his 

word, paid a visit to our Winter Conference 

in Bismarck in early February. The 

Commander’s message held the audience’s 

attention during the opening session and 

again as our key note speaker for the 

banquet. Now that the President’s budget 

is out, I’m sure, again true to his word, you 

can count on he and his staff to lobby hard 

for the DOD and VA budgets. 

The end of February thirteen Legion 

and Auxiliary folks from North Dakota will 

be in Washington, DC to assist Commander 

Wong with our legislative priorities. They, 

along with folks from the other Departments, 

will call on their congressional delegations 

to make the case for a strong national defense 

and veterans care. Following Senator 

Hoeven’s remarks at the Winter Conference 

in Bismarck, he personally assured me he 

would be a sponsor on Senate Resolution 19 

(SR 19), the Flag Amendment Resolution, 

so when in DC I intend to follow up on 

that commitment. I plan to thank him for 

signing on as a sponsor. 

The end of March an endorsing 

convention will be held in Bismarck and 

remember vets we have some unfinished 

business to take care of there! I’m counting 

on you to be there in force, thanks in 

94th American Legion Convention 

Gladstone Inn and Civic Center, Jamestown, ND 

Agenda 

8:00a-Noon Registration 

DRAFT 

Hosted by 

POST AND UNIT #14 - Jamestown, nd 

Curtis Twete 

National Executive Committeeman 

advance. It is our duty to be involved and 

not take anything for granted when the 

stakes are so high. 

To each of you working membership, a 

big thank you goes out to you. I truly believe 

Commander Krause and Membership 

Chairman Eugene Kachena, with your hard 

work and help, will make the goal for North 

Dakota for the first time in years. It’s been 

awhile since we had a 100% Commander, 

but this one is in reach if each of us will 

go the extra mile in membership. A real 

honor for our Department and appropriate 

when we hope to put one of our own up for 

National Vice Commander. 

With Spring District meetings just 

around the corner, talk them up at your 

Post Meetings and gather several car loads 

to attend in your District. The information 

shared during these meetings keeps us 

abreast of the most current issues requiring 

our efforts. Thank you for what you do to 

keep your Post relevant. Remember it’s not 

the price you paid to belong, but rather, the 

price you paid to be eligible. 

8:30a Boys State Meeting 

9:00a Sons of the American Legion Meeting 

9:00a Membership Issues/Training 

9:30a District Commanders/Finish Consolidated Post Reports 

11:30a Go-Getter Picnic 

12:30p Meet/Greet Incoming District Commanders and Presidents 

1:00p-600p Registration 

1:30p Legion General Session 

3:00p Legion Riders Meeting 

3:00p National Convention Meeting 

3:30p Regional Caucuses 

5:30p Distinguished Guest Reception 

6:00/ 7:00p Social Hour/Banquet 

9:00p Dance 

Sunday, June 24, 2012 

7:00a Press Association Breakfast 

8:00a-11:00a Registration 

8:00a Joint Memorial Service 

9:00a-10:30a Joint Session 

11:00a General Session


Local Posts in the News 

Your local Post can be featured on this page in future issues by sending photographs and short stories to: North 

Dakota Legion News, P.O. Box 5057, West Fargo, ND 58078. All photos must be originals and cannot be clipped from local 

newspapers. Stories from local newspapers can only be reprinted with the written permission of the editor. 

An American Flag For Every First Grader 

SEVERAL LEGIONNAIRES of the Gunnerud-Dietrich American Legion Post 86 of 

Minnewaukan received the Post’s Citation for Meritorious Service for their volunteer efforts 

on behalf of the Post. Six are pictured here at the Post’s breakfast for the public on November 

27, 2011. The Post serves a breakfast for the public the fourth Sunday of each month. Left to 

right are Adjutant Richard Peterson, Vice Commander Jerome Dahlen, Chaplain Mark Motis, 

Sergeant-at-Arms Ward Christensen, Commander Steve Rohrer and Service Officer David 

Daeley. Also receiving the award, but not pictured were Milson Ball, Curtis Yri and Floyd 

Dressen. 

MILSON BALL, CENTER, 

was presented the Gunnerud- 

Dietrich American Legion Post 

86 of Minnewaukan’s Citation for 

Meritorious Service for his many 

years of service to the Legion Post. 

Ball participated in nearly every 

Memorial Day ceremony from 

shortly after World War II to just 

a few years ago. He was also a 

regular volunteer at the Legion’s 

breakfast for the public the fourth 

Sunday of each month. On the left 

is Post Commander Steve Rohrer 

and on the right is Mark Motis, Post Historian and Chaplain. Ball, 95, and his wife, Grace, 

recently moved to Grand Forks after making a flood insurance settlement on their home. 

American Legion Presents Flags 

Article by the New Rockford Transcript 

The American Legion Raymond B. 

Thorn Post 30 in New Rockford made a very 

generous presentation to New Rockford- 

Sheyenne School. The local Legion Post 

donated 16 new flags for classrooms in the 

school, as well as donating a new large flag 

to be flown on the main flagpole outside 

the front doors of the school building. 

Post Commander Theodore Dauenhauer 

presented the flags to the two principals 

Shirley Lindstrom in the elementary and 

Al Benz in the high school. They both 

accepted the flags on behalf of the school. 

In the course of cleaning classrooms 

during last summer, it was noticed that 

many of the rooms either no longer had 

flags or the flags were worn and tattered. 

When the school contacted Legion member 

Bob Ludwig about getting new flags, Bob 

came back with the news that The American 

Legion would donate the new flags. The 

Legion also took care of the proper disposal 

of the old flags which is a service they 

provide to anyone who needs to dispose of a 

flag that is worn, ripped, faded and tattered 

or no longer being used. If you have flags 

that you need to dispose of, you can drop 

them off at City Hall in New Rockford or at 

The American Legion Club. 

If anyone would like more information 

about the proper disposal of flags or 

the proper handling of flags, you can 

contact American Legion members Ted 

Dauenhauer, Bob Ludwig, Jerry Valdivia or 

Alfred Ritzke. 

40 & 8 240 VoyAGERS (left to right) Dave Rice, Bob Lechner, Jim Schlenker, Larry Lein 

and Bob Krause group photo with first graders from the West Fargo Eastwood Elementary 

School. 

By Dave Rice, 

Flags for 1st Graders Coordinator 

The Cass County 40 & 8 Voiture 240 

is once again conducting their Flags for 1 st 

Graders program. Voyagers are visiting 27 

elementary schools and handing out flags 

to 1,700 1 st Graders this winter. Veterans 

spend about 10-15 minutes telling the first 

graders about how our flag came about and 

how it progressed to the current symbol 

of our country. 40 & 8’ers explain what 

the colors represent, discuss the many 

freedoms we enjoy and those we should 

thank for establishing and maintaining those 

freedoms. A special thank you is given to 

the teachers for mentoring and educating 

our nation’s youth. The presentation 

is concluded by reciting the Pledge of 

Allegiance and presenting each first grader 

with a flag and 40 & 8 brochure about the 

flag and its care. 

The “Promoting Patriotism & Honor” 

pillar of the American Legion includes the 

objective of “Encouraging an appreciation 

for the nation and for the Flag of the United 

States.” We believe the 40 & 8 Flags for 

First Graders program helps accomplish 

this objective and would be a rewarding 

joint 40 & 8/American Legion project in 

your community. 

1953 Dodge 3/4 

Ton Truck 

Good body and motor 

Needs some minor 

restoration 

Asking $1,200 

Call Glenn For More Information 

Hillsboro American Legion 

701-636-5074


Memorial Service Held At ND Legion Winter Conference 

MRS. DEBORAH KENNER AND FAMILy during the Memorial Service. 

MRS. LANA SLEEPER AND FAMILy during the Memorial Service. 

The Memorial Service held during 

this past North Dakota American Legion 

Winter Conference, has brought to light the 

importance of our families in support of the 

servicemen, Peace Officers and others that 

dedicate their lives to their communities 

and country. The NDAL recognized two 

ND Peace Officers who made the ultimate 

sacrifice during the line of duty, Sergeant 

Steve Kenner, Bismarck Police Department. 

and Deputy Bryan Sleeper, Burleigh County 

Sheriff’s Department. Their families 

were invited to be recognized during our 

Memorial Service. Department Chaplain Al 

Gaines presided over a very moving program 

of prayer, recognition of responsibility, and 

other various facets of our lives. 

Pastor Al organized a very enjoyable 

mix of music, Gwen Damlo, provided 

beautiful vocal leadership in guiding the 

congregation through the hymns. A small 

group of musician from the North Dakota 

American Legion State Band played the 

prelude to the service and following the 

presentations to the families a very moving 

trumpet trio of “Alleluia.” 

Our National Commander Fang Wong, 

presented the families with the North Dakota 

Department American Legion Distinguished 

Service Awards for the service and sacrifice 

of the fallen officers Sleeper and Kenner. 

The plaques were similar in format and read 

the following; 

It is a distinct privilege and honor 

of the ND Department of The American 

Legion to recognize Sergeant Steve Kenner 

posthumously for his service and duty as 

a peace officer with the Bismarck Police 

Department. The Legion Family extends 

its gratitude and respect for the ultimate 

sacrifice for which Sergeant Kenner gave 

in line of duty. His personal sacrifice 

was for the benefit of his community and 

the protection of his family, friends and 

neighbors. Therefore, be it resolved: That it 

is our extreme pleasure to present Sergeant 

Kenner, posthumously this Distinguished 

Service Award for his personal dedication, 

service and sacrifice. 

Department Commander Robert Krause 

read Letters of Recognition presented to 

Lana Sleeper and Deborah Kenner,wives of 

the fallen officers. The letters were similar 

in format and read the following; 

It is our privilege and honor to 

recognize Lana Sleeper for her dedicated 

service in the support of her husband, the 

late Deputy Sheriff Bryan Sleeper. Deputy 

Sleeper served as a 

peace officer with 

the Burleigh County 

Sheriff’s Department. 

The ND Department 

of The American 

Legion extends its 

gratitude for your 

selfless service to your 

husband and family, 

allowing Officer 

Sleeper to perform his 

duties professionally 

every day. The duties 

of a spouse, whose 

partner has served 

the common good, are 

never more evident 

than during these most 

personal of times, you 

as an individual also needs to be recognized 

by our leaders and citizens. Therefore, it 

is our extreme pleasure to present to you 

this Letter of Recognition, for your personal 

dedication, service and the sacrifices you 

have made with the loss of your husband. 

Take comfort knowing your husband is with 

his Band of Brothers and has reported with 

honor to his “Final Roll Call.” 

MEMBERS OF THE North Dakota State Band 

during the Memorial Service. 

Following the service, several local 

media programs interviewed both National 

Commander Fang Wong, and Department 

Commander Robert Krause regarding the 

importance and appreciation of the North 

Dakota Legion for including these Officers 

in the Memorial Service Program. 

Remember your Fallen Commrades with a generous Memorial Donation to the 

North Dakota American Legion Foundation Department Headquarters, 

The American Legion 

Box 5057, 

West Fargo, ND 58078


LEGIONNAIRE — Cont. from Page 1 

post. Oran has not restricted his activities 

to the local post; he has served as the 6 th 

District Vice-Commander for two years and 

as the West Region Vice-Commander for 

one year. Mr. Keith is a solid supporter of 

all Legion activities; he attends conferences 

and conventions around the state and has 

served as Post Membership Chairman for 

the Bothun-Peterson Post striving to meet 

the membership goals set by the Post. 

Oran Keith has been involved with 

his community in other outreach activities. 

Oran was a major supporter in developing 

and creating the Renville County Historical 

Society. He has volunteered countless 

hours in gathering and displaying numerous 

have two children. One son, Justin lives in 

Minot, and daughter, Jordyne, is a junior 

in high school at Dakota Prairie HS in 

Petersburg, ND. Kelly and Karla have been 

married nineteen years, and their home is in 

Michigan, ND. Kelly spends a significant 

amount of his off duty time during the 

year being the Dakota Prairie HS Girl’s JV 

Eighth District will be Wednesday 

night at Reeder’s Carl Hendrickson Post 

51. Moving on to Thursday night Stanley’s 

Charles L. Hartman Post 134 will host the 

Ninth District Meeting. The traveling team 

moves to Bottineau where members of the 

Bottineau Post 42 will host Legionnaires 

from the Sixth District. And don’t forget 

on Saturday, March 31 in Langdon the 

Langdon Post 98 will host the 3rd District 

meeting. 

District meetings will resume on 

Tuesday, April 10 (taking Easter Monday 

off) when the 2nd District will gather in 

Larimore, the home of Ted Valerius Post 

97. Wednesday finds the traveling group in 

“I just really enjoyed working with the 

men and women of the Navy. It just felt good 

being back, being part of that team.” 

Although Rice trained in Fargo, he 

regularly traveled for training as a reservist. 

Although Rice was not recalled for active 

duty overseas, there was always a chance he 

could be. 

“It was always tough to watch (the 

shipmen) go,” Rice said. “They’re a bunch 

of fine, fine, people.” 

As director of the North Dakota Navy 

artifacts from the region, ensuring the future 

generations will have a better understanding 

of the paths driven by the settlers of their 

region. Oran served several years as the 

Society’s President and was instrumental in 

developing their fundraising programs. 

Oran is married to Audrey Anderson 

Keith, and they have two children. Oran 

attended Mohall High School. Attends 

and is a member of the Nazarene Church. 

He is very busy with activities outside of 

the Legion. He currently is serving two 

organizations as their President, both the 

Renville County Historical Society and the 

Art Club in Bottineau, ND. 

OFFICIER — Cont. from Page 1 

Basketball Coach. 

Congratulations to Sheriff Janke for 

being recognized as a leader within the Law 

Enforcement family. He will be recognized 

during the Department of North Dakota 

American Legion’s Annual Convention 

which is being held this June 22-24, 2012, 

in Jamestown, ND. 

MEETINGS — Cont. from Page 1 

Fargo where the Gilbert C. Grafton Post 2 

will host members of the 1st District before 

moving on to Carrington on Thursday night 

where John Raymond O’Hara Post 25 will 

host the 4th District meeting. The final 

night of meetings will take place in the 

10th District at Hankinson’s Eberhard Post 

88. The meetings will open at 7:00 pm 

CST the Seventh District Meeting starts 

at 7:00 pm (MST) and 8:00 pm (CST). 

Department Commander Robert Krause 

would like all posts to be represented at 

their respective District Meeting and take 

an active part in the selection of the District 

Commander and Vice Commander. 

VIETNAM — Cont. from Page 9 

League, Rice will continue to be connected 

to the Navy. The Navy League is a nonprofit, 

civilian advocate of sea services. It supports 

plans for the U.S.S. North Dakota, which is 

set to be commissioned in early 2014. 

“We’re very proud there is a submarine 

named after our great state of North Dakota,” 

Rice said. 

Although his retirement may not have 

been fully his choice, Rice plans to fully 

enjoy time with his wife, Donna, and his son, 

daughter and grandchildren. 

Eloise Ogden Awarded ND American 

Legion Press Association Award 

The ND Department of the American 

Legion is proud to present our Press 

Association Award to Eloise Ogden. Eloise 

currently serves the Minot Daily News as the 

Regional Editor. It is our distinct privilege 

and honor to recognize Eloise Ogden for her 

dedicated service to the men and women of 

the military service, and to The American 

Legion membership and their activities 

in Minot, ND. Eloise was born in Minot, 

raised near Ryder, ND. 

Eloise has been a main stay in the 

community during her 40 years as a Regional 

Editor for the Minot Daily News. Her 

personal contacts with the U.S. Air Force 

Command structure has allowed for her to 

obtain exclusive, first-hand information, 

relevant to the Minot community of family 

and friends. In addition, she has obtained 

several “Honorary” memberships with 

various military commands. Of particular 

interest, she has been made a crew member 

of the USS Carl Vinson, CVN 70, her “crew 

member status was granted, for having 

logged an “Arrested Landing and Catapult 

Launch” aboard the carrier during “at sea” 

flight operations. She also has obtained 

Larry Callahan, Firefighter of the Year 

Nominated by Matthew Brew Post 

#3 in Dickinson, ND, Larry Callahan was 

named North Dakota American Legion 

Firefighter of the Year at the February 

Winter Conference in Bismarck, ND. 

Larry is the Assistant Fire Chief for 

the Dickinson Fire Department. He joined 

the Dickinson Department in March of 

1982, having served thirty years, achieving 

multiple certifications and promotions 

throughout his career. Obtaining his 

Firefighter I and Firefighter II certification 

through the North Dakota Firefighter’s 

Association, as well as being CPR/First 

Aid certified as an instructor. Early in his 

career Larry distinguished himself as being 

a capable leader. He was promoted to his 

current position as the Assistant Fire Chief, 

21 years ago. 

Mr. Callahan is an important player 

of the Departments Training Committee 

serving as the principal trainer for several 

courses. Larry served on the Departments 

Safety Committee, being an “On-Site” 

safety observer. 

Mr. Callahan has worked for Montana 

Dakota Utilities as a construction supervisor 

and Safety Coordinator for the MDU 

organization. Larry joined the Dickinson 

Volunteer while being an MDU employee. 

the level of 

“ S q u a d r o n 

Mate” for 

having flown 

with the 

72nd Bomb 

Squadron, a 

former Minot 

AFB squadron; 

she flew with a 

crew aboard the 

squadrons B-52 

Stratofortress 

Bomber. Ms. 

Ogden is a 

Eloise Ogden 

member of the Minot Area Chamber of 

Commerce Military Affairs Committee. 

Eloise has been recognized several times for 

her fair and impartial reporting of military 

issues affecting the region. 

Eloise is married to Bernie 

Pellenwessel, a Real Estate Broker and coowner 

of Signal Realtors, Inc. in Minot. 

Bernie is a U.S. Air Force veteran, having 

flown with the ”Spitten Kittens” of the 5th 

Fighter Intercept Squadron based out of 

Minot AFB. 

Larry and 

his wife Nancy 

are members 

of the First 

Congressional 

Church and 

reside in 

D i c k i n s o n . 

They have 

two daughters 

and one son, 

all whom are 

grown and have 

families of their 

Larry Callahan 

own. 

Congratulations to Larry Callahan on 

earning this most prestigious award. The 

citizens of Dickinson and surrounding 

community, as well as the entire state of 

North Dakota, are indeed fortunate to have 

someone as professional and dedicated. 

Assistant Chief Callahan epitomizes the 

firefighters’ motto; “Duty, Honor, Courage, 

Integrity” while he strives to protect 

Dickinson’s family, friends and neighbors. 

The North Dakota American Legion is 

extremely proud to have the opportunity to 

recognize his dedication and commitment 

to his fellow citizen. 

Have You paid Your 2012 Membership Dues?

March, 2012 - The American Legion Department of North Dakota

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