DEC Is Told Marshall Will Be FC Site
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The Minnesota American Legion and Auxiliary LegionnaireVolume 100, Number 4 For God and Country April 2018 DEC is told Marshall will beThis year’s FC Fall Conference site will be held at (drum roll please)… Marshall, Minnesota. The conference had originally been slated for Brainerd, but after a visit from the Minnesota Convention Corporation, it was determined that the city did not have the facilities necessary for the conference. Corporation Chairman Pat Logan told the Department Executive Committee meeting at Buffalo that contact was made with several of the large resorts in the Brainerd area, Continued on Page 6 Olson gives update Building 22 was dedicated in March. It will have 100 private rooms and many amenities. A Spanish- on 100th Convention American War cannon sits on the lawn outside the new Veterans Home in Minneapolis. With the 100th National Convention in Minneapolis less than five months away, the Department Executive Committee heard a report from Convention Corporation President Jeff Olson about the big plans for this August. Minneapolis’ $113 million remake is done Olson said 14 Minnesota high school bands have signed By Al Zdon The Minneapolis home has a rich history of service to up for the convention parade, which will be held Sunday, Eight years ago, the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minnesota veterans. The oldest buildings on the campus Aug. 26, on the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Minneapolis was at a low point, cited for numerous were built in the 1880s to serve the Civil War veterans. It will be the most high school bands in a national parade infractions, and providing facilities that by modern stan- Building 22 sits in the middle of a 53-acre campus that in many years. dards were sub-par. is bordered on one side by the Mississippi River and on The parade will start at either 4 or 4:30 p.m. as the organ- With the completion of Building 22, the third phase of the other side by Minnehaha Creek. A bridge over the izers try to not conflict with a Twins game that day at near- an ambitious $113 million makeover of the Minneapolis creek is currently closed while it too is brought up to cur- by Target Field. campus, the veterans home is now the jewel of a very rent codes in an $8 million project. Olson said he has been asked about bringing buses to the good system. The dedication brought out several hundred veterans parade, and he said there is a lack of parking downtown. He The new building, which will provide 100 industry- and others who filled the two large common rooms that asked that anybody who plans to bring a bus to the parade standard rooms, completes the makeover which began in are part of the campus. The larger part of the crowd had 2010. Continued on Page 7 Continued on Page 3 New Prague Scout Rochester gearing up Family Day at the Eagle of the Year forThis year’sstate Minnesota convention American Legion convention, the Twins is July 13 Joseph Taylor of New The annual American Prague has been selected 100th annual, will be held at Rochester. An official registration form is on page 2 of this Legion Family Day at the as Minnesota’s American Twins will be Friday, July Legion Eagle Scout of the Minnesota Legionnaire. The convention will be held July 18-21 beginning with 13, vs. the Tampa Bay Year. Rays. Taylor, who was eligi- the Department Executive Committee meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday the 18th. The convention itself will open on Tickets are $21 and are ble for the award through in the Home Plate view the service of his grandfa- Thursday Mayo Civic Center. The Auxiliary’s 99th annual convention will begin the section. cial group rate for the ther, John Baldwin, is a Tickets can be Legion. senior at New Prague same day at the Kahler Grand Hotel. The official hotels for the convention are the Kahler obtained by contacting the For special orders, or High School. He is the Twins by phone (612- for further information, son of Robert and Karen Grand, the Kahler Inn and Suites and the Marriott. Those attending must make their own reservations. 659-3400) or on their call Brian Bessler at the Continued on Page 6 JOSEPH TAYLOR The conventions are the annual business meetings of the website. Ask for the spe- Twins at 612-659-4083. Legion and Auxiliary Walking the Point in Vietnam VETERANS DAY ON HILL -- The Waite Park Post Color Guard led a group of several hundered veterans up the hill to the Capitol for the Veterans Day on the Hill event. Veterans later met with their legislators. Page 8-10 Page 2 Minnesota Legionnaire April 2018 NewBoatswain’s Navy Mate Chief chiefpetty officer. Hepart has served ofleges the I never heardfuture of.” married of there.The He isAmerican now Meseret, and their twoLegion chil- much to the post. Petty Officer Chris Penn is for the past 13 years. One factor weighing in stationed in San Diego at dren, Christopher III and But that day will come, a large man, soft-spoken Penn spent much of his was that many of his rela- Explosive Ordnance Emnet, live in San Diego. “I Williams said. “We have to and very skilled in what he growing up in the tives had served, it was kind Disposal (EOD) Training call Emnet my ‘chief baby,’ bring in members like Chief does. Dorchester area of Boston, of a family tradition. and Evaluation Unit One. because she waited to be Penn,” said Williams. “And He is the rock and the but moved to St. Paul when One day at high school, He operates the vehicle and born until the day after I we have to do it now.” future of the U.S. Navy. he was a sophomore in high he spotted a couple of boat shop for the training made chief.” “Here’s the future of The And someday, he may be school. He was a star ath- recruiters checking in at the center. Penn is a member of 3M American Legion. No mat- the rock and future of The lete, playing tight end in front desk. They were wear- Five months ago, Penn Post 599. With his Navy ter where he is, he’ll be a American Legion – all football and power forward ing their dress whites. “I was made chief. duties, it might be a while leader.” because he went to church in basketball at St. Paul liked that uniform and I He and his wife, before he can contribute one day. Central. went up and talked to them. “I told him he was join- As his high school career I pretty much recruited ing the Legion,” said ended, though, he was up in myself. I was sold on the Department Vice the air about his future. Navy.” Commander Dan Williams, “One day my mom took me He signed up on a who is also a pastor at Holy aside and asked me what I delayed entry program, and Christian Church in St. was going to do after I grad- after he graduated from Paul. “Well, I may have uated. I looked at her like a high school he headed for said, ‘Is that okay?” deer in the headlights. I did- boot camp at Great Lakes in Williams said he recruit- n’t have an answer. She Chicago. ed Penn because he knew asked me if I’d thought His first duty was aboard him well. “I knew his par- about the military.” the USS Duluth, LPD-6, an ents, I knew his family, and Penn was hoping to con- amphibious warfare ship. I knew he had something to tinue his sports career at After one cruise, they offer.” college, but the offers he decommissioned Duluth, The Navy thought so got in the mail came from and Penn was assigned to too. Five months ago, they places like South Dakota the USS Denver, LPD-9. promoted Penn to chief and Iowa. “They were col- He didn’t have a rate early on, but he gravitated towards being a boatswain’s mate because of what they did on the ship. “I liked the variety of work, running the cranes, doing underway replenishments, working different jobs on the deck. I liked the responsibility.” In 2008, he was assigned to recruiting duty in the Twin Cities and he stayed for three years. “It was a good time to be home. My grandmother died during that time, and I got to spend some time with her. And I met my future wife while I was here.” In 2011, he was sta- DAN WILLIAMS AND CHRIS PENN tioned in Hawaii, and was Please Join the Posts Below in Supporting the 100th National Convention The National Convention Corporation of Minnesota would like to thank the Posts below for sponsoring our convention and invite those that aren’t on the list to consider participating. Contributions to the convention will be directed towards the Minnesota Convention Corporation’s hosting responsibilities and other ways to make this the best convention yet. Posts of Distinction Audubon Post 339 Grand Meadow Post 140 New Ulm Post 132 ($5,000 and up) Aviation Post 511 Gust F. Holden Post 253 Nicollet Post 510 Merton‐Dale Post 80 Backus Post 368 Hackensack Post 202 Northrop Post 522 North St. Paul Post 39 Beatty‐Humphries Post 323 Harris Post 139 Northside Post 230 Rudolph Priebe Post 172 Becker Post 193 Hastings Post 47 Norwood Young Post 343 Bellingham Post 441 Hawley Post 382 Okabena Post 608 Posts of Patriotism Bigelow Post 496 Hills Post 399 Peter Leuze Post 420 ($1,000 to $2,499) Billie Brown Post 627 Hopkins Post 320 Prior Lake Post 447 Austin Post 91 Boyd Post 198 Hugo Post 620 Prudent Van Risseghem 395 East Grand Forks Post 157 Bruno Post 563 Ironton Post 443 Public Safety Post 449 Ecklund‐Holmstrom Post 117 Buffalo Post 270 Janesville Post 281 Richard Howard Ferrell 46 Everett H.