Lynn Aas, a World War II decorated veteran from Minot, will be the honored veteran to raise the American flag at the Minnesota Twins game in Minneapolis on Friday night. Aas will be 98 on June 4.

“I’m happy for the opportunity and all the people who gave me that opportunity,” said Aas, who served in World War II more than 75 years ago.

More than 40 relatives and friends will be in attendance to support Aas at the flag-raising event held prior to the start of the game between the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles. Aas said some relatives are coming to Minneapolis from other states.

“Created in 2010 as part of the inaugural season at Target Field, the Armed Forces Flag Raising Program has become one of the great traditions of the Minnesota Twins game day experience. The program pays tribute to veterans and active-duty military men and women from Twins Territory during the singing of the National Anthem prior to every home game,” according to the Minnesota Twins’ website.

Dave Aas, Lynn Aas’ son of Minot, said he learned about the Minnesota Twin’s veterans program through social media following of @TwinsPrez (aka Dave St. Peter) on Twitter. St. Peter, a Bismarck native and University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, accounting graduate, is president and chief executive officer of the Minnesota Twins and on its board of directors. Dave Aas forwarded the notice to his brother, Dan Aas, who lives in the Minneapolis area. Dan Aas contacted the Twins organization, and after submitting an application, Lynn Aas was selected to raise the American flag at the Friday night game.

Aas fought as a U.S. Army rifleman in the historic Battle of the Bulge, serving with the 17th Airborne Division of the 193rd Airborne Infantry in the European Theatre. He received both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Returning to North Dakota after the war, he earned a law degree from UND and served in the North Dakota Legislature for four sessions.

On January 20, 2015, Aas was a special guest of Sen. John Hoeven at the State of the Union address. That year in March, he was the official representative of the 17th Airborne Division at the 70th annual reenactment of the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium. Aas served as the grand marshal of the North Dakota State Fair Parade in Minot in July 2017.

In October 2017, Aas was presented with the French Legion of Honor medal, France’s highest honor awarded by the president of France. The medal, presented to Aas by Guillaume Lacroix, Consul General of France in Chicago, at a ceremony held in Minot, pays tribute to the soldiers who did so much for France and Western Europe now more than 75 years ago.