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Deadline to sponsor a veterans wreath approaching

Richard Reuer

Minot

Veterans Day. Each year on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. our county comes together in honoring and thanking our veterans for the ultimate sacrifice they have given to protect the freedom we have in our country today. Veterans Day is a day when we honor those veterans who are still with us. Memorial Day is a day when we honor and remember those veterans who have gone on before us.

What is a veteran? That I’m sure has been even thought by some of our veterans today. For some of us, we look back at the days of our youth and saw what veterans were like back then. Now. Well, it’s really hard to say. Since WWI & WWII veterans have joined together by forming a veterans club that they would take time out to meet and do things together. They would reminisce or really what veterans would say; “talk about their war stories”.

Back in 1919, a veterans organization called the American Legion was born. They are getting ready to celebrate 100 years of service within their community. One of the greatest services that any veteran can give back to their community is reminding and educating those in our community why they did what they did and who was it for.

We are fortunate in our community of Minot and the surrounding area of the many people who take the time to stop and say “Thank You for Your Service!,” when they notice a veteran with a veteran’s cap on their head or a jacket that gives the branch of service they served in.

Another way the community has given in way of thanking our veterans is through the annual Wreaths Across America. This event is soon to be celebrating its fifth year come Dec. 15, at the Vincent United Methodist Church, which we are grateful to the pastor and the congregation in providing us a warm place to remember our fallen veterans and their families during the traditional Christmas holiday. While many of us on Christmas Day celebrate the traditional family Christmas holiday dinner, there is one family that has an empty chair, the empty chair belongs to a fallen family member we call a veteran. For each year our volunteers come out, young and old to lay a beautiful fresh evergreen balsam wreath at the cold stone of a fallen veteran. Some of these veterans died in combat. Some died of natural causes. But all in all, they are given honor and respect by all who come out in the cold winter morning to pay their respects by laying a wreath and saying the veteran’s name on the head stone.

One of the saddest things around the holiday seasons is when we hear about a veteran who has taken his/her own life. No one really knows what drove them down that terrible road of life, but only God knows. It’s a sad scene for a family member to know that their loved one has taken their life due to the pain that they could not bear.

For me, I am a survivor of suicide. Yes, it’s hard to believe I tried three different times in my life while in the military. Once during the time of my divorce, I took an over dose of Sominex. Then there was another time I was given trazodone by a VA physician who thought I was going through depression. Well, this medication made me more depressed to the point I took the whole bottle of 26. I remember my heart pounding like it was going to explode. The third was when I was on the quarterdeck on a ship that I was on. One night on watch I had thoughts of taking my side arm and putting it up to my head, but didn’t. At that point, I was then able to realize that God had a special plan in my life. And today I can say that plan was to minister unto veterans like myself that feel all alone in this world. I’ve thought about being a motivated speaker on the topic of suicide, but never brought it about, not really sure why I didn’t.

I’ve had some of my veteran friends thank me for what I do. Some have even said, “You’re always thinking of something for veterans. Don’t you ever find time for yourself?”

On this Veterans Day I want to publicly thank one special person in our community who showed a couple of years ago his great desire and appreciation to our veterans. For 22 days during his TV broadcasting, he would air live at different locations of the city of Minot and perform 22 push-ups for the 22 days to raise awareness of the 22 veterans struggling with PTSD who commit suicide each day. When he completed his mission, he had done 484 push-ups. That person I want to say thank you to is Mr. Joe Skurzewski.

Thank you, City of Minot for the years that you have graciously took time and money to help sponsor a wreath to be placed on the grave of a veteran. For this years theme from the Wreaths Across America headquarters is: “Be Their Witness.” If you have not yet taken the time to sponsor a wreath, you still have time, up to Nov. 22 is the last day of receiving applications. Applications are at all the floral shops, Rosehill Memorial Park Cemetery office and Rosehill Chapel.

See you at the ceremony on Dec. 15th!

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