Ken Plant shares, “Grateful to have met my fundraising goal for the 2023 DAV 5K, in honor of Leo Luskey, Marine, Vietnam Veteran, and fellow MN DAV Chapter 39 member. Thank you to my ONE sponsor who donated TWICE to help me reach my goal in support of our Veterans and their families.” Nov. 30th is the final day to help sponsor Plant’s efforts at https://support.dav.org/participant/Ken-Plant #DAV5K #MNDAVChapter39

Message from Ken Plant, Chapter webmaster… “For the fourth consecutive year I will be participating in the DAV 5K on Sat., Nov. 11, 2023, at Blaine Veterans Memorial Park. Link to sponsorship at https://support.dav.org/participant/Ken-Plant

“This year I’m running in honor of Leo Luskey, Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran and fellow member of MN DAV Chapter 39. More about Luskey at LEO LUSKEY, FOUNDER OF MN DAV CHAPTER 39 ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT, OBITUARY | MN DAV CHAPTER 39 (anoka39davmn.com)

DAV is a nonprofit organization that helps more than a million veterans in life-changing ways each year. DAV assists veterans by helping them gain access to the medical, financial, and educational benefits they’ve earned along with connecting them to meaningful employment opportunities. All services are provided free of charge.

Veterans and Families are invited this Friday, November 10 for the Annual Blaine High School Veterans Day Program. The program will be held in the Athletic Center beginning at 10:30 am. The high school is located at 12555 University Ave NE, Blaine, MN 55434.

This #Veterans Day, join us in shining a light of hope and support.  Join #OperationGreenLight and let’s turn Anoka and surrounding counties green for our Veterans.  The public is encouraged to light your resident and/or business GREEN from Nov. 6^th to Nov. 12^th.

America’s counties have a long and proud history of serving our nation’s veterans, a legacy that continues to this day as we work with our federal, state and local partners to ensure that the former service members have access to the resources they need to thrive. 

Once again, this Veterans Day, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO) have invited the nation’s 3,069 counties, parishes, and boroughs to join Operation Green Light and show support for veterans by lighting our buildings green from November 6-12. By shining a green light, county governments and our residents will let veterans know that they are seen, appreciated, and supported.  More at https://www.naco.org/news/operation-green-light-veterans-returns-2023

MN DAV Chapter 39 and Auxiliary Unit 29 will conduct their November meetings in the divided main hall of the VFW,1919 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433 at 6:30 PM.

There will be a Golf Committee Meeting on Thurs., Sep. Nov. 9 at 5:30 PM in the main hall (same location as the Chapter Meeting) at the Coon Rapids VFW, prior to the start of the meeting.

If you know a Veteran, Veteran Family, or Widow of a Veteran in need, contact the Chapter Adjutant at (763) 245-2585, and provide the name, address, number with ages of family members, and a contact phone number.

A unit member is repurposing used plastic bags.  The bags are used to make sleeping mats.  It takes 800 bags to make one mat.  Please bring your bags to make a eco-friendly contribution at the January 2024 meeting.

Contact the Unit Adjutant if you can help with the Adopt-A-Vet Gift Program by calling (763) 427-3544.

The Unit Craft and Bake Sale will be held at the Anoka County Courthouse lobby from 7:00 AM (setup) to 1:00 PM.  Please prepare your Bake Goods and Holiday Homemade Gifts and come to help, support and shop.

Our webmaster and social media content creator is stepping down this November, following eight years of support in providing the Chapter and Unit one of the best social media tools within DAV.   If you are interested in becoming a member of a Chapter/Unit Social Media Team, contact the Chapter Adjutant.

Take a few minutes and check out the feature article below about this year’s Veterans Day poster and other patriotic information that was packaged for educators, but very useful for every American to learn that “Freedom Isn’t Free” …

(By Terry Russell, National Veterans Outreach Officer) … For the 2023 Veterans Day Poster Contest, the Veterans Day National Committee (VDNC) called on professional and amateur artists to create picture-perfect designs that reflect the theme of this year’s Veterans Day observance: service.

There were more than 60 entries from people ranging from school-aged children to graphic designers with decades of experience. When all ballots were tallied, the VDNC selected “The Bugler” by Gene Russell, a service-connected disabled Army Infantry Veteran and VA employee, as this year’s winning submission.

Russell is the principal photographer for the VA Secretary in Washington, D.C., and he spends his days photographing the Secretary’s significant events and documenting other senior VA leaders’ internal and external engagements. Described as “customer-service obsessed” by acting Deputy Secretary Scott Blackburn, Russell received the VA Secretary’s Honor Award for “I CARE” in 2020 for his work on the Center for Women Veterans’ “I Am Not Invisible” (IANI) campaign. The I CARE Award is VA’s highest honor for customer service and workplace excellence, and refers to VA’s five core values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence.

Music was the inspiration for Russell’s submission; he has played the bugle since he was a boy. “Bugle calls are not songs, and they do not have lyrics. Yet, when heard, the calls evoke emotion and the pride of service for members of every uniformed branch listed on this poster,” he said.

More than 100 bugle calls are used in the United States Armed Services, including a few used only in emergencies, such as “man overboard” or “abandon ship.” For that reason, the bugler connects each service member on land, air and sea.

“My goal was to link the sight, sound and feeling of how we served our country. The pole and American flag in this image are the ones currently flying over VA headquarters in Washington, DC,” he said. “It flies for each of us and those Veterans to come.”

The Veterans Day poster will be displayed in VA facilities, military installations and municipal buildings across America. It will also serve as the cover of the official program for the Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11.

Check out this year’s Veterans Day Poster, and previous years at https://www.flickr.com/…/veter…/albums/72177720300172803

A comprehensive teacher’s guide is available for educators at https://department.va.gov/…/2023-Veterans-Day-Teachers… YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN EDUCATOR to learn more about the Origins of Veterans Day, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day, America’s Wars, POWs and MIA, Veteran Service Organizations, Scholarships, Student Athletes, Veterans Legacy Program, Respecting the Flag, Folding the Flag, and the Veterans Day National Committee.