THE COLOR OF FREEDOM

To the social media managers, admins and for those of you who post,

Writers, editors, chaplains, parents and educators from coast to coast.

Our freedoms aren’t granted by just one faith’s might,

But by those who serve and have served for every American’s right.

They fought for the right to vote for the candidate of our choice,

For every American’s right, to have a voice.

No matter the color of their skin, their age or sexual preferences,

Atop each Vets headstone you’ll discover a variety of religious references.

From every religion, every spiritual path,

It’s our Soldiers who continue to face the aftermath.

Not just the Christian, the Hindu, the Jew,

The Muslim, the Buddhist, to name but a few.

Our military’s color is not black, white, or tan,

It’s the color of FREEDOM, our Vets the Sacrificial Clan.

It’s RACE that disconnected us, RELIGION that separated us,

POLITICS divided us, and our WEALTH has set us apart.

Please remember this truth as you post from afar,

Our unity’s strength makes us who we are.

For the military’s color is but ONE, it’s clear,

It’s the color of FREEDOM that we all hold dear.

Lyrics and art by Ken Plant, Veterans Day 2024, written in memory of fellow “The Telling Project” cast member, Ken Sholes https://www.facebook.com/ken.sholes.73

https://obituaries.startribune.com/obituary/kenneth-sholes-1090178562

Download your free 2024 Veterans Day Poster and Teacher’s Guide at https://department.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_VeteransDayTeachersGuide.pdf

Salute to the Marines, celebrating 249 years https://www.cmc.marines.mil/Birthday/videoid/940854/

VETERANS DAY CELEBRATIONS AND DISCOUNTS AT https://department.va.gov/veterans-day/

MN DAV Chapter 39 and Auxiliary Unit 39 will meet on Thurs., Nov, 2024 at  6:30 PM at the VFW 1919 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433.

The 2025 MN DAV Chapter 39 Golf Tournament is one of our major fund-raising events to support local Veterans and their Families.  The Golf Committee could use your help in recruiting golf tournament foursome teams, identify tournament sponsorships and help with fund-raising prizes.  Golf Committee will meet at 5:30 PM, prior to the Chapter/Unit Meeting.

Holiday Unit Bake and Craft Sale will be held at the Anoka Courthouse on Dec. 12 from
7:30 AM to 1:30 PM.  Contact Nancy at 763-427-3544 if you would like to share your baked
goods or crafts to support our area Veterans and their Families.

Membership drive continues with a lifetime membership with our Chapter at a discounted cost of $75.00. Auxiliary Unit is also offering a major discount for membership through the end of this year.

There will be no Chapter/Unit Meeting in December.  Our next meeting will be on Jan. 9, 2025.

“Know a Veteran who has (or is currently) battling cancer?”  Email his/her photo (preferably in uniform), along with his or her name, rank and branch of service, to [email protected] AND make a donation to Ken Plant’s Disabled American Veterans 5K Team through Veterans Day.  The fund-raising event (sponsored by the DAV) supports our Veterans and their Families.  Plant’s RUN-WALK-WHEEL-RIDE DAV 5K TEAM will take place this Sunday, Nov. 10^th, at 2:00 PM at the Blaine Veterans Memorial Park.   Watch this feed for your photos and support recognition. DONATE at https://support.dav.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.participant&participantID=19322

In the past years Ken Plant has participated in the annual DAV 5K to honor Caregivers (Unsung Heroes), Korean War, World War II and Vietnam Veterans who have passed. This year is different.  He will have just had his third immunotherapy and chemo treatment, so is unsure if he’ll be walking, running, or in a wheelchair, but resilient he insists he’ll be at the Blaine Memorial Veterans Park, 10802 Town Square Dr NE, Blaine, MN 55449, leading his 5K Team.  For the past 29 years Plant’s VA doctors have helped him fight skin cancer, toxic water exposure and says he’s grateful to have a team of VA medical specialists to help him fight his battle with lung cancer.

In the heart of Saint Paul, where the Leprechauns play, And Minneapolis dances in a Celtic array, The streets come alive with shamrocks and cheer, As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, year after year.

Parade routes wakens, adorned in green, A sea of smiling faces, a festive scene. The bagpipes echo, the fiddles entwine, As we march together, our spirits align.

Restaurants beckon, a refuge from the chill, Where laughter and merriment weave their sweet thrill. Corned beef and cabbage, a hearty delight, And warm refreshments flows freely into the night.

So bundle up, dear friends, against the cold, Wrap scarves around memories, stories untold. For in these moments, beneath the March sky, We find warmth in each other, as the bagpipes fly.

From all of us at MN DAV Chapter 39, as we celebrate together with a hot cup of Joe, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, wherever you go! 🍀✨

CONTENT CREATOR NEEDED (by Ken Plant, outbound Chapter webmaster/IT).

In the quiet corners of cyberspace, where pixels dance and stories unfold, there resides a content creator, A weaver of dreams, both young and old.

Their canvas is the glowing screen, their palette, words that touch the soul, and in this vast digital expanse, they seek to make broken hearts whole.

But beyond the likes and shares, Beyond the metrics and the fame, lies a purpose deeper, more profound, A mission that sets their heart aflame.

They yearn to lift the fallen, to mend the frayed threads of fate, and in the quiet hours of night, they ponder how to alleviate.

And so, they turn their gaze, to those who’ve borne the weight of war, The brave souls who fought valiantly, yet returned with scars unseen, raw.

Disabled veterans, silent heroes, their sacrifices etched in pain, they’ve given limbs, they’ve given peace, yet often find their pleas in vain.

The content creator, with fervent hope, Crafts narratives of resilience and grace, they shine a light on these unsung warriors, their stories woven into cyberspace.

They raise awareness, they rally support for adaptive technologies and healing arts, they channel empathy into action, a bridge between compassion and hearts.

So let us celebrate these creators, whose purpose transcends mere views, for they’re the ones who amplify voices, and champion causes that we mustn’t lose.

May their words echo through the ether, igniting change, sparking empathy, and may they continue to uplift, our disabled veterans, our living legacy.

MN DAV Chapter 39 and Auxiliary Unit 39 will conduct their meetings on Thursday, March 14, in the divided main hall of the VFW, 1919 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433 at 6:30 PM.  Election and Installation of new officers for MN DAV Chapter is scheduled for this meeting.  Visit https://anoka39davmn.com/leo-luskey-annual-dav-golf-tournament/ for past and current information and photos of the Annual Leo Luskey DAV Golf Tournament.  The Golf Committee could use your help in recruiting golf tournament foursome teams, identify tournament sponsorships, and help with fund-raising prizes.  Next Golf Committee meeting at 5:30 PM (same location of Chapter Meeting).  WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF A FEW VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST WITH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE.  CONTACT THE ADJUTANT. Visit https://davmn.org/ for updates on Veterans Day on the Hill, the Spring Convention, and Outdoor Recreation Programs.  PLEASE SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE CHAPTER’S CLOTHING DRIVES AND CLOTHIN BIN PICKUPS.  There is nothing more important than your health and the health of your fellow members.  If you do not feel well, please do not attend the meeting. 

April 17 is the new date for Veterans on the Hill.  Registration packet at https://davmn.org/wp-content/uploads/Veterans-Day-on-the-Hill-2024-Complete-Packet.pdf