McIntosh Celebrates Veterans with Quilts of Valor

In McIntosh on Monday, May 25th, we marked the beginning of summer as we honored those who protected and served our Country. 

The day started early with VFW Post # 6891 Ladies Auxiliary serving breakfast to our Veterans. 

The parade down Main Street began with our local Veterans in the lead, followed by the Win-E-Mac Boy Scouts, the Win-E-Mac marching band, and the kids who participated in the White Cross Ceremony. 

The band performed outside the community center and then the program inside started with an Invocation by Ben Ramse. The McIntosh Community Choir led the audience in song and Bruce Meltrand spoke to the crowd.

Bruce graduated from Bemidji High School in 1962 and entered the US Army in 1965 where he served in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967 where he was assigned to the 103rd Combat Engineer Support Unit. He served as the Bemidji VFW Post Jr. Vice Commander and Post Commander, where he held the commanders position for 13 years out of the last 16. He went through the District Chairs and was elected the District Commander in 2009. In 2011 he was elected as Judge Advocate and in 2013 he was re-elected as District Commander. Bruce has received many awards during his commandership as well as receiving his white hat for all-state team of post commanders. The past two years he has been recognized by the National Commander-in-Chief with a Special Aide-De-Camp white hat. At present he holds the office of Chief Inspector of the Ninth District, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Commander of the Bemidji VFW. Bruce lives in Laporte with his wife Janie.

This year three local veterans were honored with a Quilt of Valor, made by many local sewers and presented by Connie Strom, Dianne Christopherson and Lois Boehrnsen.

Quilts of Valor Foundation was created by Catherine Roberts of Seaford, Delaware whose desire to see that returning warriors were welcomed home with love and gratitude they deserved. Quilts of Valor are stitched with love, prayers and healing thoughts and are awarded to those who have served in combat as a tangible token of appreciation that unequivocally says, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor”.

This was the first year of awarding quilts and the recipients were:

Clifford F. Bartz: United States Army. April 1943 to February 1946. 87th Division/Golden Acorn. World War II Veteran- served in combat from October 1944 until May 9, 1945 under General Patton. He was then in occupation field until January 1946. Clifford Fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Gordon Newman Oseth: United States Army. October 1951 to October 1954. 45th Division/179th Regiment Easy Company. Korean War Veteran-served in combat in the Invasion of Inchon in May of 1952. Gordon was injured in June 1952 and spent one year in Japan at 8162nd Army Hospital until June 1953. Gordon then returned to Japan until October 1954.

Craig Alan Burslie: United States Marines. Vietnam War Veteran-February 1969 to December 1970. Served with the 1st Marine Division as casualty reporter in DaNang, Vietnam.

The Color Guard retired the flag and the crowd proceeded to the lawn of the old school for the White Flag Ceremony, where those who served, and gone were honored as Ben Ramse read the Veterans Remembered Roll, the Color Guard fired a 21 gun salute and Joe Collova played Taps.