National and Minnesota Medal of Honor Day, March 25, 2010

By: Dan Meyer

The office hours for the Big Stone County Veterans Service Office are 7:30 am – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. My office phone number is (320) 839-6398.

A "Veteran" -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his/her life."

During the month of March three groups of vet­erans will be honored with national and state days of recognition.

March 25. National and Minnesota Medal of Honor Day. This day honors the elite class of American ser­vice members who demonstrated “valor in action against an enemy force.” It is the highest honor that a service member can receive. For informa­tion about the Congressional Medal of Honor and its recipients visit www.cmohs.org.

March 26. Minnesota Royal Lao Armed Forces Day. This day honors and remembers the Lao forces who worked with United States Armed Forces from 1960 until 1975 during the Vietnam War. Their activities helped to ensure the safety, lives and success of U.S. service members in the region. For more information about Minnesota Royal Lao Armed Forces Veterans visit

www.royallao.org/index.html.

March 29. Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Day. This obser­vance was passed into law in 2008. There are an estimated 136,000 Vietnam Veterans in the state of Minnesota and 1,072 of those lost their lives during this war. This day honors and remembers their service.

March is also Women’s History Month. Women have supported and served in the U.S. military since the founding of this country. To explore stories and milestones of women warriors visit www.diversity.hr.va.gov/calendar/whm.htm.

Until next week, take care and “Fair Winds and Following Seas!”