Veterans Day program held at the Clearbrook-Gonvick School
Tue, 11/15/2016 - 3:18pm
admin
A great program was put together by the Clearbrook-Gonvick School staff and the Gonvick American Legion and Auxiliary on Friday, November 11 at the school.
The colors were presented by the Gonvick American Legon with the Pledge of Allegiance said by the entire audience.
The Clearbrook-Gonvick Band under the direction of Mrs. Katrina Stewart directed the National Anthem.
A welcome was given by Principal Jeff Burgess who went on to talk about how Veterans Day and Armistice Day were started.
The Clearbrook-Gonvick Choir under the direction of Mrs. Tammy Ragan performed “This Land is Our Land.”
Gonvick Legion Commander gave recognition of all the Clearbrook-Gonvick Community Veterans who were killed in action.
Veteran’s Killed in Action – Clearbrook
World War I
Halvor Bakken, US Army, Lars Bjorbeck, US Army, Bennie Fosness, US Army, Oscar Jacobson, US Army, Edwin Koxvold, US Army, Olaf Olson, US Army, Selmer Okstad Sr., US Army, Andrew Storsten, US Army.
World War II
Hartvig Berg, US Army, Helmer Erickson, US Army, Reuben Halvorson, US Army Air Force, Arnold Holm, US Navy, Edward Isackson, US Army Air Force, Elvin Johnson, US Army, Wallace L. Johnson, US Army, Morrell Larson, US Army, Robert K. Nelson, US Army Air Force, Rudolph Nordlund, US Army, Emil Richards, US Army, Rollin Richards, US Army, Ernest Rydeen, US Army Air Force.
Korean War
Richard Bergland, US Army, Talmadge Kloster, US Army Air Force, Lavern Maple,US Army.
Viet Nam War
Gerald Bagaason US Marines, Dennis Nelson, US Army.
Veteran’s Killed in Action – Gonvick Area
World War I
CE Anderson, US Army.
World War II
Robert Anderson US Army, Carl Grone, US Army, Clarence Jordet, US Army, Adolph King, US Army, James Lund, US Army, Virgil Lundy, US Army, Charles Marmorine, US Army Air Force, Herman Odegaard, US Army, Selmer Martin Okstad Jr., US Navy, Selmer Pederson, US Army, Palmer Soderland, US Navy, Arthur Stolen, US Army, Joseph Widseth, US Marines.
Vietnam War
John Olaf Sundquist, US Army.
These families were all Gold Star recipients.
Sundquist also read off the names of Veterans who had served our country that were in the audience for the program. They included: Ernest Erickson, Duane Johnson, Tom Anderson, James Erickson, Larry Shelquist, Frank Bergh, Norman Rude, Byron Edevold, Candace Coulter, Alfred Knutson, Becky Colebank, Wayne Hinrichs, Paula Boomgaarden, Lonny Walter, Doug Fredrickson, Frank Buer, Richard Sather, Lauris Krogstad, Dennis Johnson, Richard Vinje, LeRoy Sundquist, Ordean Erickson, Benny Erickson, Gerald Wraa, Charles Folstrom, Russ Lembke, Lowell Stevens, David Erickon, Jr. Dean Godtland, John Brendalen, Brady Lene, Gary Quern, Marvin Wolden, Gordon Sharp, Richard Morris and Dan Gazelka.
Carlie Coulter introduced her mother as the special speaker for the Veteran’s Day message.
Candace Coulter a former Marine graduated from Clearbrook-Gonvick High School in 1998. She joined the Marine Corps in January 1999 and was honorably discharged in December 2011 as a Sergeant. Candace was stationed in San Diego, CA, Okinawa Japan with brief deployments to Korea and Thailand and North Carolina where she was deployed twice to Al Asad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
She had always wanted to be a Marine since she was a little girl. Her friends were hoping that she would fail and come back home. She was not an athlete in high school.
Candace said, “To me, honor is the reason for joining in the first place. To do my duty as a citizen of this great country and defend the freedoms we cherish. To follow in the footsteps of my father and uncles who served.
Courage- is putting aside my fears. To leave a 2 year old daughter behind to face unknown challenges and dangers. To stand at an Iraqi polling place where grown women, old women showed courage by casting a vote for the first time in the history of their country. To take off my helmet to show them my hair to prove I WAS a woman under that protective gear and behind that loaded rifle. And then to do it again when my daughter turned 4 years old.
Commitment is putting your country first for as long as one chooses to serve, I missed birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and funerals. It wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t always fun. But I wouldn’t trade one second of that life for millions of dollars.
The core values not only apply to service members and veterans. These are things we use every day to make decisions in life. These are things we teach our children to follow every day. To do the right thing, for the right reason, no matter who’s looking.”