Day honors, highlights veterans

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Friday, Nov. 11, marks a day when American citizens stop, reflect and appreciate the honorable service of the people in all military branches past, present and future. Here are the activities happening in the River Falls community.

AMERICAN LEGION

Veterans of the American Legion serve on its Honor Guard and each Veterans Day traditionally visit many of the schools in River Falls. The group starts early with breakfast.

• 7:45 – High School

• 8:45 – Renaissance Academy

• 9:00 – Greenwood Elementary

• 9:30 – Rocky Branch Elementary

• 10:00 – Westside Elementary

• 10:40 – St. Bridget’s

• 11:00 – North Hall of UW-River Falls

• 12:00 – Legion Hall

• 1:00 – Meyer Middle School

MEYER MIDDLE SCHOOL

Meyer Middle School hosts a Veteran’s Day program 1-2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in the gym; after that, the school hosts a social gathering 2-2:30 p.m. where visitors can enjoy cookies, coffee and juice.

“We are committing to supporting our veterans,” MMS Principal Mark Chapin said. “It is an opportunity for our staff, students and community to simply say ‘thank you’ for the sacrifice and service of all of our veterans.

“More importantly, it is an opportunity for all of us to reflect and remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and the freedom of others.”

The activities at MMS are open to veterans, their families, and the public.

U.S. Army Maj. Clint Ronnestrand, father of two sons at MMS, will be the keynote speaker. The veteran has two decades of military service that began with the Wisconsin Army National Guard and ended last month in a retirement as a major with U.S. Army Reserves.

His infantry company spent a year in Iraq between 2004 and 2005 and was involved with the arrest of two co-defendants in the Saddam Hussein trial. Returning to active duty in 2009, Ronnestrand spent two years training soldiers to deploy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is a highly decorated veteran, having earned the Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Global War on Terrorism Medal and other awards.

Ronnestrand has a master’s degree in management from UW-River Falls. He works for TSI, a global market maker of air quality and air-flow measurement devices in Shoreview, Minn.

He and his wife Michelle live in the town of Troy and have been married for 21 years. Besides Colton and Bailey, they have a daughter, Alexandra, a sophomore at River Falls High School.

“My speech is going to be about how a person becomes a veteran, from raising their right hand to basic training, to deploying with your unit,” Ronnestrand said.

He will be stressing “core values” in his speech, which also ties in with the middle school’s recent emphasis on “character education” in the curriculum.

“We believe our Veteran’s Day program is a great lesson in citizenship,” Chapin said.

The MMS principal also noted the veterans program was a schoolwide effort involving staff and students from Veterans Honor Wall decorations and music to greeters and a slide show.

VETERANS LUNCH

High school students in the Foods II and Connections classes, team-taught by Sue Schwartz and CeCe Gillis, have been preparing to serve free meals to veterans and their families 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at American Legion hall, 701 N. Main St.

The meal will include ham, potatoes, baked beans, rolls, desserts, coffee and more.

“Service learning is part of our enduring understandings of giving to others and being active in our community,” said Schwartz about the event.

She has a personal connection to the special day of recognition noting, “I thought of the idea as my father is a veteran, who lives south of Madison, and I so appreciate the veterans and their families.”

Several area businesses are donating the food and utensils for the meal that will also be served to veterans and their families by the students themselves.

“The objective (of the project) is to give back to the veterans in our community for their dedication in serving our country and to be actively involved in our community,” Schwartz said.

She explained what the Connections class offers students.

Schwartz hopes the project is successful to all who take part in it, “I would love to do this annually,” she said, if the event is embraced by the veteran community.

UW-RIVER FALLS

UW-RF holds a care package drive for troops 10a.m.-2 p.m. in the Heritage Hall of the University Center on campus each day from Nov. 7-11. Donations sought include non-perishable snacks, athletic equipment such as footballs and Frisbees, books, and magazines.

Outside the University Center, the ground holds more than 6,200 American flags, each representing an American life lost in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. The display runs Nov. 7-11. A reading of the 6,200 names begins 8:30 a.m. on Veterans Day outside the University Center.

The American Legion Honor Guard will hold a traditional ceremony at 11 a.m. Veterans Day on the west lawn of North Hall.

LIGHT UP THEIR LIVES

Anyone know a military family who will have someone deployed during the holidays?

A local business offers the chance to honor and cheer them with a complimentary package of high-end exterior lights.

Local landscaping company The Greenskeepers owns and operates a seasonal franchise business named Christmas Décor that participates nationally in the Decorated Family program.

It works through local people making nominations of deserving military families to get the lights.

The franchises then install outside Christmas lights to dress up a house’s exterior and brighten the military family’s season.

A light recipient in a previous year said the lights worked on a timer, too, so she didn’t have to do anything but enjoy the look of them.

The local branch of Christmas Décor encourages nominations of local families -- both in River Falls and throughout the western Wisconsin portion of the St. Croix Valley.

The business asks for nominations by Veteran’s Day but will take them until mid-to-late November. Click here to access the nomination form on Christmas Décor’s Facebook page: www.DFnominationform.com

Tags: uw river falls, military, wisconsin, education, k12, family