thedrifter
03-28-08, 07:54 AM
Forest Lake / Vietnam Veterans Day now official
First observance is Saturday under newly signed law
By Megan Boldt
mboldt@pioneerpress.com
Article Last Updated: 03/27/2008 11:37:26 PM CDT
Diane Finnemann has finally gotten her wish: Her brother and other Minnesota Vietnam War veterans will be remembered on a special day each year.
On Saturday, Minnesota will become the first state to officially note a Vietnam Veterans Day. Legislation setting aside the day was passed unanimously this session, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed it into law Thursday.
The date was picked because the last U.S. ground troops left the country on March 29, 1973. More than 1,000 Minnesotans were killed in action during the war.
Finnemann's brother, Marine Pfc. Wallace R. "Skip" Schmidt, experienced post-traumatic stress disorder after he returned from Vietnam in 1968. People taunted him, calling him a "baby killer." He had nightmares for years and developed a terrible temper. In 1972, at age 23, he hanged himself.
"It's very emotional, but very wonderful," Monica Leach, Finnemann and Schmidt's mother, said about the day being set aside. "This is something I never expected in my lifetime."
Finnemann, who lives in Forest Lake, said her work to get a Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Day proclaimed was all for her brother and the 149 other members of the "Twins platoon" — so named because they were sworn into the Marines in ceremonies before a Minnesota Twins game in 1967. Finnemann met members of the group about a decade ago after Christy W. Sauro, a member of the platoon, started writing a book about its experiences. The book, "The Twins Platoon: An Epic Story of Young
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Marines at War in Vietnam," was published by Zenith Press in 2006.
"I have gotten back so much from these guys," Finnemann said. "They helped my family heal from my brother's suicide ... and try to understand why it happened and what he went through."
Forest Lake issued a proclamation last summer to designate March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in the city. Planning for the city's first celebration — this Saturday — has been going on for months.
At the event, students from Columbus and Scandia elementary schools will present letters they wrote to Vietnam vets. Those letters will also be displayed.
And the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial Scholarship, worth $500, will be given to Blake Rod, a Forest Lake Area High School senior who wrote an essay addressing a myth of the Vietnam War and will read it during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, two Forest Lake area veterans will lead a roundtable discussion about the facts and myths of the Vietnam War.
Ron Lasiuta is one of them. The 59-year-old Forest Lake resident served in the 11th Armored Calvary unit under George S. Patton III.
Lasiuta recalls just this past Christmas when his wife of 36 years asked him how he was treated when he returned from Vietnam. It was strange, he said. No one had ever asked him that question before.
"We just didn't talk about Vietnam," Lasiuta said. "Nobody did."
He really can't remember whether anyone treated him poorly.
"I had a smile on my face because I was so happy to be home. It just didn't bother me."
Lasiuta said he's grateful Finnemann worked tirelessly for a day to remember vets from a sometimes-overlooked war. Finnemann continues her crusade to get schools to include the Vietnam War in their history curricula.
"We don't want soldiers to be forgotten, no matter what side of a war you're on," Lasiuta said. "We just don't want that to happen again."
Megan Boldt can be reached at 651-228-5495.
If You Go
What: Vietnam Veteran's Day celebration
When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday
Where: Washington County Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Road N. in Forest Lake.
Ellie
First observance is Saturday under newly signed law
By Megan Boldt
mboldt@pioneerpress.com
Article Last Updated: 03/27/2008 11:37:26 PM CDT
Diane Finnemann has finally gotten her wish: Her brother and other Minnesota Vietnam War veterans will be remembered on a special day each year.
On Saturday, Minnesota will become the first state to officially note a Vietnam Veterans Day. Legislation setting aside the day was passed unanimously this session, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed it into law Thursday.
The date was picked because the last U.S. ground troops left the country on March 29, 1973. More than 1,000 Minnesotans were killed in action during the war.
Finnemann's brother, Marine Pfc. Wallace R. "Skip" Schmidt, experienced post-traumatic stress disorder after he returned from Vietnam in 1968. People taunted him, calling him a "baby killer." He had nightmares for years and developed a terrible temper. In 1972, at age 23, he hanged himself.
"It's very emotional, but very wonderful," Monica Leach, Finnemann and Schmidt's mother, said about the day being set aside. "This is something I never expected in my lifetime."
Finnemann, who lives in Forest Lake, said her work to get a Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Day proclaimed was all for her brother and the 149 other members of the "Twins platoon" — so named because they were sworn into the Marines in ceremonies before a Minnesota Twins game in 1967. Finnemann met members of the group about a decade ago after Christy W. Sauro, a member of the platoon, started writing a book about its experiences. The book, "The Twins Platoon: An Epic Story of Young
Advertisement
Marines at War in Vietnam," was published by Zenith Press in 2006.
"I have gotten back so much from these guys," Finnemann said. "They helped my family heal from my brother's suicide ... and try to understand why it happened and what he went through."
Forest Lake issued a proclamation last summer to designate March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in the city. Planning for the city's first celebration — this Saturday — has been going on for months.
At the event, students from Columbus and Scandia elementary schools will present letters they wrote to Vietnam vets. Those letters will also be displayed.
And the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial Scholarship, worth $500, will be given to Blake Rod, a Forest Lake Area High School senior who wrote an essay addressing a myth of the Vietnam War and will read it during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, two Forest Lake area veterans will lead a roundtable discussion about the facts and myths of the Vietnam War.
Ron Lasiuta is one of them. The 59-year-old Forest Lake resident served in the 11th Armored Calvary unit under George S. Patton III.
Lasiuta recalls just this past Christmas when his wife of 36 years asked him how he was treated when he returned from Vietnam. It was strange, he said. No one had ever asked him that question before.
"We just didn't talk about Vietnam," Lasiuta said. "Nobody did."
He really can't remember whether anyone treated him poorly.
"I had a smile on my face because I was so happy to be home. It just didn't bother me."
Lasiuta said he's grateful Finnemann worked tirelessly for a day to remember vets from a sometimes-overlooked war. Finnemann continues her crusade to get schools to include the Vietnam War in their history curricula.
"We don't want soldiers to be forgotten, no matter what side of a war you're on," Lasiuta said. "We just don't want that to happen again."
Megan Boldt can be reached at 651-228-5495.
If You Go
What: Vietnam Veteran's Day celebration
When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday
Where: Washington County Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Road N. in Forest Lake.
Ellie