The need to know

While the Rotarians lunch on Tuesday just up the hill at the Good Sam, many locals hang out around Cash-n-Dash or The Rapids Cafe to be the first to find out what tomorrow's local news will be. The fresher the ink the better.

This gentleman was not the only one trying to avoid the steering wheel today.

That's a good sign. Those who spend their week meeting the printer's deadline need to know that others need to know too.

Now it wasn't the front page that I saw getting read. Looks more like letters to the editor to me. Hopefully people will pick up the pen and write, just not read. Blog readers are alway more numerous when "somebody else" had something to say and sent in a comment.

Sit down and eat

If you've never sat down and ate at Kroll's Diner why not tonight before the game?

A lucky winner (for a change)

The 56572 editor was the lucky winner of this - printed in Germany - color postcard looking west across early 1900's Stony Bar on eBay this noon.

I put an unheard of bid in last week and forgot about it over the weekend. When I checked early this morning there had been some bidding activity. Just to be sure I upped my unheard of bid by $5. Had I not done so, I would have lost.

Moral of the story: put down what you're willing to pay the first time. Then towards the end of the auction, if you're still high bidder, up it.

When I'm gone, my kids can fight about it.

Viking Pride

Seriously, three years ago when 56572 started I would not have believed that I would be able to stand on a street corner in my town at noon, hold my digital camera still for three minutes, attach the camera to my computer, upload the file for free to something called Youtube and have one hundred people from anywhere in the world watch it by dinner time. No film, no processing, no projector, no advertising, no actors, no tickets, no training........all for free. My viewers can give instant feedback thumbs up or thumbs down.What did you have to say to the world and what are you waiting for?

Open township positions elected on Tuesday ballot

Fergus Falls Daily Journal
Published Monday, March 12, 2007

With township elections slated for Tuesday, and the weather expected to cooperate, residents have the opportunity to see their vote count.
The townships listed have the following positions open for election:

• Dunn — November election.

• Erhards Grove — Incumbents Supervisor Rebecca Ouren and Treasurer Audrey Sjostrom running unopposed. No questions are on the ballot. Polls are open from 5 to 8 p.m.

• Lida — Supervisor Terry Sjostrom is running unopposed. Treasurer Mavis Erickson has filed and also filing for treasurer was Diane Hanson. Following the election, the annual meeting will be held at 8:15 p.m. Polls are open from 4 to 8 p.m.

• Maplewood — Supervisor Craig Ripley is running unopposed, and treasurer Dorothy Backstrom has filed unopposed. Following the election, the annual meeting will be held at 8:05 p.m. Polls are open from 5 to 8 p.m.

• Norwegian Grove — Carol Treinen, appointed Clerk following the death of Harold Marty, is unopposed for a one-year term. Filing for supervisor was Rudy Butenas and treasurer Mary Bongers has filed unopposed. Following the election, the annual meeting will be held at 8:05 p.m. Polls are open from 5 to 8 p.m.

• Pelican — Incumbents Supervisor Thomas Langseth and Treasurer Darleen Hovland are running unopposed. A question on the ballot asks whether future elections should be moved to November. Polls are open from 5 to 8 p.m.

• Scambler — Incumbents Supervisor Dennis Carlblom and Treasurer Judy Hoadley are running unopposed. No questions are on the ballot. Polls are open from 5 to 8 p.m.

• Trondhjem — Incumbents Supervisor Orland Ohe and Treasurer Kevin Brenden are running unopposed. No questions are on the ballot. Polls are open from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

Ushering Heroes

Sixteen year old Tydan was the Prime Time TV Hero of Saturday night leading his team to victory scoring thirty points then shining brightly in the bright lights of the Player-of-the-Game interview.

Seven year old Alex watched Tydan the Titan slay Goliath on TV. When Alex walked into church the next morning, his eyes half open from getting to bed so late, who stood there bigger-than-life-itself ready to usher him to a pew? Tydan the Titan got the bear hug he deserved.

Heroes as ushers. I like that idea.

Hawley would have

The Fargo Forum may have been surprised this morning when no Sunday Forums were returned from 56572. Church coffee table talk yesterday was all about how 56572's Vikings got absolutely no print media coverage Sunday morning after defeating Channel 6 and Forum darling Hawley - and Breckenridge defeating darling DGF - on Channel 6 the night before. DGF got a paragraph. One might venture to guess that had Hawley or DGF won, there would have been at least a photo in the Sunday paper.

This morning a WDAY-TV ad person is white-knuckling it through the fog down Interstate 94 to Exit 32 while another is doing the same down Highway 75. One wonders if they will hear comments about no Forum coverage. We realize that WDAY and The Forum are under common ownership. Now both are stuck with the fact that the worst case scenario came true, the ad revenue positive teams lost. They are stuck with us, a number 3 and number 5 seed - a couple of hard to hype teams, yet another team with a persona non grata logo - this time a cowboy, not an Indian - and a bunch of sophomores who've been to State already. Interview Brad Strand's barber, for goodness sake.

If WDAY can show Rex Haugen in the promos, why not get him between the headphones and on the microphone? Throw reason completely to the wind and ask Big Eddie too. Now you're talkin' turkey.

Get your checkbooks out neighbors. PeliCAN.

Photo by Tom Hintgen, Fergus Falls Daily Journal

TWTWTW 2007.09 Seasons came to a screeching halt

The 15-12 Pelican Rapids Vikings defeated the 22-2 Hawley Nuggets 70-60 Saturday night in the South Section 8AA Semifinal. Sophomore Tydan Storrusten scored 30 points. The last time the teams played the Nuggets won by twenty-six. The Nugget season came to a screeching halt. The Vikings have one senior on their team. Congratulations Coach Strand, coaching staff, players and parents.

The snowpack started melting into mud.

An apple a day keeps Doctor David away

"I welcomed the lastest snowfalls, making my job a little easier while I prune nearly 600 trees. An important job in an orchard and I've picked a perfect day, light wind and sunshine."

Our family orchard is located south of Audubon Lake near Audubon, Minnesota, a short drive from Detroit Lakes. The orchard is nestled above a meandering creek that divides farmland from surrounding woods. The rich and deep fertile soil sits above a clay base providing the perfect mix for developing trees and fruit.

This is our fifth year of planting with tree numbers approaching 600. The varieties include: Zestar, Chestnut Crab, Honey Crisp, Sweet Sixteen, Haralson and Honey Gold. We are evaluating small numbers of Beacon, Cortland, RedCourt and Fireside.

One of our goals has been to keep the trees free from insecticides, pesticides and similar products. After 4 years, we can honestly attest that we have fulfilled that claim. Instead of chemicals, we have concentrated on developing a healthy tree and root system, enabling the tree to tolerate its environment, producing a delicious, high quality fruit. It is our hope that we will have significant numbers to sell this year.

Farewell Irma

Bob, Bibi and the rest of us Southsiders mourn the passing of a friendly neighbor who spent many hours looking out over Lake Lida from the south side.

Jessie "Irma" Leek, age 93, a resident of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, died on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, in Murrieta, California, surrounded by family members.

Jessie "Irma" Leek was born September 4, 1913, in Gillette, Iowa, the daughter of Lawrence and Jessie (Thompson) Webb. On April 27, 1931 Irma was united in marriage to Grant Leek in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Grant and Irma lived in Omaha, Nebraska, for many years. In 1953 Grant and Irma moved to Pelican Rapids where they owned and operated Maple Beach Resort on Lake Lida until their retirement in 1971. Grant died on February 28, 1986. Irma has maintained her home on Lake Lida and spent the winter months in California.

Grattis på födelsedagen Herr Lundin!

An Open Letter to the City of Pelican Rapids

We would like to start out by acknowledging that the Pelican Rapids Fire Department provides excellent service to Dunn Township. We have absolutely no complaints, and only praise for the fire department. It follows that we have no problem paying for fire service provided by the department.

What we would like to address is the new fire hall proposed by the City of Pelican Rapids. First, let us say that we acknowledge that the current fire hall is inadequate. At the same time, a new fire hall does not get one more fireman or one more piece of firefighting equipment to the fire any quicker than is currently provided.

Some time ago, the members of the Pelican Rapids Area Fire Protection Association (hereafter referred to as the fire association) discussed ownership of the new fire hall, and there was certainly some appetite to have ownership by those who will pay for it; i.e. all the members of the fire association. The fire association was subsequently informed that the city would own the fire hall and apparently ownership is not considered negotiable by the city.

We believe that the fire association members ARE willing to help pay for a new fire hall. However, we also believe that if the fire association is willing to help pay for a fire hall that will not be owned by them, nor increase the capacity of the fire department to fight fires to any great degree, the question is; what amount is equitable to all the parties involved?

We would like to point out that Mr. Solga; City Administrator, has stated, both in the Pelican Press, and in a recent fire association meeting, that if the city were to build a fire hall that would only serve the city of Pelican Rapids, the cost would be roughly $500,000.

Here are the numbers as we understand them. The proposed fire hall will cost approximately $1,000,000 and the yearly bond payment will be $84,000 a year for 20 years. Using those same numbers, if the city were to build a fire hall for $500,000 for their own use and service, a building costing half as much as the proposed fire hall would call for a bond payment of half as much; $42,000. It logically follows that the city should be paying the $42,000 which is equivalent to what they would pay for a building used only by the city of Pelican Rapids. We are talking about the city paying for 50% and the rest of the fire association paying for 50% of the new fire hall.

Dunn is very willing to help pay for a new fire hall as long as the city is willing to pick up $500,000, the amount that it would cost the city if they were to build a fire hall to serve just the citizens of Pelican Rapids. We will reiterate that Dunn recognizes the need for a new fire hall, but that it will not appreciably enhance service to the townships. Under those circumstances, having the fire association pay for 50% of the new fire hall seems like a generous offer.

We would like the city to consider one of two courses of action;
A) That Pelican Rapids pay for 50% of the new building, equivalent to $42,000 of the yearly bond payment.
B) If Pelican Rapids decides to only pay $25,251 a year toward the bond payment (your current proposal; 30%), that the cost of the new fire hall be lowered such that the total bond payment be $50,500; i.e. P.R. would still pay for 50% of a new, lower cost, building.

You may be wondering why the city should be listening to Dunn township regarding their fire hall. Well, we are certainly aware that the city can build a fire hall without Dunn’s involvement. However, the city is currently proposing to pay for only 30% of the entire project. Is this really an equitable distribution of the costs? Dunn is only asking that the city be fair to everyone involved. The proposals suggested here are more than equitable to everyone, Pelican Rapids included.

As you know, Dunn is considering other options for fire service, options that we really don’t want to exercise. We have been in contact with the fire departments in Barnesville, Detroit Lakes, and Vergas. Currently, Dunn supports the Pelican Rapids library, the local hospital district, pays for a substantial part of the fire service costs and supports all of the Pelican Rapids establishments to some degree. We know that once a rift develops between two parties, it is often difficult to mend that gap, and frequently it grows. If Dunn gets fire service from a different city, we will be asked to support their library and their institutions. Will we be supporting the institutions of Pelican Rapids or the institutions of one of our neighboring cities in the years to come? Only time will tell, but creating a rift over this fire hall can have far reaching ramifications for everyone.

If we get a positive response to this proposal from the city, Dunn will be more than happy to participate in paying for our share of the 50% payment by the fire association.

If the response is negative, Dunn will, of course, continue to explore options for our fire protection elsewhere, and the rift between Pelican Rapids and Dunn Township may well develop. We certainly don’t want that to happen, but are prepared to take appropriate action to the city’s response to our request.

Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Dunn Township Supervisors
Mike Johnson, Wayne Olson, Bob Dalman

For sale on eBay

Carless Broadway - High School

Norwegian Grove Township Computer Helpdesk (2)

56572 received many favorable comments about this film. None, however, came from Norwegian Grove Township. Today I asked a Grover what the reaction had been out there and if they had talked about it at the Wednesday night Lenten soup and sandwich. The Grover told me Pastor Tilleraas had given up Internet for Lent. I had a sneaky suspicion this might be true, and I didn't release it until Ash Wednesday. My bad. I asked if You Tube had arrived in Norwegian Grove already. The Grover said they had seen the posting, but didn't quite know what to do with it:
1) Click on the triangular button that resembles the play button on your remote control.
2) Turn the computer sound on
3) Turn the volume up
4) Hands off the mute button
5) If there is a speaker icon with a diagonal red line in front of it in the system tray (bottom right next to the time of day) you are muted. Click on the red stripe. Uncheck mute.
6) If you don't have DSL (Fast Internet connection) ignore 1-5 and never mind.
7) If you do have DSL, wait for Easter Monday.

WHTT

Roger Pinckney left a literary void when he left Otter Tail County to return to his Blue Roots on Daufuskie. Alan Linda from Boatville, fills part of it from over on the east side. He is a Tuesday columnist in the largest Otter Tail County newspaper, the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. His articles are archived. I liked the essay the day before Valentine's Day:

Perhaps I was wrong some time ago when I speculated that the worst words a guy can hear at the beginning of a conversation with a woman are: "I've got bad news."

In fact, I've changed my mind; they're not the worst at all. They're bad, but the worst-the ones that really that strike abject fear into the male heart, are: "We need to talk."

Except for a couple of examples and some narrative to flesh all this out, most guys will agree with me that this subject really doesn't need much more discussion; that this is all they want to hear about it, let's go clean manure out of the calf pen or get that root canal taken care off-something more fun.

"I've got bad news" does in fact seem to be the standard conversation opening gambit employed by anyone possessing one or more ovaries.

The first thought that pops up here is: Do they use this on one another, woman to woman? Or is this particular little combination of words solely used with males, through some mistaken belief that it shows a certain respectful trepidation of mechanical things? Kind of an I-don't-know-what-the-big-deal-is-but-I'm-cool-with-machines feeling.

That's usually where it's used, as in: "I've got bad news, the red light is on in the car."

Him: Well, dear, maybe it isn't so bad. (His guts are twisting up into knots. It's bad. Other Guys will make fun of him.) How long has it been on?

Not too long, maybe since the girls and I went to Fargo last week? Is that long?

Well, dear, maybe not.

Her: I don't see why we need a red light to tell us to put windshield washer fluid in anyway.

IT"S THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID LIGHT? NOT THE OIL LIGHT?

Uh huh. Why? Does that matter?

There you have it, the typical conversation with a woman that has opened with the "I've got bad news" warning. One really has to think they're just trying to connect, even though they don't have a clue how terrifying are the results of mechanical malfeasance to a male.

Women don't generally acknowledge these messages. They rely instead on faith and patience with The Machine Gods; that those squeaks and vibrations are mere tests of faith, and mean nothing more; that if women as machine operators are patient and nurturing, the knocks and shakes won't get worse.

"I've got bad news," therefore, mostly involves things with two or more moving parts.

Which brings us to what appear to be the really terrifying words with which women open up conversations with men: "We need to talk."

It's going to involve a long and torturous discussion of stuff regarding COMMUNICATION, and RELATIONSHIP, and YOUR SHORTCOMINGS thereof.

An example is in order:

Her: We have to talk.

Him: AAAIIIIEEEEEGGGGGHHHH! Let's try again:

Her: We have to talk.

Him: What did I do now? (Sound familiar? Conversations that women begin with WHTT ( We have to talk) never involve a woman's shortcomings. Just his. Just to prove this:

Her:WHTT.

Him: Uh huh. What about?

Her: I made a mistake and I'm sorry. I'll be your slave forever.

Yeah, right! Here's what is gonna happen.

Her: WHTT.

Him: Ooookkkaaayyyy.

Her: You remember Ann, the lady I introduced you to in church the other day? She just moved back to town?

Him: Hmmmm.

Her. You never mentioned that you two went steady back in high school?

Him: I didn't think it was important. (Guys, it really isn't, is it? To us. Really.)

Her: Wipe that silly look off your face. You're in big trouble here, mister. (She begins to cry. Oh, man. That's really cheating. You never follow WHTT with tears. WHTT always involves an argument, followed by two days of the silent treatment, and a slow glacier-paced thawing.)

Him: (Thinking fast, as the eternal instinct for survival kicks in.) She hates you, you know.

Her: (Momentarily distracted.) Why?

Him: Because you're thinner and better looking than she is.

This one is over. This guy remembered the magic words. But next time, he won't be so lucky.

Neither will you.

Alan Linda writes from his New York Mills home.

For Anna Leigh's iPod...on the Saturday morning 600am Speech Bus.....crank it

Don't know who The Pinker Tones are? No problemo. Ask hermano Daniel. He can tell you. De nada.

One of your fans,
Blog Guy

Eclipsed Moon of March

The Friends of Maplewood State Park have rescheduled their Candlelight Ski Tour around Cataract Lake for this Saturday, March 3rd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Chili, hot chocolate and bars are available free. Ski pass and park sticker are required to ski. Saturday night is the full moon of March, the Lenten or Worm Moon. When it rises at 6:10 p.m. it will be eclipsed.

Blizzard Buzzard

Hey Jordy!
How about this shot of a Blizzard Buzzard I took this week?

Jordy in this week's Otter Tail County media.

Look for love this weekend

I first visited China in 1993 and have returned five times since. A friend of a friend is living in China. I am on her weekly emailing list. This week's news from China - as seen through a waiguoren's (Barbarian) eyes over her da bizi (big nose):

renri
人日
Happy Birthday Everybody!

Whether you knew it or not..... you had your birthday over the last weekend. Yes, the first day of Chinese New Year is long since past BUT there
are really 15 days of holiday with day number 7 being the official birthday of everyone in the world. So, in China, whether you were born in December or April you are considered a year older last Saturday. This might explain why you were feeling a bit tired after the weekend. Now, if you were following
tradition you ate some long noodles on your birthday to signify a long life. For those of you who didn't know you were supposed to eat long noodles.....
I am sure you could eat them tonight for dinner and plead ignorance. Other exciting things that happen over the next few days include all the children getting a new set of clothes. Actually most city children these days don't settle for JUST a new set of clothes but that is the tradition. Even as I am typing this I hear a group of drummers out on the road providing the beat for a traditional lion dance where the dancers bless each shop along the street. And it is all wrapped up next weekend with the lantern festival on day 15 after the New Year. If you weren't feeling tired from being a year older, you will for sure feel tired from the whirlwind of the 15 days of this wonderful holiday. So...... eat up those noodles and ENJOY your birthday!

The school holiday is over and the children are back to class. The people of the week are actually readers like yourself. A number of you helped provide money for gifts for the students and their families this holiday season. Pictured is a rural preschool for physically disabled children that is supported through monies donated to JHF. Here the children are enjoying their new books..... complements of people like yourself. On the shelves in the background you might also spot some of the play-dough, educational toys, bubbles, and coloring books that were also supplied through donations this winter. Some of you actually carried in some of these supplies on trips you were already making to China. Others of you helped pay for books on parenting given to the 120+ families supported by JHF. As the mother of Yao Xin Yu (the little girl with the pigtails at the head of the table) said on the first day back to school, "It is so hard to believe that people who have never met my child would care enough to help her out. Please tell each one thank you and may they have a blessing for this kindness shown to my family." Being in a rural community, most of these children were lucky to just receive the new set of clothing this New Year. Being a family affected by disability each considers itself lucky to have the support of anyone in their lonely walk through life. But ALL of the children are a year older and excited to be back in the classroom. ALL of the parents are thankful and grateful for your support and encouragement.

So, from all of us on this side of the ocean...... Thank You!!!
May you have a blessed New Year!
Hope you enjoy your bowl of noodles!

Ann

Two of our unmarried children are celebrating fifth anniversaries these days with their significant others. Their fateful encounters may have coincided with the Chinese Lantern Festival or the 15th day of the Lunar New Year (February 28, 2002). The Lantern Festival will be celebrated this weekend in China. If you are looking for love, this might just by the weekend to get out and find it. Love may be looking for you too. Good luck. 好运

TWTWTW 2007.08 Depending on one another

We are on the backside of the low, emerging from our igloos after a seventy-two hour Winter Storm Warning.

The price of gas went up twenty cents during the storm. Not due to OPEC, but to the law of supply and demand. Blame the snowmobilers who got three days free from school to vent.

Blame all the snow blowers. My snow blower broke last weekend. All week long I have been at the mercy of my brother-in-law with his antique Bolens to keep my driveway open, not a good feeling for a John Deere owner. I was not alone in being dependent on neighbors for this saintly act. Our blowers sat all winter waiting to be used, the gas going bad in the tanks gumming up the carburetors. When we finally got them running, sometimes on full choke, they groan under the weight of the spring snow. The cracked ten year old belts break, the shear pins shear. We pick up our shovels. We call one the many local Melroe Bobcat or Boss Plow Guys to come to our rescue. It has not been a cheap week. Money has changed hands, a good sign as long as it stays here.

Despite the storm life goes on in 56572. Our School Board reads applications for our next Superintendent, our Town Boards sit down and talk to our City about our New Fire Hall, our Athletic Director reschedules, our Neighbors question Wind Turbine Guy, our LRCEA Linemen return the favor in Iowa trying to restore power to people after an ice storm, our Lenten church suppers begin, our Riverside Coffee does not re-open, our Computer Guy locks his front door and takes a job in Fergus, our Grantwriters face deadlines, our Coop waits for word from the fast food chain, three of our Wrestlers leave for State, our Plow Guys try get back to a normal sleep schedule and our friendly Mail Guy Hank pulls two cars from the ditch on his way to work between Boatville (take note 56562 Chamber folk) and the 56572 PO.

Are we glad it's Friday. Yes, we are. Are we done with the snow? For this week. Did we get through this OK? Yes we did, together.

Seemed like more than eight inches to me

No School in Pelican Rapids, Friday, March 2nd

189
First round: Trout, Wadena-Deer Creek, dec. Kunz, Triton, 12-6; Yliniemi, D-G-F, pinned Spanier, Paynesville, 3:34; Croatt, Ortonville, pinned Paur, Hawley, 1:18; Leither, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, pinned McKale Evenson, Pelican Rapids, 1:45. Quarterfinals: Svenby, Medford, dec. Yliniemi, 5-1.

215
First round: Seley, Lake Park-Audubon, dec. Bennett, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, 6-5; Haynes, Madelia/Truman, maj. dec. Renecker, Barnesville, 12-0; Dylan Evenson, Pelican Rapids, dec. Huls, Holdingford, 7-3. Quarterfinals: Nelson, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, pinned Seley, 1:21; Meuleners, Norwood-Young America, pinned Evenson, 1:11.

275
First round: Lies, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, dec. Frost, New York Mills, 8-4; Kinney, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, pinned Juhnke, Hawley, 1:26; Aaron Field, Pelican Rapids, dec. Johnson, Fertile-Beltrami, 3-2. Quarterfinals: Mackenthun, Norwood-Young American, dec. Field, 11-4.

Vikingcoach/Bus Guy ponder failure

Yesterday I closed school for the day based on the data I had about what kind of weather would occur in the next eight hours - there was a winter storm warning in effect. Then the sun came out. I was a failure, a man in black and white stripes with a whistle. There were catcalls from the bleachers. Was I blinder than a bat? How could I miss that call? Why didn't I check with the other referee before blowing the whistle? The midweek laughing stock of 56572, I was. What was I smoking?

Vikingcoach has done an excellent job writing a blog this winter. Last week he pondered the idea of failure, like I pondered it all day yesterday and all night. Bravo Coach Brugs! Bus Guy is rooting for you and your girls.

You are your soldier’s foundation

Subject: RE: Letter to the families from Captain Gilbertson

24 FEB 2007

Dear Families and Friends of the soldiers of 3rd PLT, A CO, 2-136 CAB soldiers currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq,

February is winding down and we all find ourselves a little bit closer to returning home to be with our loved ones. This last month has passed quickly and the guys remain positive and professional. Something very special happened the other day, so I thought I would write you all to tell you about it.

Long before the sun had risen our patrol set off on what we all thought would be a routine mission. We made our way through the mud and muck that lines the streets of a Baghdad market place and came to a halt outside of a house frequented by one of our many informants. After searching several houses we found him and others and begin questioning them. Through our questioning we discovered that a man known by our informant, had recently escaped from captivity.

He had been held by insurgents in a rat infested hole for over 5 months, only taken out periodically to be tortured. The hole he was held in was covered by heavy boards with dirt and debris placed on top of them. A small hole the size of a quarter let in the only light this man was able to see throughout his five months of captivity.

One night he decided to attempt escape. Using the hole to determine when it had become dark, he mustered what little strength he had remaining in his tired and tortured body, and pushed open the top of his holding cell. Quickly and quietly he climbed out of his hole and, with his heart pounding, he ran as quickly as he could crossing muddy fields and deep canals. Finding a cold and damp farm field he laid on the ground for hours ensuring that his captors could not find him. Eventually he struggled to his feet and continued his journey north until he came to a house of someone he knew. This brave Iraqi took him in, fed him, and then returned him to his home.

The very next day after this man escaped was the day we had met our informant. Through long, careful and detailed questioning we were able to locate the man who had escaped only the night before, and convince him to guide us back to the house where he had been held and tortured. Again, this man had been freed only hours earlier yet he voluntarily agreed to come with us to point out the house. The reason he volunteered was simple: there was at least one other man still being held at the site. During our questioning we located the missing man’s family and met his wife, sons, and daughter. They all begged us to save their father, and to tell you the truth, I didn’t have the heart to tell them that he was probably already dead. Instead I told them we would do everything in our power to save him, and that is exactly what we did...

It took us several hours to locate the house. The man was obviously in no condition to be conducting a reconnaissance with us, but in order to save the life of the remaining captive, we all knew we had little choice. After several hours of reconnaissance we finally came across a house that the man was sure was the site where he was held. Returning the man home our patrol group returned to base and we prepared to conduct a raid on the house. We knew the importance of acting quickly to save the remaining captive’s life, knowing in the back of our minds that the likely hood of us being able to save this man was very low. Whether we saved him or not, we were determined to bring the kidnappers to justice, and it was with these thoughts in mind that we set off on our way to the target house.

The sun had fallen by this time and the night was still and silent. As we drove to the target house our soldiers were quieter than usual. You could feel everyone asking themselves the same question over and over: would we get there in time to save this man?

We arrived at a predetermined location and several of us dismounted our vehicles and moved forward to the target house. As we made our way to the driveway we signaled the vehicles to move to our location. We cleared the two buildings on site simultaneously as our vehicles roared into the driveway and came to a halt around the house. One of the insurgents attempted to escape, but two of our soldiers seeing him, quickly tackled and cuffed him. Through a carefully thought out, briefed, and executed plan we were able to detain 6 men, and confiscate several weapons without a single shot being fired.

The search began immediately. You could sense a tension and excitement in the air as we all looked for the holding cells described by the escapee. After several hours of searching, however, we had still not found the holes. Our soldiers never gave up, and continued to scour the area. After several hours we were about to leave the site when a scream was heard bellowing across the courtyard of the house, “…we found it!”

Through hard work and an unwillingness to give up, a couple of our soldiers had acted on a hunch. Noticing that the detainees appeared to look in the direction of an old garage, they examined the area. Moving an old broken down vehicle they stomped on the ground beneathe it and heard a slight echo. Using shovels and hands several soldiers cleared away the spot to discover an opening to a tunnel. Mice scurried out of the hole as we opened the top and let in the light from our flashlights.

We all yelled the missing man’s name into the hole hoping for an answer, but no one responded. One of our soldiers took off his armor and made his way into the long and narrow hole carrying a pistol and a flashlight. We waited, expecting the worse. Moments later he yelled to us, “there’s a guy down here, but he’s chained up!” We tactically questioned the suspects and found the keys to the chains that secured the man’s ankles and wrists. We freed him and helped him carefully to the surface.

The man’s eyes filled with tears as we helped him out of the hole and into a chair we found for him. We wrapped him in blankets and gave him water, food, and cigarettes. He repeatedly grabbed my hand and the hands of the soldiers around me and kissed them offering us blessings in Arabic. I can not begin to imagine what was going on his mind, the fear he must have felt at the sound of his cell opening, and the joy and confusion at his sudden rescue. I can picture the man underground, hearing commotion above him. Suddenly the door is opened and a beam of light flashes inside his holding cell. As he awaits his fate he sees the head of a US soldier peek around the corner leading into his cell. He is free...

Needless to say the entire experience was simply heart warming. It was amazing to look around and see my big gruff NCOs smilingly happily like little kids. To this day I’m sure they’ll never admit to the happiness they felt, but it doesn’t matter, I could see it with my own eyes.

By the end of the night we had detained 6 insurgents and had freed a man from captivity, again, without a single shot being fired. I started to think about our extension of tour, and I began to wonder whether this all would have happened had we not been extended. Right now we would have been packing up our things, and I honestly don’t believe we would have had the time and patience to develop this operation. I believe in my heart that the life we saved would never have been possible if not for the extension.

When we come home from this war we are all going to keep a part of it with us forever. Obviously the unavoidable truth is that there are a lot of ugly and terrible things that we have seen during our time here, and the fact is there will come moments in our life when we remember them. Yet, with these memories will come some positive and powerful events like saving this man’s life, and returning him to his family, and it will be these events that we will focus our attention on. It will be these events that define our deployment and they will remain in our hearts and minds forever.

We are all anxiously awaiting the end of this deployment but I wanted to share this story with you for two important reasons. First, I wanted you to understand how critical our job here is. People say we are in the middle of a sectarian war and they are WRONG. A war involves two armed parties battling it out against each other. The man we saved was old, and his family unarmed. While there are both Sunnis and Shia who target members of the opposite denomination, there is one extremely important distinction: they only target UNARMED members of the opposition. They only target the innocent. As Americans we have a moral obligation to protect the innocent and to secure our country from all enemies foreign and domestic, and that is exactly what we are doing here.

Second, the extension we are enduring, although painful, is imperative if we are to accomplish our mission. I believe in my heart that had we not been extended the man that we saved would have been killed. In the grand scheme of things, maybe saving one life doesn’t seem worth it, but believe me, if you had seen his face, seen his tears, heard the pleas of his family, you would know right away that saving his life was worth a thousand extensions.

I hope all is well back home. Our soldiers have stayed extremely positive throughout this deployment and it is because of one important reason: your love and support. A house is only as strong as its foundation and believe me, you are your soldier’s foundation. Please continue to write him letters and emails so that he continues to perform his duties with honor and unwavering dedication. Take care and we will see you all soon. God Bless,

1LT Stu Whitson
Platoon Leader,
INF3rd PLT, A CO, 2-136 CAB

Minnesota Marine killed in Iraq
Associated Press - 03/01/2007
MINNEAPOLIS - A 25-year-old Marine from Maple Lake has been killed in Al Anbar province, Iraq, during combat operations, the Department of Defense said Thursday. Sgt. Chad M. Allen was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He died Wednesday. With his death, the total of people with strong Minnesota ties who have died in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reached 53.

A day brightener for Kathy and Bob Hanson

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 22:29:08 +0500
From: Officer Schrage egfpd573@gmail.com
To: rohanson03@yahoo.com
Subject: Thank you.

I received a "Sanchez" hat last week. I've been meaning to write to you to thank you, but I've been procrastinating. I've been putting it off because I have no idea what to say. I was in Josh's squad as the "Charlie" team leader. I am now the Alpha team leader using his call-sign and working with his guys. Every day we go out I wonder what he would have done differently and if I'll ever fill his boots. The absence of his jokes has been the hardest. As I write this I'm trying to keep myself composed, because I believe that he wouldn't want me crying over him. The Team Leader is supposed to be strong and be looked up to by his team. When everything gets crazy, the squad leader depends on his two team leaders to keep their composure and get the job done. Josh demonstrated that with Schmitz's incident and I hope that if I ever find myself in the same situation I will be as brave as Josh.We all miss him dearly. I've spoken to some of the other guys who want to write, but also don't know where to start. Andy Riewer is my room mate and told me how strong the two of you were. He told me that no matter what I said, it would be the right thing by you. I hope I said the right thing.Thank you for being so strong. We are all in admiration of you.I never had the opportunity to ask Josh if he thought our work over here was worth it, but I believe it is. Seeing the smiles on kids' faces makes it worth it. If I change even one family's view of the US and what we're trying to do here makes it worth it."He is gone but not forgotten."

Thanks again,
SSG Aeisso Schrage
Drifter 23A