Veterans Day, the generosity of local residents

Two unrelated thoughts come to mind this week.
First, Saturday, November 11, is Veterans Day. Because the holiday falls on a weekend, most government offices, local and federal, will be closed tomorrow, Friday, November 10. The Postal Service will not be delivering mail on Saturday.
But what is Veterans Day? Yes, it is a day to honor all U.S. military veterans. But for many it has become just a day to take off work. And in a year when it falls on a weekend, many people will be enjoying a three-day weekend.
As it usually does, Veteran’s Day is coming just a few days after election day. Aside from a few local elections in some Minnesota cities and school districts there was little election activity this year. But the 2024 elections will be here soon, and political activity is already under way. And the polarization among the electorate has certainly noted abated since the 2020 vote.
What does this have to do with Veterans Day?
Americans do not seem to agree with each other on much of anything these days, but if there is one unifying subject it should be honoring our veterans.
All sides in the political debates will say they love the United States and want to see it prosper, despite having vastly different ideas of what that means and how we should accomplish it.
But there should be no disagreement over honoring those individuals who over the years have put their lives on the line to keep the nation safe.
Members of the military, both active duty and veterans, took an oath to serve their country and that meant everyone in the country. They have come from all races, ethnicities, religions, and genders. Members of the military know what it means to set aside individual differences and work together as a team.
All Americans should be able to unite to offer support, respect, and gratitude to those fellow citizens.
So how about this Veterans Day, we not only honor those veterans, but show them we have not forgotten that no matter what our disagreements may be, we are all Americans.
The second thought that comes to mind this week is that residents of Dodge County are a caring group.
That was evident in the response to a fundraiser for Dodge County 911 Dispatch Supervisor Dawn Frieberg. The fundraiser was held a week ago, on October 29. It was successful but the success became even more obvious this past Sunday. In response to a challenge at the original event, Sheriff Scott Rose agreed to be tased for five seconds if those in attendance would contribute an additional $5,000 in the last half hour of the silent auction. Contribute, they did, and when the money was counted, $7,000 had been raised in half an hour. Added to the funds already collected and the total reached $17,000.
Rose, for his part, showed up at the Hayfield American Legion this past Sunday and was tased for the five seconds. His comment was that no matter how painful tasing is, it was no match for the pain felt by Frieberg in her fight against breast cancer involving surgery and chemotherapy.
This coming Tuesday, Kasson and Mantorville residents will come together for the annual Care and Share fundraising event that each year raises money to help make Christmas a bit brighter for those in need as well as helping them throughout the year.
Last year, this event brought in $48,000.
These two events, along with many others throughout the year, show that Dodge County residents do care about their neighbors and are always ready to lend a helping hand, financially or otherwise when their neighbors are in need.