GRAND RAPIDS, Minnesota (Northern News Now) – The VFW post-1720 can be found further up U.S. Highway 2 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

This local organization honors heritage, serves as a temporary home, and supports war veterans.

Although the VFW is a place that stands on pillars of supporting veterans, their plans to celebrate their sixth beneficiary event with an Honor Flight began to fall apart.

After learning that the plan would never work, they banded together to create a new itinerary, and so one summer morning in northern Minnesota, all 42 post-1720 VFW veterans set out early and boarded the honor bus to Target Field.

The Twins hosted the Brewers in a border battle between the American League and the National League, but before the first pitch, Grand Rapids Vietnam veterans Don Mayo and Kenny Hurlbut were tasked with getting to first base while raising the state and national flags.

“They asked who wanted to fly the territorial flag because we’re not going to be able to fly the American flag. We both volunteered at the same time, so Don said, ‘Kenny, you fly the flag,'” Don Mayo said.

“We got there and found out the person who was chosen to do it couldn’t be there today. So they said you should raise the flag and Don, you should raise the territorial flag. Then we learned we have to wait about 2.5 years to raise the American flag,” Hurlbut said.

He’s already hitting home runs and winning the day.

“For me, the most precious thing was to be there and raise this flag that means so much to us here,” Hurlbut said.

Bus driver James Mozey, a Desert Storm veteran, thought so too.

“Seeing Kenny and Don doing it was a moving experience, especially when we saw the 1720 logo on our caps on the TV at the stadium,” Mozey recalled.

The Veterans Day at the ballpark didn’t end with the game, so they got back on the bus and headed back down I-35 and onto US HWY 2, loaded with precious cargo and surprises waiting just around the corner.

A parade of people painting the streets of Grand Rapids, welcoming their veterans the only way they know how.

“When you come back to town and see all the people, isn’t it great? You see the locals standing here, waiting and coming back. That’s what they used to do for the honor flight. You can’t imagine the effect that has on your heart,” Mayo said.

A special passenger on this honorary bus was World War II veteran Ardwin Fleischhacker, who sat down for a brief conversation with sports reporter Alexis Bass.

“I think it’s nice that the VFW is doing this for the veterans. It’s a good deal for the veterans. They deserve it,” Fleischhacker added.

“They deserve it,” Bass said.

“What is one thing you will take away from this day that you will always remember?”

“It was a nice meeting. A great honor.”

“Would you do it again? Next year?”

“Yes, I’ll do that next year,” said Fleischhacker at the end of the conversation.

A day at the baseball stadium that veterans Don and Kenny will never forget.

“It was great! We are very proud and very honored,” said Mayo.

“He was at that meeting, stood up and said, ‘I’m going to be with you every step of the way,’ and we got this done together as a team,” Hurlbut said.

A team of heroes is still in action and continues to pay tribute to their country and community.

“God blessed us so much today. I don’t even know where to start,” Hurlbut said.

This was the first fundraiser with an honorary bus that the VFW ever had in Grand Rapids since 1720.

It is also a kick-off event between all posts in the state of Minnesota.

However, it will not be Grand Rapids’ last trip to the ballpark with the veterans.

Not only will you receive full funding for the next Honor Bus to Target Field, but for the following year as well.

Click here to download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2024 Northern News Now. All rights reserved.