Thirty Minnesota veterans who’ve contributed mightily to their communities will be honored tonight at a program held annually on Sept. 11.
The Minnesota Humanities Center’s Veterans’ Voices awards added a new category this year: vets under 40.
The award winners were nominated by the community [PDF] for work in the areas of health care, education, employment and legal assistance.
Tonight’s 7 p.m. ceremony will include a talk by Larry Shellito, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.
The winners:
Legacy (age 41 and over)
- Muriel Alexander-Alvarez, Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard, Waubun
- Donald Allen, Army, Columbia Heights
- Ted Daley, Army, Eagan
- Ron Fagen, Army, Granite Falls
- Brockton Hunter, Army, Minneapolis
- Jerry Kyser, Army, Roseville
- Thomas Lyons, Air Force and Air National Guard, Plymouth
- Jerry Newton, Army, Coon Rapids
- Thomas Plunkett, Army, St. Paul
- Dennis Schulstad, Air Force, Edina
On the Rise (age 40 and under)
- Cortney Amundson, Air Force, New Prague
- Trevor Berg, Army National Guard, Newfolden
- Martin Caraway, Marine Corps, Renville
- Louis Goldstein, Army Reserve, Hutchinson
- Scott Hanson, Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard, Brooklyn Park
- Brian Hare, Army, Woodbury
- Aaron Heusinkveld, Army National Guard, St. Cloud
- Christopher Hinton, Navy, Waseca
- Richard Leonard, Army National Guard, Woodbury
- Mike Lotzer, Army National Guard, Apple Valley
- Dina Lubben, Army National Guard, Lakefield
- Amber Manke, Army National Guard, Cottage Grove
- Jason McNamara, Army, Mankato
- Kristin Nord, Air National Guard, Buffalo
- Brian Ophus, Army National Guard. Bemidji
- Alex Schueller. Marine Corps, Eagan
- Sean Staum, Marine Corps and Army National Guard, Inver Grove Heights
- John Swenson, Navy, Windom
- Evan Tsai, Marine Corps, Minneapolis
- Dave Wentzel, Army National Guard, Mankato
The awards are sponsored by the Minnesota Humanities Center along with Minnesota Vets4Veterans, Mortenson Construction, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project, the Minnesota Department of the American Veterans Association, The Travelers Companies, Inc., and JNBA Financial Advisors.
