One of the key activities that has occurred this year on the Capitol lawn has been the addition of the Military Family Tribute. This tribute was dedicated in June and has received many positive comments on how well it fits in with the other memorials on the Capitol grounds. I recently gave a brief tour of our memorials to an individual involved with Veterans all across the nation. He was in awe of Minnesota's tributes to our Veterans of all eras. The purpose of his visit to Minnesota was to lay the groundwork of the development of a national level book with a section tailored to each state's role on the Vietnam War.
Some of you may be familiar with the book on the Korean War that was distributed to Korean War Veterans. This book would be similar with the main body portraying the war with each state getting their own dedicated pages for their respective involvement in the conflict. Doug Bekke, curator at the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley, who has just completed Minnesota's display on the Vietnam War, has agreed to assist in the development of Minnesota's contribution to the conflict. There be more to follow on next in future months but for now I just want people to be aware that this effort will be going on shortly.
Also, because of the impact the memorials have on the Capitol lawn, and the number of students/visitors who visit the Capitol each year, the department has partnered with the Minnesota Humanities Center in hiring educators to develop study guides for students and others. The guides will be available to help the visitors understand the significance of each memorial. Anyone visiting the Capitol will be able to get this study guide and learn more about the significance of Minnesota's contribution to our nation's freedom.
The legislature, as well as the Governor, have been supportive of the Veterans of Minnesota. Through their support we have been able to greatly enhance our service to the Veterans through our outreach programs as well as our Veterans Homes, partnerships with Veteran Service Organizations and the VA system federally. We will continue to fine-tune of our services to Veterans to ensure that they get the care and services they need to provide them with the quality of life they earned. Our goal is to increase our focus on reaching out to and partnering with the Veteran Service Organizations. The phrase "All politics is local" is a true one. We will work to help our Veterans continue their service as leaders in their community.
