TOWER- The Herbert R. Lamppa Civic Center was standing-room only for this year’s Memorial Day tribute, sponsored by the Tower-Soudan Civic Club.
The Tower-Soudan Area Singers, under the able direction of Rolf Anderson with Ellie Larmouth on the piano, performed a selection of songs suitable for the occasion, which also included performances by youngsters Harper Cobbe, who opened the program with a medley of traditional patriotic songs on the piano, and Harley Banks, a member of the singers, who sang a solo.
Barb Peyla stepped up to lead the program, and she, along with some volunteers, handed out stars, cut from worn U.S. flags, to all the Veterans in the audience. The stars were a gift from the Major Stuart Adam Wolfer Institute, a nonprofit that was formed to honor the life of Wolfer, who was killed in the Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, in 2008.
The centerpiece of the program, as is the tradition, is the recitation of the names of all the area Veterans who died while in service, along with all the names of all area Veterans who have passed away. This list, which grows longer every year, takes over a half hour to read out loud, led by a dedicated group of area residents who take turns reading through the rolls of those who served in the Civil War through the more recent Gulf War. The names, printed in the program so audience members can read along, reflect a cross section of the Tower-Soudan community and the Bois Forte Reservation. There are families in the audience whose relatives served as far back as the Spanish-American War and World War I, speaking to the long history of the area as well as the community’s spirit of service.

Missing information about area Veterans
The Tower-Soudan Civic Club is hoping to get some more information on the following Veterans, specifically what war/era they served in and also if they are buried in Lakeview Cemetery. If anyone can help with collecting this data, please email Barb Peyla at bngpeyla@gmail.com.
Jack Brandt
Francis Connor
David Durrant
James A. Fidler
James Frazee
James W. Gawboy
Alfred Golden
Daniel E. Hackey
Donald M. Halunen
Charles D. Harmston
Melvin Hintz, Jr.
Walter Jarecki, Jr.
Douglas Jeranson
Dennis Johnson
Raymond W. Johnson
Russell Helmer Larson
James Meehan
Richard “Rick” Nelson
Robert Ranisate
William T. Rusch
John Francis Stepan
Steve Stepan
Thomas Tomlinson
John Urick
David G. Wagner
Earl J. Zimmerman

Tribute to D-Day and WWII heroes on June 6

VIRGINIA- In honor of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, all area Veterans and their families and friends are invit ed to a program at the Elks Club in Virginia on Thursday, June 6, from 5-7 p.m. The Elks Lodge is located on 200 N 5th Ave W. Food and beverages will be served, and there will be a short program at 6 p.m. Anyone planning on attending is asked to RSVP to Larry Cuffe Jr. at 218-780-9941. The program will highlight the service of Eugene Trucano, from Tower, who was part of the D-Day invasion, along with four other major battles during the war. He served along with four other Trucano brothers, Joe, Charlie, Albert, and Lawrence in World War II, and a younger brother, John served in the Korean War.