Currentourlife5 19 16 indd

Discovering The Mature Lifestyle

Air Force ties run in Rosemount veteran’s family.

Page 6

Veterans May Issue

May 19, 2016

Bloomington Navy veteran founded Bridging, still volunteers

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fran Heitzman had just graduated from Bloomington High School in 1943, w hen, he s aid, “all of a sudden, I found myself in Fort Snelling.”

“I’m standing in line with a whole bunch of guys,” he said. “The first 50 were told they would be in the Army; the next 50 would be in the Navy; and the next 50 in the Marines. We we re tol d w here we wou ld go, we we ren’t asked.”

Heitzman was assigned to serve in the Navy for three years d uring W orld W ar II. “ Imagine a n 18-y ear-old from Bloomington climbing onto a troop train going to boot camp, with the kerosene lamps swinging,” he s aid.

“I was t oo s cared t o t hink a bout i t. The f arthest aw ay from ho me I ’d e ver b een was a 200-mile tr ip t o I owa, where my folks came from.

“I’d never been near a lake, but we had to learn how to swim 50 yards before they would let us out of boot camp.

My mom would never have a gun in our house, but there I was in a viation ordinance school with 50-caliber machine guns. While I was in N orman, Oklahoma, for 18 weeks, we had to take them apart and put them together blindfolded. Try that on for size.”

Heitzman sur vived his y ears in t he s ervice, a nd r eturned ho me t o B loomington. “ I’ve li ved in t his t own almost 91 y ears,” Heitzman said. “I’m w hat you call a n old-timer.”

Heitzman planned to start a landscaping business on Lyndale Avenue South in B loomington after he g ot out of the Navy. But after his mom said the city needed a dry

cleaner, Heitzman changed directions and, with $2.75 in a cigar box, worked with his brother to establish a laundry at 98th and Lyndale. The brothers had an old truck and rented a building for $25 a month.

He’s ne ver retired since t hen. “I tr ied to retire t hree times,” Heitzman s aid. “It’s not for me. G od gave me a voice to help somebody.”

In 1987, w hile H eitzman was t he c ustodian a t P ax Christi C atholic Ch urch in Eden P rairie, a w oman brought him a p iece of furniture and asked if s omeone could us e i t. H eitzman lo cated a s ocial s ervice ag ency that would take it.

That spa rked his ide a f or B ridging, a n o rganization that collects gently used furniture and gives it to people who need it.

Since H eitzman f ounded B ridging in 1987, i t has grown to an organization with a $2.7 million budget, occupying locations in B loomington and Roseville. It has served more than 75,000 p eople in need since i t began.

Bridging has 32 employees, and a roster of 6,000 volunteers, 800 of whom are regulars.

An average of 80 to 100 families are helped each week.

“We have a gr eat story to tell,” Heitzman said. “Success is how many p eople we hel ped to day. Think about t he veterans who go through here. They are the true heroes.”

Churches a nd o ther lo cal o rganizations suc h as t he Kiwanis contribute by purchasing furniture kits, putting them together, and donating them to Bridging. “We provide the tools,” Heitzman said. A lo cal restaurant and a local church that were going to discard 200 c hairs gave them to Bridging instead, he said.

Fran Heitzman went into the Na vy after gradua ting from HEITZMAN - TO PAGE 4 Bloomington High School in 1943. (Submitted photo)

Page 2 Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016

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Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016 Page 3

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St. Louis Park Navy veteran runs podcasts from his home

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rich Erickson found his life’s work while he s erved in the U.S. Navy from 1964-70. And he also found a secondslong part in a movie.

Erickson, a 30-y ear S t. L ouis P ark r esident, t aught Morse code to a B oy Scout troop while he was a st udent at Central High School in L aCrosse, Wisconsin, and also spent three years teaching the Scouts basic ham radio theory to prepare them for the various ham radio test levels.

He joined the Navy Reserve as a junior in high school, during the summer of 1964. “I took my basic training for six weeks at the Providence, Rhode Island Naval Base,” Erickson said. “When I graduated from high school in June of 1965, I w ent into active duty for six years. I was in radio s chool in N orfolk, Va., f rom January t o April 1966 for equipment operations and to become certified to train others.”

Erickson went to Charleston, South Carolina, then to Cuba, a nd e ventually t o V ietnam. A s a R adioman Fir st Class, he was assigned to set up a 250-watt radio station.

“While I was ac tive in t he N avy, I ma intained a nd trained other new personal on radio operation and basic trouble-shooting p rocedures alo ng wi th r unning radio code nets,” Erickson said.

While in Sa n Francisco from January to June of 1968, Erickson s erved six mo nths a t t he F ederal B uilding t o help develop a radio monitoring system for listening to international developments around the world. “We worked with t he U .S. N avy, Ar my and Air F orce s ending inf o about installing co mmunication equipment (v oice a nd code) between ships, planes and shore stations,” Erickson said.

He la ter flew t o S eattle f or simila r p rojects, Er ickson said.

“In the movie ‘Good Morning, Vietnam,’ I was in t he background for about five seconds,” Erickson said. “They had actual scenes of guys on the air.”

His dad s erved in t he Air F orce during World War II and was wi th the crew that dropped the bomb on Japan, according t o Er ickson. “ He w ouldn’t t alk a bout his s ervice years,” said Erickson, whose brother served in the Air Force for four years.

Erickson has s ome memo ries f rom his o wn s ervice years. “One day w hen I was in t he transmitting room, I heard a h uge explosion at a r estaurant across the street,” he said. “It was blown up. There were bodies everywhere. I helped where I could. I get sick thinking about it.”

Rich Erickson has a podcast studio at his home in St. Louis Park. (Submitted photo)

He also recalls being part of a rescue during a storm at sea, when a Greek freighter was on fire and sinking in the Atlantic.

“I was o n nig ht d uty mo nitoring t he shi p-to-shore frequencies w hen I r eceived an SOS co de mess age f rom a Greek freighter that was o n fire and sinking,” Erickson said. “I contacted the officer o n duty and he immediately contacted Fleet Command. We changed course and headed o n a r escue missio n, a rriving a t t he dis aster si te five hours later. Our ship was designated the main rescue and recovery site.

“I went out on a cable and helped pull people out of the cold water before it sank. Unfortunately, we could not get

everyone out.”

Erickson received military awards for his ac tion from both the U.S. and Greek governments. “I didn’t consider myself a hero,” he s aid. “I was just doing my duty to save lives.”

His interest in broadcasting was sparked when he was just 14, and a family friend put him on the air. “He had me read the news, commercials and weather,” Erickson said.

“The o wner o f t he st ation was list ening a nd s aid, ‘ He’s good.’”

As a youngster, Erickson recalls taking apart a transisERICKSON - TO PAGE 6

Page 4 Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016

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ÂŠĹƒĹƒĆ˜ČĄĆ˜Ç‹Ćž ČĄÇ‹ Ć‘Ć˜ČŒ ĆšĆ˜ČŒČŒĆ˜Ç‹Ćž ČĄÇ‹ ȥȄŖŠȥ Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ĹƒĹ–ĹˇÄŤĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžÄŤĆ˜Ĺ–ČŒÄš Â‚Ć‘Č´ĆŽĆ˜Ćž Ć‘ÂŠČŒ ŠƞNjȥƑŖȄ ĆƒÇ‹ÂŠĆŽÄ¸ Ǟ‚Nj Ç¤Č„Ç‹Ę Ć˜ĹƒĹ– ƚŠƨNjȄ Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜Ĺƒ Ä Č„ÂŠĆžĹƒČŒ Šȥ Č„Ĺ–ÂŠĆŽĆ˜ČŒČĄĆ˜ÄŤ Ç¤Č„Ć˜ÄŤĹ–ČŒÇŽ Çž> ȄŖŠƎƎʨ ȥȄʨ Ć‘ÂŠČ„Ĺƒ ČĄÇ‹ Ç¤Č„Ç‹Ę Ć˜ĹƒĹ– ƚʨ Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄČŒ ĘĄĆ˜ČĄĆ‘ ČŒÇ‹ĆŽČ´ČĄĆ˜Ç‹ĆžČŒ ȥƑŠȥ ČŒÂŠĘ Ĺ– ČĄĆ‘Ĺ–Ćš Š ČŒĆ˜ĆƒĆžĆ˜ĹˇÄŤÂŠĆžČĄ ŠƚNjȴƞȥ Ç‹Ĺą ƚNjƞŖʨ Ć•Ć•Ć• ČŒÇ‹ĆšĹ–ČĄĆ˜ĆšĹ–ČŒ Ć˜ĆžČĄÇ‹ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– ČĄĆ‘Ç‹Č´Ć• ČŒÂŠĆžĹƒČŒ Ć•Ć•Ć• ŹNjȄ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– ČŒÂŠĆšĹ– Ć˜ĹƒĹ–ĆžČĄĆ˜ÄŤÂŠĆŽ ƑŖŠȄƕ Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒ Ç‹Ĺ´Ĺ–Č„Ĺ–Ĺƒ Ä Ę¨ Ç‹ČĄĆ‘Ĺ–Č„ ĹƒĹ–ÂŠĆŽĹ–Č„ČŒ ÂŠĆžĹƒ ÄŤĆŽĆ˜ĆžĆ˜ÄŤČŒÄšÇż Â‚Ć‘Č´ĆŽĆ˜Ćž ČŒÂŠĆ˜ĹƒÇŽ ‚ƑŖ ÄŤÇ‹ĆšÇ¤ÂŠĆžĘ¨Č ČŒ Ç¤Č„Ć˜ÄŤĆ˜ĆžĆƒ Č„Ĺ–ĹźĹ–ÄŤČĄČŒ ČĄĆ‘Ć˜ČŒ ĆƒÇ‹ÂŠĆŽ Ä Ę¨ Ç‹Ĺ´Ĺ–Č„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ȴǤ ČĄÇ‹ Ÿʲ ǤŖȄčŖƞȥ Ç‹Ĺ´ ĆšÂŠĆžČ´ĹąÂŠÄŤČĄČ´Č„Ĺ–Č„Č ČŒ ČŒČ´ĆƒĆ• ĆƒĹ–ČŒČĄĹ–Ĺƒ Č„Ĺ–ČĄÂŠĆ˜ĆŽ Ç¤Č„Ć˜ÄŤĆ˜ĆžĆƒÇŽ Č´ĹƒĆƒĹ–ČĄ :Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ Ć˜ČŒ Š ŹŠčȥNjȄʨ ŠȴȥƑNjƕ Č„Ć˜ĘŽĹ–Ĺƒ ĹƒĹ–ÂŠĆŽĹ–Č„ ŹNjȄ Ĺ–Ć˜ĆƒĆ‘ČĄ Ç‹Ĺą ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– ƚŠƨNjȄ Ä Č„ÂŠĆžĹƒČŒ Ç‹Ĺą Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒÄ¸ aČĄĆ˜ÄŤÇ‹ĆžÄš qƑNjƞƕ ŠƪĚ vŖʌȥNjƞĚ {Ć˜Ĺ–ĆšĹ–ĆžČŒÄš {ȥŠȄƪŖʨĚ {Ç‹ĆžĆ˜ÄŤÄš Â‰ĆžĆ˜ČĄČ„Ç‹Ćž ÂŠĆžĹƒ Â˜Ć˜ĹƒĹ–ĘŚÇŽ Â‚Ć‘Č´ĆŽĆ˜Ćž ĆžÇ‹ČĄĹ–ČŒ ȥƑŠȥ Ć‘Ć˜ČŒ čNjƚǤŠƞʨ Ć˜ČŒ Č´ĆžĆ˜ÇšČ´Ĺ– ČŒĆ˜ĆžÄŤĹ– Č´ĹƒĆƒĹ–ČĄ :Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ Ć˜ČŒ NjƞŖ Ç‹Ĺą ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– NjƞƎʨ ÄŤÇ‹ĆšÇ¤ÂŠĆžĆ˜Ĺ–ČŒ Ć˜Ćž ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– Â‚ĘĄĆ˜Ćž Ć˜ČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ČŒ ȥƑŠȥ Ć˜ČŒ Ĺ–ĘŚÇ¤Ĺ–Č„Ć˜Ĺ–ĆžÄŤĹ–Ĺƒ Ĺ–ĆžÇ‹Č´ĆƒĆ‘ ČĄÇ‹ Ç‹Ĺ´Ĺ–Č„ ŠƎƎ Ç‹Ĺą ČĄĆ‘Ĺ–ČŒĹ– Ä Č„ÂŠĆžĹƒČŒ Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ć˜ĆžĆƒ Ä Ĺ–Ĺ–Ćž ŹŠčȥNjȄʨ ČĄČ„ÂŠĆ˜ĆžĹ–Ĺƒ Ä Ę¨ ŖŠčƑ ƚŠƞȴŹŠčȥȴȄŖȄ ČĄÇ‹ ŖʌǤŖȄȥƎʨ Ç¤Č„Ç‹ĆƒČ„ÂŠĆšÄš ĆšÂŠĆ˜ĆžČĄÂŠĆ˜Ćž ÂŠĆžĹƒ Č„Ĺ–Ç¤ÂŠĆ˜Č„ Š Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄČŒČ Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć• Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒ Ç‹Ę Ĺ–Č„ ČĄĆ˜ĆšĹ–ÇŽ ÇžÂ˜Ĺ– ÂŠĆŽĘĄÂŠĘ¨ČŒ Ç¤Č„Ĺ–ČŒÄŤČ„Ć˜Ä Ĺ– ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– Ä Ĺ–ČŒČĄ Ç¤Č„Ç‹ĹƒĆ• Č´ÄŤČĄ ŹNjȄ Ç‹Č´Č„ Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄČŒ Ä ÂŠČŒĹ–Ĺƒ ȴǤNjƞ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ–Ć˜Č„

Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ČĄĹ–ČŒČĄ ĹƒÂŠČĄÂŠÄš ČŒÇ¤Ĺ–Ĺ–ÄŤĆ‘ Č„Ĺ–ÄŤÇ‹ĆƒĆžĆ˜ČĄĆ˜Ç‹Ćž Č„Ĺ–ČŒČ´ĆŽČĄČŒ ÂŠĆžĹƒ Ç¤Ĺ–Č„ČŒÇ‹ĆžÂŠĆŽ Ć˜ĆžĹąÇ‹Č„ĆšÂŠČĄĆ˜Ç‹Ćž ČŒČ´ÄŤĆ‘ ÂŠČŒ ÂŠÄŤČĄĆ˜Ę Ć˜ČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ČŒ Ç‹Č„ Ĺ–ĆžĘ Ć˜Č„Ç‹ĆžĆšĹ–ĆžČĄÂŠĆŽ Ć˜ĆžĹźČ´Ć• Ĺ–ĆžÄŤĹ–ČŒ ĘĄĆ‘Ĺ–Č„Ĺ– Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ Ç¤Č„Ç‹Ä ĆŽĹ–ĆšČŒ ŠȄŖ Ĺ–ĆžÄŤÇ‹Č´ĆžČĄĹ–Č„Ĺ–ĹƒÄšÇż ČŒÂŠĆ˜Ĺƒ Â‚Ć‘Č´ĆŽĆ˜ĆžÇŽ ÇžÂ˜Ĺ– Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ĺ– ƞNj ĹąÂŠĘ Ç‹Č„Ć˜ČĄĹ–ČŒÄš ĘĄĹ– ŠȄŖ Ć˜Ćž Ĺ–ČŒČŒĹ–ĆžÄŤĹ– Ç¤Č„Ç‹ĹƒČ´ÄŤČĄ ƞŖȴȥȄŠƎ ĘĄĆ‘Ć˜ÄŤĆ‘ Ĺ–ĆžÂŠÄ ĆŽĹ– Č´ČŒ ČĄÇ‹ ĹąÇ‹ÄŤČ´ČŒ Ç‹Ćž Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄ ĆžĹ–Ĺ–ĹƒČŒ ÂŠĆžĹƒ Ç¤Č„Ç‹ĹƒČ´ÄŤČĄ ÄŤÂŠÇ¤ÂŠÄ Ć˜ĆŽĆ˜Ć• ČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ČŒÇŽÇż Çž ČŒ Š ČŒĹ–ĆžĆ˜Ç‹Č„ ÄŤĆ˜ČĄĆ˜ĘŽĹ–Ćž Ç¤Č„ÂŠÄŤČĄĆ˜ČĄĆ˜Ç‹ĆžĹ–Č„ ÂŠĆžĹƒ NjʥƞŖȄĚ > Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ĺ– ĘĄÇ‹Č„Ćž Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒ ŹNjȄ Ę¨Ĺ–ÂŠČ„ČŒÇŽ ŖŹNjȄŖ > ČŒČ´ĆƒĆƒĹ–ČŒČĄ ÄŤĹ–Č„ČĄÂŠĆ˜Ćž Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒ ČĄÇ‹ Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄČŒ > Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ĺ– ÂŠĆŽĘĄÂŠĘ¨ČŒ ĹƒĹ–ĆšÇ‹Ĺ–Ĺƒ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– Ç¤Č„Ç‹ĹƒČ´ÄŤČĄČŒ ĆšĘ¨ČŒĹ–ĆŽĹąÇŽ {Ç‹ĆšĹ–ČĄĆ˜ĆšĹ–ČŒ Ć˜ČĄ ČĄÂŠĆŞĹ–ČŒ ƚŖ Š ƚNjƞȥƑ Ç‹Č„ ƚNjȄŖ ČĄÇ‹ ĹƒĹ–ČĄĹ–Č„Ć• ĆšĆ˜ĆžĹ– Ć¨Č´ČŒČĄ ʥƑŠȥ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒ ŠȄŖ ȄŖŠƎƎʨ ÄŤÂŠÇ¤ÂŠÄ ĆŽĹ– NjŹǎǿ Â‚Ć‘Č´ĆŽĆ˜Ćž Č„Ĺ–ĹźĹ–ÄŤČĄĆ˜ĆžĆƒÄš ÂŠĹƒĹƒĹ–ĹƒÄš ÇžLČ´ČŒČĄ ČĄĆ‘Ć˜ĆžĆŞĆ˜ĆžĆƒ Ç‹Č´ČĄ ĆŽÇ‹Č´ĹƒÄš Ç‹Ę Ĺ–Č„ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– Ę¨Ĺ–ÂŠČ„ČŒ > Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ĺ– ȄŖŠƎƎʨ Ĺ–ĆžĆ¨Ç‹Ę¨Ĺ–Ĺƒ ČĄĆ‘Ć˜ČŒ Ä Č´ČŒĆ˜ĆžĹ–ČŒČŒ ÂŠĆžĹƒ ĆšÇ‹ČŒČĄ Ç‹Ĺą ŠƎƎ ƚʨ Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄČŒČ ČŒČĄÇ‹Č„Ć˜Ĺ–ČŒÇŽÇż Çž> ČĄĆ‘Ć˜ĆžĆŞ > Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ĺ– ĆŽĹ–ÂŠČ„ĆžĹ–Ĺƒ ƚNjȄŖ ÂŠÄ Ç‹Č´ČĄ ĆŽĆ˜ĹąĹ– ŹȄNjƚ ƚʨ Ç¤ÂŠČĄĆ˜Ĺ–ĆžČĄČŒ ȥƑŠƞ > ÄŤÇ‹Č´ĆŽĹƒ Ĺ–Ę Ĺ–Č„ Ć‘ÂŠĘ Ĺ– Ć‘Ç‹Ç¤Ĺ–Ĺƒ ŹNjȄǎǿ ČĄ ČĄĆ‘Ĺ– ȄŖčŖƞȥ aČ´Č„ QĆ˜ĹąĹ– !ʌǤNjĚ Č´ĹƒĆƒĹ–ČĄ :Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ Ĺ–ĆžČĄĹ–Č„ČŒ ĹƒĆ˜ČŒÇ¤ĆŽÂŠĘ¨Ĺ–Ĺƒ Ç‹Ę Ĺ–Č„ ȔȰ Ĺ–ĘŚÂŠĆšÇ¤ĆŽĹ–ČŒ Ç‹Ĺą čȴȄȄŖƞȥ Ć‘Ĺ–ÂŠČ„Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ÂŠĆ˜ĹƒČŒ ÂŠĆŽČŒÇ‹ Ç¤Č„Ç‹Ę Ć˜ĹƒĆ˜ĆžĆƒ Ç¤Č„Ç‹ĹƒČ´ÄŤČĄ ĆŽĆ˜ČĄĹ–Č„ÂŠČĄČ´Č„Ĺ– ÂŠĆžĹƒ ƑŖŠȄƕ Ć˜ĆžĆƒ ƑŖŠƎȥƑ ĆŽĆ˜ČĄĹ–Č„ÂŠČĄČ´Č„Ĺ–ÇŽ

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Heitzman FROM PAGE 1

“We do n’t t ake j unk,�

Heitzman s aid. “ We do n’t want t o in sult s omeone’s dignity. If you have something you’d give to a neighbor o r r elative, w e’ll t ake it.�

His p hilosophy is t hat “we ha ve to t ake c are of each o ther b ecause w e’re all in this together.�

Even a t t he ag e o f 91, Heitzman co ntinues t o volunteer six da ys a w eek at Br idging. “ This place keeps me ener gized,� he said. “ Whenever I g et tired, I g o ho me a nd t ake a na p. I had a q uintuple heart bypass 23 y ears ago, and g ot a pacemak er five years a go. I ’ve s till g ot all my ma rbles. I do n’t let anything stop me.

His wif e o f 67 y ears, Jeanne, who died in 2013, “was my rock,� Heitzman said. “ We met a t a da nce at K imball S chool o n th e corner of 86th and Cedar,� he said. “That was the best dime I e ver spent. It was a little w hite s chool, a nd a guy p layed t he acco rdion for Friday night dances.�

The co uple ra ised six s ons a nd a da ughter.

Heitzman has 15 gra ndchildren a nd 11 gr eatgrandchildren.

When he ’s no t hel ping out at Bridging, Heitzman speaks t o lo cal o rganizations a nd c hurches a bout the need f or donations. In February, h e w ent t o t he Fridley S chool Dist rict to meet wi th st udents w ho were d onating 91 ti ed blankets t o B ridging. The students had a b irthday party f or H eitzman t hat day, as w ell. I n M arch, he was a t B uck H ill f or t he 18th a nnual B edrace f or Bridging.

Bridging founder F ran Heitzman, 91, still volunteers a t the agency six days a week. On Sundays, he speaks about Bridging at area churches. (Photo by Sue Webber)

Growing up during the 1930s, H eitzman kne w what it w as t o be poor. “I grew u p d uring th e De pression,� he s aid. “People shared what they had.�

His mo m w orked as a welder a t a def ense p lant at 94th and Nicollet. B oth parents eventually worked the 3-11 p.m. shift at Twin Cities Ordinance.

Heitzman r ecalls Christmases where he and his four siblings were given a Christmas tree, and their gift was a bag o f a pples and o ranges. “ Our mo m popped corn and we decorated the tree,� he said.

His o ldest b rother lost his life in the service at the age of 21; a younger brother served in the Seabees.

Heitzman has b een a member of the Bloomington Amer ican L egion f or

63 y ears. “ The y’ve done a lot in this community for a lot of people,� he said. “I’m proud to be a member.�

As the only living charter member of the Bloomington L ions, H eitzman said, “I speak there a lot.�

He a lso i s on e of on ly three o r f our r emaining members o f t he 36 p eople in B loomington H igh School’s Class of 1943.

His s even c hildren, all o f w hom li ve wi thin five min utes o f his ho me, keep a c lose e ye o n him, Heitzman said.

He admits that because he has family living nearby, he doesn’t have to cook much, though, he adds, “ I make a me an b acon and eggs.� H e s till p lays cri bbage a nd p oker r egularly, Heitzman said.

Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016 Page 5

current.mnsun.com

Keeping society’s covenant with today’s veterans Society mak es cer tain covenants wi th i ts co nstituents: e ach co venant is a p romise — a pac t — a n irrevocable co mmitment.

One such co venant is to honor i ts v eterans. I t’s a social contract worth keeping. Here’s why.

My dic tionary defines a veteran as “ someone w ho has s erved in t he a rmed forces.” The o perable w ord is “ served.” Rega rdless if their time o f d uty was in peace o r wa r, all v eterans have given up special years of t heir li ves, a bsented themselves fr om h earth and ho me a nd dela yed personal, ed ucational a nd career p lans t o s erve a nd defend t heir co untrymen.

Many h ave ri sked th eir

Guest column ... by Bob Ramsey lives. Some have given their lives — or worse. Obviously, society owes its veterans a huge debt.

To our credit, we tr y to recognize o ur v ets. W e’ve set aside a national holiday to honor them with speeches, cer emonies, c losed o ffices a nd f ree b reakfasts.

We recognize them at public e vents t hroughout t he year. We ha nd o ut medals and build monuments. We pay f or agin g v eterans t o visit the World War II Me-

m morial. We e xchange tal es o of h eroism f rom e ach of o our wa rs. We ext end ed uccational be nefits t o ma ny.

A And gi ve o ur v eterans sspecial b urials in sp ecial p places. S o w e’re k eeping tthe co venant. Rig ht? N ot so fast.

There’s a da rk side to o.

Despite th e e fforts above, we ha ve t housands (y es, thousands) of veterans who have been let down and left out. The richest country in the world still has veterans who ha ve lost t heir ho me, their job, their families and their f uture. Veterans w ho are h ungry. V eterans li ving under bridges. Veterans relegated t o p overty a nd forced to resort to panhandling or crime to survive.

Honoring veterans is a social contract worth keeping Likewise, we ha ve ve terans who are hurting and not g etting hel p. V eterans suffering f rom undiagnosed mental and emotional illn ess. Veterans h ooked on drugs with no access t o treatment. E ven w orse, w e have a veterans’ health care system t hat t akes t oo lo ng to do too little for too few.

In shor t, we ha ve ve terans w ho a re sic k, tir ed, poor, dep ressed, dep rived, alone and forgotten. What’s wrong with this picture?

I’m in m y 80s no w and,

starting with my father, I’ve known v eterans o f e very major conflict f rom World War I t o o ur r ecent m ultiple Middle East missions.

Most o f t hese v eterans a re remarkably alik e. They ’re not her oic figures; they’re just o rdinary men a nd women who believe in doing the right thing. They ’re proud o f t heir s ervice a nd don’t b egrudge t he s acrifices t hey’ve made f or t he common g ood. The y like the idea that they did t heir duty a nd s erved t heir nation w ell a nd do n’t exp ect any fame, fortune or favors in r eturn. They k ept t heir part o f t he ba rgain wi th society, no w, i t’s s ociety’s turn.

Some p undits s ay w e

should me asure a s ociety by ho w i t tr eats i ts c hildren — o r its elderly — o r its poor. But I wonder if we should me asure a s ociety by how it treats its veterans.

By t hat me asure, ho w are w e do ing” D o w e deserve a medal f or ho w w e honor o ur v eterans? Or is o ne v eteran wh o i s s till suffering t oo ma ny? And are t housands suffering a covenant unkept? What do you think?

Bob Ramsey is a lifelong educator, freelance writer and advocate f or “V ital A ging.”

He resides in St. Louis Park and can be r eached at 952922-9558 o r b y e-m ail a t joyrammini@comcast.net.

Page 6 Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016

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Air Force ties run in Rosemount veteran’s family

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Joe Ar mitage co mes f rom w hat he calls “ a t otal Air Force family.”

The Rosemount resident joined the Air Force at age 18, after grad uating f rom B enilde H igh S chool. He was st ationed in Okinawa, and served on active duty in Vietnam from 1962-66. He was assigned to communications.

“I wasn’t a grunt; those guys have my undying respect,” he s aid. “I got away c lean. I was o n R & R (r est and relaxation) in Okinawa on my birthday, and they called me back to the base and dragged me over there. Thin gs were discombobulated then.”

Erickson FROM PAGE 3

tor radio his father had and putting it together again.

His next radio exposure occurred while he was at Central High School in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where he was a DJ three nights a week on a local radio station.

Erickson a ttended t he U niversity o f M innesota a nd Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie, was a draftsman for a time, and then because certified in audiovisual.

He did video conferencing work in private industry.

“I did public service radio, too,” Erickson said.

After he retired, he s et up a p od station with a f riend.

“I was introduced to this new technology a few years ago and got t ogether wi th M att Ander son, a f riend o f mine who is a w eb designer,” Erickson said. “He and I w ent to HTC t ogether in Eden P rairie. I ask ed him if he co uld be my main distr ibuter of my p odcast programs and he did this for me usin g his co mputers as a s erver. We have

After he was dis charged, Ar mitage s erved in t he Air Force Reserve for 21 y ears. “I was in En gland for backup during the Libya air strike,” he said.

Following his mili tary s ervice, Ar mitage w orked in his father’s printing company for 22 years. After the shop was s old, Ar mitage w orked f or a co mpany t hat ha ndled government contracts and then in c ustomer service for a company that sold software for printers.

He retired from the USAF Reserve in August 1992 and from civilian employment in 2007. He has since joined the American Legion.

“I volunteer at the VA (Minneapolis Veteran’s Administration Medical Center) every Friday morning,” Armitage said “My wife volunteers as a greeter and I help transport patients. We enjoy it. We s ee a lo t of young p eople w ho have never been in the service and still volunteer there.”

The Armitages are among 1,800 people who volunteer at t he VA an average of four hours a w eek, according to a spokesperson for the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.

He and his wife have two daughters and two grandsons.

His dad s erved in t he Ar my Air F orce d uring World War II, his oldest daughter has served in the Air Force for 20 years, and his son-in-law also is in the Air Force.

“I retired from the Air F orce Reserve one month, and my son-in-law took over my job,” Armitage said.

He no w do es s ome w ork as a p rofessional p hotographer, helping with p ortfolios for mo dels and s ome commercial shoots, Armitage said.

“I love it,” he added.

“Actually, the Air Force trained me as a still photographer while I was o n active duty when I ca me back f rom overseas,” Armitage said. “I got interested in it, but didn’t pursue it s eriously until about 1969 o r s o. I t hen st arted shooting we ekends and we eknights ar ound m y wo rk schedules. I had a studio in downtown Minneapolis in the warehouse distr ict wi th a nother p hotographer f or a f ew

worked together for many years on numerous projects.”

Erickson’s 24/7 p rogramming o ffers e verything f rom Glenn Miller big band music to early rock and roll.

“I play early rock and roll, Big Band ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s format, and b est of ‘40s a nd ‘50s a nd band le aders and singers of that era,” Erickson said, adding that his 15-yearold son, Matthew, recommended the name for the show: Rich Ellis Oldies.

“I will b e involving him in s ome shows of his c hoosing,” Erickson said.

“I have a room full of records and CDs, probably a few thousand vinyl albums,” he s aid. “People like to hear the big bands.

He has a full studio and turntable at his home. “When it’s quiet around the house, from 8 p.m. to midnight, I do my shows,” Erickson said, adding that each program takes about two hours.

“I sp end 30 ho urs a w eek r esearching inf ormation about the recording artists and writing the program logs,” Erickson said. “ This includes recording time, web devel-

Joe Armitage joined the Air Force at age 18, after gradua ting from Benilde High School. (Submitted photo) years. We had t o give up the studio when digital photography took hold. We helped hopeful models put together pictures for their portfolios, which were shown to modeling agencies and clients. I still fool around with it. It’s fun and challenging to get the best pictures for the models. It’s never been a full time thing.”

opment, meetings with my podcast engineer, and looking for records and t apes for air play. We do s ome program editing and research the latest technology for software updates. Matt and I meet with other podcast broadcasters to share ideas.”

He do esn’t advertise t he p od, but he estima tes t hat it has close to 650,000 listeners worldwide, including people in Australia, Germany and Spain.

“People find out about it by word of mouth,” Erickson said. “We get requests via ema il. I p lan to do t his as long as I can.”

He and his wife have one grown child and one grandchild and then adopted two teenagers. “We’re really happy we did that,” he said.

Erickson is a member of the American Legion, and also active with a senior citizen group at Lenox Senior Center.

“I love what I do,” Erickson said. “I keep busy and keep active. That’s the goal.”

Er ickson’s m usic is a vailable a t w ww.richellisoldies. com

Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016 Page 7

current.mnsun.com

New Brighton Navy veteran is a book author, avid bridge player

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Armed wi th a degr ee in hist ory a nd r eligion, Veryle Henriksen in tended t o b e a coac h w hen he grad uated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1950. “But the love bug bit me pretty badly,� said Henriksen, a native o f Iowa w ho has li ved in N ew B righton f or 24 years. He and his wife, Peggy, were married in 1950.

Henriksen jo ined t he N aval Res erve in 1950, a nd spent o ne summer in N ewport, R .I., a nd a nother summer in Treasure Island, San Francisco. He still recalls the old World War II N avy chief whose first order was t his: “Youse guys who swim st and over here; youse guys who don’t swim stand over there. When I get through witcha, everyone swims.�

At t he end o f six w eeks, t he c hief t old Henriksen he

was the first failure. “I still can’t swim to this day,� Henriksen said.

He’d al ways t hought he had a str ong st omach, b ut Henriksen said he didn’t escape seasickness. “I was s easick even in the harbor,� he quipped.

From 1953-55, Henriksen was on active duty as a line officer in the Navy. “I g ot in o n t he p risoner ex change in K orea,� H enriksen said. “I was p resent when the first prisoners were flown in f rom N orth K orea. They w ere so s kinny th ey could have stood sideways in the rain and not gotten wet.

It was a bright, clear afternoon. It was an awesome sight.�

After active duty, Henriksen’s attempt to return to the family fa rm in Cle ar L ake, Iowa, was s cuttled w hen a n accident with a manure loader broke his jaw in two places and made him reconsider his plans to be a farmer.

HENRIKSEN - TO PAGE 8

Veryle Henriksen plays duplica te bridge ever y week at the New Brighton Community Center.

(Sun staff photo by Kassie Petermann)

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Henriksen FROM PAGE 7

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Paul and being ordained, he found himself back in the Navy, this time as a chaplain.

He served as a c haplain on both active and inactive duty, from 1959-1980, bas ed out of Florida and then Maryland. Henriksen t hen s erved in t he Marines in N orth Carolina, followed by two years of service HENRIKSEN - TO PAGE 10

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An a vid bridge player for 46 years, Veryle Henriksen has been playing duplica te bridge each Wednesday and Thursday with senior citizens at the New Brighton Community Center. (Sun staff photo by Kassie Petermann)

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Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016 Page 9

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Golden Valley veteran spends his life working for peace

BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Larry Johnson of Golden Valley said he took a minister with him w hen he sho wed up at the draft board in 1970 because he planned to register as a conscientious objector.

“I wouldn’t deliberately kill people,” said Johnson, who found a niche during wartime as a U.S. Army medic without a weapon, and a lifetime niche working for peace.

“We were sent to field training unit in Neu Ulm, Germany,” Johnson said. “Because I had dr iven school bus as part of running trip camps for kids, I drove a 2-ton truck to Augsburg hosp ital e ach w eek f or c linic su pplies. B ecause I le arned G erman in hig h s chool, I tra nslated f or (and taught English) to a Bulgarian doctor the army hired to do sick call.”

Johnson s aid he b ecame a v eteran for p eace on April 27, 1972, t he day he was dis charged from the U.S. Army, even though he didn’t know at the time that there was an organization bearing that name.

Veterans For Peace, now an international group, states its purpose as f ollows, Johnson said, “Having served our country, we know how hard war is on soldiers and others.

We now dedicate ourselves to encourage all governments to lo ok f or no n-violent wa ys o f s ettling b efore s ending young people in to combat.”

Young v eterans a re slo w t o jo in t he gr oup, a nd t here aren’t a lot of World War II vets left, Johnson noted. “VFP is a place where veterans can go and talk, and people understand,” he s aid. “ I’ve s een i t w ork w hen no thing els e does. S ome p eople a re ne ver willin g t o t alk a bout w hat happened; a lot of veterans don’t dare say what they really think.”

Johnson noted that “an inordinate percentage of homelessness is v eterans, particularly Vietnam veterans, and I found m yself sp eaking a t s ome e vents w here b ig ba nks were foreclosing on Vietnam veterans. We need t o make sure to take care of veterans who come back.”

He was p resident o f VFP C hapter 27 in M inneapolis for five years, through 2013. H e also is a mem ber of the American Legion. “Both organizations are created to fight for veterans’ benefits, and that shouldn’t even have to be the case,” Johnson said.

He us ed t he GI b ill t o g et a t eaching cer tificate, and spent t he next 23 y ears t eaching st orytelling a nd do ing video work in t he Minneapolis S chool Distr ict. Johnson took early retirement from the school district in 2006.

“Most of my in-s chool st orytelling w ork was f ocused on environmental issues, but a great deal of outside storytelling was related to working for peace,” he said.

Johnson and others rang Armistice Bells at the Festival of Nations. A State Arts Board grant enabled 11 veterans to cast theirown bells in the spirit of the 1918 Armistice. (Submitted photo) Collaborations with Elaine Wynne He and his wife, Elaine Wynne, work together on many projects related to veterans and p eace. “Elaine is tra ined and has us ed tra uma t herapy f or y ears,” J ohnson s aid.

“She’s w orked wi th EMD R (E ye M ovement D esensitization Reprocessing), which combines mind, body and psychotherapy, for more than 25 years.”

“Elaine is a storyteller, too,” Johnson said. “That ’s where we met. We’ve been storyteller activists all our lives. She’s a therapist, and I’m an educator and media person.”

Since t he la te 1970s, t he co uple ha ve t aught ma ny, young and old, to use storytelling in their work as parents, grandparents, educators, and activists. In 1980 they originated “Storytelling as a M odern Communication Art” at Metro State University, teaching it for over 10 y ears. I n 1990 they organized a national storytelling conference on “Storytelling and the Electronic Media.”

Johnson said he has been able to tell stories and teach storytelling in many places, from the Hutton Yacht in the Stockholm, Sweden Harbor, to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, to “opening” for Captain Kangaroo at a co nfer-

ence at the Kennedy Center. But, he says, his favorite place to tell stories still is neighborhood schools, and with his grandchildren.

More than 10 years ago, Elaine and Larry started holding annual “Cousin Camps,” with their now 13 grandchildren. It’s billed as “a week of fun, connecting, storytelling, video making, social justice, and loving the outdoors.”

Growing up in Bloomington A native of Bloomington who grew up in a v ery religious family, Johnson said. “I consider myself a sp iritual person, but I’m not a f undamentalist Christian anymore.

My father c hose a ho me a mile f rom w here t he M all o f America now is, so we could grow up in the country.”

“I w orked o n fa rms in B loomington t hrough hig h school,” Johnson said. “I ran camps for kids w ho were in trouble with law w hen I was in hig h s chool. I lo ved t he outdoors and working with people.”

He played some football in h igh school, wrestled and PEACE - TO PAGE 10

Page 10 Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016

Peace

FROM PAGE 9 ran trac k. At t he sug gestion o f his g eometry t eacher, he went out for cross-country. That led to participation in the JFK 50-mile hike in 1961.

When he st arted college in t he mid 1960s as a sp eech major at Augsburg C ollege, Johnson was t hinking about a career in t he ministr y. H e subsequently transferred to the University of Minnesota for the broadcast sequence. “I wanted to do a local children’s TV show,” he said.

He subsequently helped establish a TV channel at Children’s Hospital in the 1970s, a live call-in show designed so patients could participate. “We wanted something to take the children’s minds off t heir hurting, something fun,” he said.

Hiking for peace Johnson’s 61-Mile Hike when he was 61 y ears old was intended t o r eproduce t he 50-mile hik e. H e left a t 6:10 a.m. on the #61 bus to Highway 61, walked to Lindstrom, Minnesota, for a 6:10 p .m. ceremony at the veteran’s memorial, in memory of his father, who died at 61. Johnson’s book, “ Sixty-One,” due to b e published in t he fall, con-

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tains 61 short stories “reflecting many facets of why I took that hike,” he said.

This year’s 70-mile hik e, slated to coincide with Johnson’s 70t h b irthday in O ctober, will st art wi th a 24-mile walk t o N orthfield, t he first da y; t he s econd da y f rom Stanton to Red W ing; and the third day from Red W ing to Stockholm, Wisconsin. “It will b e three days, 22 miles a da y, wi th a f ew extra t hrown in, t o hig hlight t he s ad fact that 22 veterans a day choose to take their own lives,” Johnson said.

His grandson, a college student in LaCrosse, accompanied him on the 61-mile hike and plans to join him on the 70-mile hike, as well.

Johnson s till walks a l ot, in cluding h ikes a round th e Minneapolis lakes, but he’s stepping up his tr eks now in preparation for the 70-mile hike.

N ow w orking pa rt-time a t Pl ymouth C ongregation Church in M inneapolis, o n a p rogram f or ad ults wi th mental illness, Johnson said he often walks the seven miles home to Golden Valley from the church in Minneapolis.

He still recalls his grandfather, a World War I veteran, saying to Johnson and his brother, “Boys, war is a horrible thing. I hope neither of you have to participate.”

“Deep do wn, t hat’s ho w most p eople f eel,” J ohnson said. “We’ve got to figure out how to stop it.”

Larry Johnson has been a lifelong storyteller. (Submitted photo)

Henriksen FROM PAGE 8

as the naval base chaplain in Iceland, and then spent three years in Rhode Island.

He recalls that a destroyer he was on just missed being chosen to pick up astronaut John Glenn, w ho was o n a space mission.

That wasn’t his last ne ar-brush with Glenn, ho wever.

Henriksen recalls the July 4, 1984, pa rade in Cle ar Lake, Iowa, w hen t hen-U.S. S en. J ohn Glenn, t he f ormer astronaut and retired U.S. Marine Corps pilot, was pa rt of the parade. “He was about 50 yards away from me on the back of a convertible when the parade stopped,” Henriksen said. “It was all q uiet and I shouted out, ‘USS Noa.’ I gave him the high sign, and he waved at me.”

Henriksen has lastin g memories of Clear Lake, Iowa, where, he recalls, Buddy Holly’s plane went down a mileand-a-half from where he was born.

“My dad and I were born in the same room in the same house,” Henriksen said. “He was an absolutely remarkable man. He was a fa rmer wi th a n eig hth-grade ed ucation, but he served on the school board and the county board of ed ucation a nd was a dir ector o f t he ba nk. M y mo m only had a nin th-grade ed ucation, b ut she was sma rter than a lot of people who have doctorate degrees.”

Henriksen and his wife raised a family of three daughters a nd a s on. They als o ha ve 10 gra ndchildren (t hree of whom are triplet boys) and eight great-grandchildren.

The Henriksens spent seven years serving at a church in Hoffman, Minnesota, followed by 15 years of ministry in the regional treatment center for chemical dependency and mental he alth patients at t he State Hospital in F er-

Navy veteran Veryle Henriksen Navy veteran plays bridge every week in New Brighton. (Sun staff photo by Kassie Petermann)

gus Falls. Henriksen then served as the visitation pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Mounds View and 11 years at First Lutheran Church in C olumbia Heights, before his last ministry, at Christ the King Church in New Brighton from 2011-14.

He claims he tried retiring five times and “failed miserably. I finally made it on the sixth try,” said Henriksen,

who retired in 2014, after 55 years of church service.

An avid bridge player for 46 years, Henriksen has been playing duplicate bridge e ach Wednesday and Thur sday with s enior ci tizens a t t he N ew B righton C ommunity Center.

He also is writing a book about his life. Henriksen is a life member of the VFW in New Brighton.

Our Life • Thursday, May 19, 2016 Page 11

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