Country
Friday, May 15, 2020
Veterans remembered in Upsala area memorial gem By DIANE LEUKAM Staff Writer
UPSALA – Oct. 12, 2019 was cold, windy and snowing but people showed up anyway. They came to honor the deceased members of the military with the dedication of a beautiful memorial in the tiny farm community of Upsala in Morrison County, also serving the Elmdale, Bowlus, Holdingford, St. Francis and Grey Eagle area. The area is rich in military history, with a large number residents who served their country in many wars. The memorial sits on approximately one acre and features the American, Minnesota and the POW-MIA flags, a grand
ST R
Publications The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
cres A
Volume 8, Edition 6
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
Dave Brezinka (left) and Don Marty, co-chairs of the Upsala Area Veterans Memorial, are pictured May 8 at the site in Upsala. The memorial honors deceased members of the Upsala, Elmdale, Bowlus, Holdingford, St. Francis and Grey Eagle areas.
entrance into a space lined with benches for visitors to sit and reflect. On five large granite tablets, there are inscribed the names of area military personnel beginning with the Civil War, then WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War. A gold star marks those killed in action. One gold star belongs to a young man named Oscar E. Benson, a name that was almost missed. “No one knew about him,” said Dave Brezinka, historian of the project. “We were all set; we had all the names approved when I found a newspaper, the Little Falls Daily Transcript. I was researching at the Morrison Country Historical Society and found an article that listed all the deceased from WWI – 53 from Morrison County. Oscar E. Benson was killed in action, and
his parents were from Upsala. We almost went through this whole thing. He has never had a flag on Memorial Day weekend.” Brezinka has been involved in the Upsala
American Legion for 42 years. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966-68 and was stationed in Germany. Don Marty and his wife, Delphine, have
PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM
Dave Brezinka points to the name of Oscar E. Benson, a young Upsala soldier who was killed in action in WWI. His name was found in an old newspaper story from the Little Falls Daily Transcript shortly before Veterans’ names were carved into granite. No one knew of him locally yet now, he will be permanently honored in the Upsala Area Veterans Memorial.
4
This month in the
COUNTRY
5 8
lifelong ties to Upsala. Delphine grew up on the family farm nearby, and Don moved to Upsala in the ninth grade and was the best friend and classmate of Brezinka. After Don and Delphine retired from their work in Fargo in 2016, they decided to head back to rural Minnesota. Soon after Marty’s arrival, he joined the Legion. Brezinka and Marty are co-chairs the project, and they talked about the memorial on May 8. Members of the Upsala Legion post had entertained the idea of a memorial for a number of years, but on the 100th anniversary of Upsala in 2017, their plan was set in motion. They talked about many different options but felt strongly that it had to be a high-quality memorial. “If we were going to
Is your John Deere really 12 Back to Vietnam Green ? Richmond 16 A pollinator propagating Diane Leukam Column enterprise America’s original red meat Sartell Sauk Rapids Song of the Purple Martin 20 East of the moon Herman Lensing Column Starbuck
do it, we wanted to do it up right, and I think we did,” Brezinka said. The two veterans, along with many committees and other volunteers, worked to create the memorial designed to keep the memories of the veterans from the entire area alive. The project was launched at the 2017 Veterans Day program, with an introduction to the community including sketches of the proposed memorial and fundraising discussed. Businesses and individuals were extremely generous, with less than $20,000 now remaining to be raised. Any donations above that amount will be dedicated to a perpetual care fund for the memorial. Early on, as locations UPSALA continued on page 2
21 Country Cooking 22 Animals we love 23 What’s This 23 Sensational Sunrise