What a day it was, March 31, 2010 and then I looked in the paper and saw the article written by Randolph T. Brown concerning “that road”. Mr. Brown did a very good job of masking the issue and building a case to lay blame for all the wrong reasons. Mr. Brown is a lawyer and that’s what lawyers do, so let’s have some straight talk for a change and let’s address the real issues.

First, let’s ask the question: Why is it so darn important to include road #55 in every attempt to honor the vets? Second, why is one commissioner so intent on doing everything he can to get the “vets” name on road #55? Third, why did one commissioner make such a blatant statement on the record at the commissioners meeting to say he was sorry for failing to get the road #55 approved to honor the vets?

I agree we really should do what we can to honor the vets, because of what our vets have done that we have all the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. For just one minute, think about this before you scream and holler about honoring the vets.

Those of us who served during the Viet Nam War remember all too well what it was like coming home from service, to our country. We remember the name calling, the spitting, the disgrace and the mistreatment the vets got from the people, because of the baggage of the Viet Nam War and the protesters who were able to protest because of the freedoms the vets fought and died to make sure they had. We remember being labeled murderers and baby killers and we remember losing friends and some of us family to that war and that time. That baggage hangs heavy, drags hard and it doesn’t go away real easy or fast.

Now, all this hoopla about “honoring” the vets, which I believe is long over due, and you want to hang the baggage of road #55 on the heads of the vets and call it “honoring the vets”. Viet Nam is over so let’s clean up our act.

I said we needed to have some straight talk and here it is: The biggest reason the people are pushing to put the vets name on road #55 is to have the vets save the road for them. That road, #55, has so much bad baggage tied to it; it makes Viet Nam look like a cake walk. So as a vet I will say this, “knock it off already”. If you really want to honor the vets, do it with a clean road and stop wasting our tax dollars and wasting our time.

The commissioners requested our county VSO bring them the “will of the veterans”, and he did just that and it was presented to the board. But again, some members wanted road #55 included so the “will of the veterans” has been ignored again. As Mr. Hensley stated, the vote was only 11 to seven and 11 to seven is not a majority so the board should consider what the group from Osakis wants instead. If 11 to seven is not a majority, then why do we have the five members seated as commissioners? Majority doesn’t count for the “will of the veterans”, so just let anybody sit in the commissioner’s chairs, maybe do it on a first come, first served basis and that way we can have people camping out on the street so they will get in first and be commissioner for that day.

Sorry, Mr. Brown, even though I respect you, if you really want to honor the vets, honor them with straight talk and “clean” roads and tell Mr. Neumann if he wants to speak for the vets, maybe he should be one and if he is, let him be open and above board about it instead of hiding it like it’s some sort of bad, road #55 baggage.
Dan Schilling
(Viet Nam era veteran)
Long Prairie, Minn.