Caeser Kaiser, Kurt Ellefson, Brent Stahlecker, and Jeff Durbin will be honored at the Ox Cart Days Veteran Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, August 19, at 9:30 am at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Caeser Kaiser- Caeser Kaiser started his service for the United States Navy in 1954 and was discharged in 1958. Kaiser is 87 years old and resides in Crookston. “I covered about the whole far east on the Pacific Ocean,” said Kaiser. “I went to Honolulu, made a lot of stops in Japan like Okinawa, the Philippines, China, I went a lot of places and got to see how the rest of the world lived.” During his service, Kaiser stated he and his crew were at sea during a three-day typhoon. He also said the monthly income was $32, but the overall experience from his service was “a pretty good time.”
Kurt Ellefson- Kurt Ellefson served in the Minnesota National Guard in 2004 and served until January 2011. Ellefson, a Red Lakes Falls native, spoke about his duties during his service. “My duties were: my MOS was 11B, infantrymen, I served the Minnesota National Guard overseas in Iraq, so we did a lot of combat patrol and protecting posts.” Ellefson stated that he is honored to be part of the ceremony, and he encourages community members to attend and support the event.
Brent Stahlecker– Brent Stahlecker didn’t join the service until he finished his bachelor’s degree from Mankato State University. Stahlecker, a Crookston native, enlisted in the National Guard in 1984 and 1990 and went into the reserves before being discharged in 1994. When asked about what was most memorable during service, Stahlecker spoke about the training that was required. “Basic training was one big memory; I still remember that well,” said Stahlecker. “The training was hard. It wasn’t real fun, but you got used to it as training went along.” Leading up to the ceremony on Saturday, Stahlecker was asked how he felt about being recognized, and his response was, “I’m very honored, and I’m Looking forward to it.”
Jeff Durbin– Jeff Durbin joined the North Dakota National Guard immediately after high school in 1984, where he served for 16 years before transferring to the Minnesota National Guard. Durbin’s served from 1984 to 2005. “Back in 1988, for my first tour, my unit was chosen to go to Honduras, and we built roads for the farmers,” said Durbin. “Our job was the first job of that tour, and we were driving the equipment from the port to base camp, and someone came behind us and built the base camp.” Durbin also did a tour in 1991, where his unit was activated for Operation Desert Shield Storm. Durbin received service ribbons from the Kuwait government and the U.S. government. Durban’s most prized award for recognition is his Army Accommodation medal.
