Colfax couple launches campaign for American Legion, Legion Auxiliary stones at The Highground
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have stones placed at The Highground in Neillsville in honor of the Russell-Toycen American Legion Post 131 of Colfax and the American Legion Auxiliary?
That was the thought Troy and Michelle Knutson of Colfax had when they attended a dedication ceremony at The Highground last October for a family member, Michael Larson.
Michael Larson, who died in a motorcycle accident on county Highway M north of Colfax in August of 2014, was the son of Deb and Rod Larson of Colfax. Rod is Michelle’s cousin.
Family members donated money for the memorial stone for Michael, Troy said, noting that the stones are used as pavers for walkways at The Highground.
That day, there were 30 stones laid in two different ceremonies, Michelle said.
The Highground in Neillsville is a 155-acre manned veterans memorial park that honors the dead and the survivors for their service and sacrifices.
The park includes tributes to veterans of WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, as well the National Native American Vietnam Memorial, the Wisconsin Persian Gulf Tribute, a Meditation Garden, a handicapped accessible treehouse, an exact replica of the Liberty Bell, Effigy Mound, a Learning Center (with a library) and four miles of hiking trails.
The Highground, located three miles west of Neillsville on U.S. Highway 10 and open to visitors 24 hours per day, was incorporated in 1984 as the Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial Project, Inc.
Legion
Also on the day of Michael Larson’s ceremony, the Gilman Legion was being honored with a stone, and the Gilman Legion was the color guard for the program, Troy said.
The Gilman Legion provided the impetus for Troy and Michelle’s idea.
“I said our Legion and Auxiliary should have honorary stones over there,” Troy said.
“And they should be the honor guard,” Michelle said.
“When I called to get the information, I was asked if our Legion would be the honor guard. I said I would ask, but I was sure they would,” Troy said.
The stones cost $475 each. Troy and Michelle are holding a bake sale on Good Friday, April 15, at Kyle’s Market to raise money for the stones.
If they end up raising more than $950, the Knutsons also would like to place a stone at The Highground for the Gold Star Mothers of Colfax.
“That way, they could all be in a row together,” Troy said.
If the Knutsons do not raise enough money for the third stone, they are planning to donate the additional funds to Russell-Toycen Post 131 and to the American Legion Auxiliary.
The dedication ceremony for the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary stones is scheduled for September 17 at 2 p.m. “Anyone can go. Bring a lawn chair. It’s a beautiful ceremony,” Michelle said.
Troy and Michelle recently met with members of the Russell-Toycen Post and the Auxiliary, and they have said they will be the honor guard for that day.
“It would be nice if we could car pool to get as many Legion and Auxiliary members there as possible,” Troy said, adding that he has talked to representatives for the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center, too, in case there are Legion and Auxiliary members who are residents and who would like to go The Highground on September 17.
Ceremony
A variety of family members participated in the dedication ceremony for Michael Larson’s stone, including Rod and Deb Larson, Rod’s mother (who is Michelle’s aunt), Michelle’s dad (who she said was the “instigator” and who adores The Highground as a special place), Deb Larson’s mother and her husband, Vern, and Rod’s sister.
There is a Marine veteran who oversees The Highground, and he talked with Michael’s family and asked questions so the family ended up talking about Michael, and the Marine veteran did not say anything about himself at all, Michelle said.
When the stones are laid, they take a vial of dirt and mix it with the dirt from the next stone, and Vern was part of that portion of the ceremony, she noted.
“I think the thing that got us the most was at the end, they asked all of the veterans who were there that day to come. They all stood in a line, and then all of the non-veterans got to go through the line and shake hands,” Michelle said.
“It was very moving,” Troy said.
“I’ve never seen my dad salute before,” Michelle said.
The stones at The Highground will be there “forever,” and whenever anyone goes to visit The Highground, it’s always free. There is no admission, and there are always veterans at The Highground, she said.
In addition to Michael Larson, several other Colfax veterans have stones at The Highground, including Jon Suckow, Dale Bergeson, Jeremy Wolf and Pete Johnson, Troy said.
The Russell-Toycen Post 131 currently has about 40 members, and the Legion Auxiliary has about 15 members, he said.
If anyone would like to join the American Legion, he or she should contact Chris Larson of Colfax, the post commander, Troy said.
Anyone wishing to join the Legion Auxiliary should contact Nancy Hainstock, he said.
Gold Star Mothers
A handwritten list of Gold Star Mothers was in Loretta Logslett’s possession when she passed away in December.
Logslett served as the secretary of the Colfax American Legion Auxiliary for decades.
Here are the names on the list:
World War I — Mrs. Herman Anderson (Sand Creek), and Mrs. V. Sundstrom (Colfax).
World War II — Mrs. Dermont Toycen (Colfax); Mrs. Alma Frogner (Colfax); Mrs. Anna Melgaard (Colfax); Mrs. William Frosl, (Colfax); Mrs. Hjelmer Teppen (Colfax), Mrs. Oscar Semingson (Colfax); Mrs. Herman Berg (Colfax); Mrs. Will Winget (Colfax); Mrs. Joe Schwartz (Colfax); Mrs. Lulu Madison (New Auburn); Mrs. Mat Knutson (Ridgeland); Mrs. John Russell; Mrs. Morris Thompson.
Korea: Mrs. Anna Scovel (Colfax); Mrs. Hagen Knudson (Colfax); Mrs. Norman Nygaard (Colfax).
Lorraine Christianson (Colfax), and Liz Irwin (Colfax).
Bake Sale
The bake sale at Kyle’s Market on Good Friday, April 15, will start at 8 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. — or until the baked goods run out.
Anyone wishing to donate baked items for the sale can bring them to Kyle’s Market the morning of April 15.
Anyone wishing to make a donation for the stones to be placed at The Highground can contact the Russell-Toycen Post 131 of Colfax or the American Legion Auxiliary — or can bring the donation to the bake sale.
