South Suburban Labor Council assists Carver project to honor vets

From the Minneapolis Labor Review, April 30, 2009

See accompanying photo essay

By Barb Kucera, editor, www.workdayminnesota.org

WACONIA — Volunteers from the South Suburban Labor Council and Minneapolis Building Trades are helping residents of Carver County realize a long-time dream to honor veterans from the area.

The union members are finishing construction on a special Veterans Gallery at the Carver County Historical Society in Waconia. Their work involves building a long, curved wall for display of many of the veterans-related artifacts in the society’s collection.

Thousands of men and women from Carver County have served in numerous military conflicts, going back to the 300 early residents who fought for the Union in the Civil War, said curator Larry Hutchings.

Over time, the society acquired many items that veterans brought home with them. They include photos, personal items and uniforms as well as a variety of arms — from guns to bayonets and swords.

“We’ve got everything from Civil War canteens up to uniforms from Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Hutchings said.

Among the unique items are examples of “trench art,” items such as vases carved from shell casings that soldiers made while spending long hours in battlefield trenches. The society also has a bottle of wine that belonged to a Watertown man, the final survivor of his World War I squad’s “Last Man’s Club.” The bottle, never opened, was donated by a relative of the deceased veteran.

“It’s not so much about the guns and the uniforms,” said Historical Society Director Wendy Biorn. “It’s about the people who wore those uniforms and used those guns.”

The Veterans Gallery, she said, “is both a memorial and a teaching exhibit.” It is scheduled to open November 11 — Veterans Day.

The South Suburban Labor Council heard about the Veterans Gallery project from Carver County Commissioner Randy Maluchnik, said Gayle McMahon, organizer for the Council. (The South Suburban Labor Council is part of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO).

McMahon contacted Dennis Perrier of the Carpenters and Jay Forby of the Painters, who recruited about a dozen volunteers for the construction, taping and painting.

“We were happy to help out — especially on a project of this kind,” said Perrier. “We have many members who are veterans themselves.”

The Historical Society wanted to build the new gallery for many years, but funding was always an issue, Biorn said. She put the value of the volunteer labor at about $8,000 — half of the project’s entire cost. The remainder is materials purchased by the county.

“The work they are doing is saving us a lot of money,” Biorn said. “Even in these tough times, people are willing to volunteer. It’s such a wonderful thing to see.”

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