Blue skies and strong winds made the flags wave proudly at the Grand Portage Veterans Monument on Thursday, November 11. Flags also waved at Harbor Park in downtown Grand Marais and at a special Veterans Day concert at Cook County Schools. Read about those activities on pages A3 and B1.
A few minutes before the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, community members gathered at the Grand Portage Veterans Monument. A small fire burned and the Grand Portage Traditional Drum softly played to welcome visitors. After a call to arms by Will Owens, at precisely 11:00 a.m., the drum played loud and strong, proudly echoing off the hills, as veterans raised first the United States flag, then the flag of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and then the Canadian flag.
Finally flags from all branches of the military, plus the POW-MIA flag, were raised. As the wind became stronger, speaker Curtis Gagnon asked for a moment of silence to remember all of the veterans who are no longer with us. For that moment there was no sound but that of the flags snapping in the powerful wind.
Standing in the cold November wind was Jim Curtis raising the United States flag; Jim Corcoran raising the Grand Portage Band flag; Ronald “Carbine” Carlson raising the Canadian flag; Ted Koslowski raising the POW-MIA flag; Ellie Altman raising the Air Force flag; Butch Deschampe raising the Merchant Marine flag; Bill Myers raising the Army flag; Jim Droulliard raising the Navy flag; Jesse Brickner raising the Marine flag; and Buddy Duhaime raising the Coast Guard flag. As the flags were raised, Mitch Cyrette, an Army Active Reservist, held the Grand Portage Eagle Staff.
The veterans stood solemnly at the base of the flag as Gagnon spoke on behalf of Grand Portage American Legion Post 2009, thanking all veterans for the sacrifices they made for our country. Gagnon called attention to the colorful new sign given to the Grand Portage veterans by the students of Oshki Ogimaag—the School of New Leaders. The sign is decorated with distinctive bead patterns and the reminder “Some Gave All—We Shall Never Forget.”
Gagnon spoke of the history of Veterans Day, from the first celebration of Armistice Day at the end of the World War I to the current war in Afghanistan. He said World War I was thought to be the “war to end all wars,” but Gagnon said, “We know that is not true.”
As Gagnon spoke, a solo drum beat occasionally sounded, emphasizing a statement. He said veterans should be proud of their service. He said thank you to all who served. “Thismessage is not just for Veterans Day, but every day,” he said, adding, “To all veterans, we say thanks. We will not forget what you have done for us. Miigwech.”
The drum group—Wally Deschampe, Pat Pierre, Eric Carlson, Bob Vogel Jr., John Pierre, Pat Pierre Jr., and Kyler Deschampe—again played. First a veterans song and then a victory song, to end the Veterans Day ceremony.
After the ceremony, some veterans and visitors walked around the brick walkway that bears the name of many community veterans. Others sat alone with their thoughts on the rugged stone bench. And others gathered for coffee and cake and snacks in the old log building. All eventually left to go back to their regular routine or to take part in another Veterans Day event in Grand Marais—but all were reminded—by the drum, by the flag, by the eagle that flew overhead before the ceremony—that every day should be Veterans Day.
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