War
September 27, 2017 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Linda McBrayer of St. Paul, who discusses her late father, and his war diary found decades after his death. Cpl. Thomas Soliz, a radio operator, was killed in Vietnam on Sept. 6, 1967, just three months after McBrayer was born. Segment includes a reading from diary. McBrayer is one of more than 400 people that have contributed to “Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: The Story Wall” project.
October 3, 2018 - MPR’s Brian Bakst has a look at Walz's military service and how it has shaped him. During his two decades, Walz was part of flood fights, responded to tornadoes, and spent months on active duty deployed overseas. Segment includes interviews military members who served with Walz.
March 27, 2019 - Springtime in Duluth isn't signaled by birds or butterflies or flowers. Duluthians know it's spring when the Coast Guard icebreakers arrive, announcing the start of another Great Lakes shipping season. MPR’s Dan Kraker takes a ride on the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder as it breaks ice and creates navigation lanes for the opening of the maritime shipping season.
October 25, 2019 - MPR’s Tiffany Bui profiles Yang See, who worked as principal assistant to the liaison between the CIA and the Lao Royal Army under the radio code name “Glass Man” at the height of the Secret War in Laos. As communists seized power in Laos in 1975, he helped Hmong refugees flee the war and find safe harbor.
December 13, 2019 - MPR’s Kristi Marohn reports on private funeral service held for Kort Plantenberg, one of the three Minnesota National Guard members killed when their helicopter crashed in rural Stearns County.
April 15, 2020 - As part of MPR’s “Portraits of Valor” series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota native Dan Cylkowski. After a draft notice from the Army arrived, Cylkowski took his notice to Fort Snelling, and was bound for Europe.
May 8, 2020 - As part of MPR’s Portraits of Valor series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota native Robert Eugene Holmstrom, who in WWII, flew top secret missions over Europe and never dropped a bomb.
May 22, 2020 - As part of MPR’s “Portraits of Valor” series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota native Dick Kern, who in WWII, was a tail gunner on bomber missons from India into China and Burma.
September 28, 2020 - As part of MPR’s “Portraits of Valor” series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesotan Joe Stephes, who enlisted in the Navy before the United States officially entered World War II.
December 30, 2020 - As part of MPR’s “Portraits of Valor” series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota’s Doris and Richard Edge. The farthest away Doris and Richard Edge lived from each other was during the middle of World War II. They didn’t know each other yet, but they both grew up east St. Paul before being called to join the war effort, voluntarily for Doris and through the draft for Richard.