As we celebrate Veterans Day in 2026, it’s a good time to reflect on all that has occurred in our region and how our community has strived to show support and recognition for our veterans.
On November 8, 2013, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery located on 169 acres in Preston, Minnesota.
First burials began on November 11, 2015, with two prominent veterans (former Preston mayors) recognized – Clarence Quanrud and Earl Hoff.
The official dedication ceremony for the cemetery occurred on May 29, 2016, the Sunday before Memorial Day.
Then the Preston community was blessed with the possibility of a Minnesota Veterans Home, an idea that had been percolating from 2013 to 2015, simultaneously while the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery was underway. Groundbreaking took place in August 2021.
The Minnesota Veterans Home in Preston opened in January 2024, officially welcoming their first resident, 91-year-old Korean War Army veteran Walter Hanson, on January 3, 2024.
For a community with 1,322 population, such as Preston, Minnesota, to have both a state veterans home and a state veterans cemetery is remarkable.
What a way to pay our respects to our veterans.
Boots & Badges – 10 Years Later
At the Fillmore County Journal, our team has always considered what we can do to help recognize area veterans and share their stories.
Back in September 2014, our newspaper gained a talented individual by the name of Ellen Whalen, who took on the role of proofing all editorial and advertising content prior to publication. I had been thinking about introducing a book dedicated to area veterans, but I knew we needed the right person to lead this project. Shortly after Ellen joined our team, I brought up the idea. Two of her four adult children had served in the military, so I knew she had a good sense of the importance of this project.
While we didn’t know what we were getting into, as far as the amount of work involved, we forged ahead with the project starting in late 2014.
With ads running in the newspaper every week, we asked the public to bring in their stories, memorabilia, and pictures to help recognize area veterans. Our lobby was often full, with a line of six or more people waiting to have their pictures scanned for inclusion in the book.
And, then there was Creative Director Jana Boyum, one of the most talented designers I’ve worked with over the past 30-plus years. Jana managed the layout and design of the entire book.
I remember many days in which Ellen was on the phone with the Veterans Affairs office in Preston, verifying DD214 military records to determine positions held, years served, where service members were stationed, and branches of the military.
Meanwhile, this project grew to the point Jana couldn’t work on the newspaper and make progress on the book, so we had to move her to our upstairs conference room where she could dedicate her time and energy to focusing on the layout and design of the book.
Working in the background, SMG Web Design General Manager Michelle Quanrud created a website dedicated to this project: www.fillmorecountyveterans.com.
By February 2016, we were ready to debut the book, which became known as Boots & Badges: Honoring Fillmore County Veterans – named during a brainstorming session with the newspaper staff. We hosted a special event at the Preston Servicemen’s Club, recognizing area veterans in conjunction with our book sponsor F&M Community Bank.
Ten years later, as we reflect on this invaluable and timeless publication, we think about 3,400 veterans collectively recognized for their service. Photos often sit in shoeboxes for generations until there comes a day when people don’t know who was in those pictures. Boots & Badges captured generations of those who have served in conflicts dating back for more than 200 years. There are generations of men and women who served their country – all recognized in this book.
I remember sitting at the kitchen table at our home each night until I couldn’t keep my eyes open, writing photo captions for each picture submitted by veterans or their family members. I believe Ellen and I wrote around 750 photo captions.
We even had some veterans who were recognized and they didn’t know they were going to be included in the book. Some of their family members wanted to make sure they were given the respect they deserved.
Included are a few examples of what readers will find in the book Boots & Badges: Honoring Fillmore County Veterans. For anyone interested in owning a piece of Fillmore County Veteran history, we do have books available for purchase at the Fillmore County Journal office in Preston, Minnesota.
Truly, it was an honor to take on a project like this. To show our respect for so many men and women who served to protect our freedoms.
I’d like to thank the community for their contributions to make this book come to life to help recognize area veterans. We should feel good about our community support and recognition of our veterans. We have a veterans home to care for aging veterans. We have a cemetery to properly honor those who served. And, we have active veterans organizations that continue to help all of us appreciate that this country is free because of those who have made the greatest sacrifice.
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