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The Vietnam War – Marland Burckhardt – Desert Storm and Army War College

We have been following Marland Burckhardt, a Russell High School graduate who married his Russell sweetheart in college and began an Army career focused on Military Intelligence operations. He served in Vietnam in 1970 and then he and Barb had assignments across the United States. Marland reported to his new assignment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as the XVIII Airborne Corps Intelligence Chief in August 1990 as the Corps was deploying to Saudi Arabia after Iraq invaded Kuwait. “When I got to Fort Bragg and went to my G-2 section, I had people sitting in hallways with their ...

Don’t despair

The final weekend of the firearms deer season is often referred to as “Desperation Weekend” as hunters who’ve held out for that trophy buck they’ve been watching on trail camera all summer or perhaps just imagining in their minds this fall, get antsy as the paper tag in their pocket ...

What’s beckoning you?

As we meander through our days, have you noticed how many things are beckoning you? Heading into our hectic holiday times, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. We hurry to arrange all the needed ingredients for a Thanksgiving feast. Hurry! The day of the turkey is beckoning you, and it’s right around the corner. Have you gotten the decorations up? They are calling you! Have you gotten the green bean casserole ready to serve? Everyone loves that iconic dish so be quick about putting it together. Oh, and the needed wine to go with your turkey dinner? That turkey is asking for a nice ...

O’ lutefisk!

Food can transport you into the past or push you forward. But there are some situations where food can cause familial friction. At least that’s how it’s been for forty-some years with my wife and me. The foodstuff that’s been at the center of our domestic distress is lutefisk. My Nordic ancestors must have looked at some fresh cod and thought, “I bet I can make that better.” They began by drying the fish on open racks where it was exposed to the effects of sea breezes and seabirds. The desiccated fish looked like wooden shingles. The cod could be rehydrated by ...

First snow of the year creates anticipation for all ages

Early November is a time to look ahead; to the holidays, the upcoming new year and the first snowfall of the season. People were talking about the first snowfall a week ago. It looked like the Marshall area might get at least one or two inches. It wasn’t supposed to be a snowstorm, just a bit of snow as a start to winter. On Saturday morning the prediction appeared to be coming true. I woke up to snow flurries. The first thing I did after getting dressed was to have some coffee. I enjoyed just having coffee and watching the flurries. The snow accumulated on cars but not on the ...

Living with the paranoia of DEI

When I was young, diversity meant that I knew some Lutheran kids. Around here, we were mostly German descended with a scattered few Irish and British. Norwegians lived by Hanska. Native Americans lived on the reservation. The Sleepy Eye of my youth is gone. Hispanic families started coming for work forty years ago. Thank God, they did. Otherwise, the economy around here would be significantly less than it is. Hispanics are indispensable in every occupation now. We all grew up learning that America is a “melting pot.” It was a point of pride. As kids, we understood that America ...