McVille Unit 135
Pictured (l-r): Curt Twete, Past Department Commander; Dawn Johnson, 50-year Unit 135 Auxiliary member; Judy Twete, Past NW Division Vice President; and Scott Johnson (Dawn’s husband).
Veterans Day Observed
American Legion Posts and Units, including Aneta, McVille, Pekin, and Tolna, observed Veterans Day in Pekin on November 11, 2025. The American Legion Family made up of veterans, Auxiliary members, and other guests made for a nice evening to celebrate our veterans. A delightful prime rib meal, sponsored by the Tolna and McVille Posts, was prepared and served by the famous Danny Bakken from Cooperstown. Those in attendance enjoyed the dinner, the music, the speaker, and the camaraderie of an evening spent with fellow veterans and family.
Veterans Day guest speaker Annie Gehardt
Ole Semling Post 135 was the host post this year. Post 135 Commander Judy Sateren opened the evening with table grace and continued after the meal with introductions, the POW/MIA Table service, and introduction of our local violinist, Jordan Ridgeway, for some patriotic music. A lot of hard-working members supply the energy to be productive, while assisting veterans, serving military, families, and their communities. This is where the National American Legion slogan of “Be the One’ comes in. Picking up the ball and being committed to the great programs of this service-oriented organization is so important.
Recognition of 50-year Legion members were presented at the event. Pekin’s Post Commander, Doug Messner, announced David Foering as a 50-year Legion member. McVille’s Auxiliary Unit 135 presented certificates to two 50-year Auxiliary members, sisters Carma Hanson and Dawn Johnson, daughters of Curt and Judy Twete. Carma currently serves as the Department Legislative Chairman and is involved with “Safe Kids Car Seat Checkups” in Grand Forks, while Dawn is employed as an elementary teacher in Devils Lake.
Carma Hanson, 50-year Unit 135 Auxiliary member and Department Legislative Chair.
Unit 135 President, Judy Twete, introduced guest speaker Annie Gehardt from Devils Lake. Annie is a Lieutenant Colonel in the North Dakota National Guard and was deployed most recently to serve with Guard troops on the US Southern border as a Provider (66P). Annie shared stories of her work while on the border and her deployment with Joint Forces regular Army and Army Reserve units in Ghana, West Africa. Annie shared ideas about building up morale of the troops while deployed to the border. She is employed as a Behavioral Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner at the Altru Express Clinic in Devils Lake. We thank Annie for her military service and for her dedication to her patients.
We thank all who made this a successful Veterans Day event. We especially thank all veterans who have given so much.
Article and photos submitted by: Judy Twete, Unit 135 President
Left-Right: Dawn Johnson with Marilyn Dehne, Unit 135 Membership Chair
Judy Sateren, Commander Post 135, McVille
Left to Right: Judy Twete, NEC, and Director of Nursing, Jennifer Rustin
Curt and I returned home from the 2026 Winter Conference after enjoying time with friends and learning the latest information during our Legion and Auxiliary sessions and bringing numerous “Care Animals” (stuffed puppies and bears) back with us. Three large shipments of these specially labeled stuffed animals were delivered to Nelson County Health System Hospital and the McVille Ambulance Service office. Director of Nursing, Jennifer Rustin, gladly received the animals, to be stored until needed.
These little “Care Animals” are presented by emergency response personnel to young patients who may be experiencing fear or trauma during a hospital visit or another emergency. The bears each wear a specially designed t-shirt with The American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Son’s of the American Legion, and Legion Riders names and logos imprinted on them.
“Care Animals” are provided free of charge to hospitals and first responders by the American Legion Family Children and Youth Programs. American Legion Auxiliary Ole Semling Unit 135 McVille, ND, proudly donated $500 to defray the cost of the bears and puppies.
Article submitted by: Judy Twete, President Unit 135
Quilt of Valor Presented to Steve Bateman, Army Veteran
On a cold, mid-December night in McVille, I was able to make a very touching presentation to a McVille Dakota Prairie High School graduate and an Army Veteran, Steve Batemen. His mother Vickie McPherson, an Army veteran herself, asked about the possibility that Steve might be presented with a special Quilt of Valor created by the Home Bound Quilters serving the Nelson and Ramsey County areas.
Steve was surprised to see my husband, Curt and I arrive, and it was fun to visit and catch up on his life. When I asked if he knew about the Quilts of Valor Program, he said he did, and I shared the story from the organization’s perspective. Then I brought out the quilt, and Steve’s face turned pale as tears ran down his cheeks. He sat down in his chair and covered his face. It was an emotional time for both him and me.
Left-right: Vickie McPherson, Judy Twete, Unit 135 President
I draped the quilt over his shoulders and photos were taken with Steve and his mom, Vickie McPherson.
These emotional presentations are another reason why I feel so blessed to have been asked by the Home Bound Quilters to present quilts to veterans.
Congratulations to a fine young man and Army veteran from McVille.
Judy Twete, Unit 135 President
Membership and Education in McVille
Being creative can be a big plus when it comes to getting membership dues paid. For many, years, Ole Semling Unit 135 in McVille has written a letter to each member, telling of the events and programs that we have taken part in the past year. We share what we did to accomplish program goals and what we do to make our community and our veteran’s lives better as well as how we serve our active military members. The letters are also accompanied by the membership card for the upcoming year. The letters are always well accepted and membership seems to come in more quickly with a personal letter.
Well, we decided that a new wrinkle to membership collection would be a fun undertaking. A plan was made and things were under way. Several members contributed coffee cake. Coffee was prepared by the Legion Café and a postcard was mailed to all local McVille Auxiliary members to come and do ‘Membership and Coffee’ on a Monday morning.
We had a nice turn out with a lot of visiting taking place and dues got paid too. We know area towns do membership picnics and include the Legion members as well, but this seemed like an easy, ‘Ladies Morning Out’ thing to do. Perhaps this is an idea your unit could utilize in the future.
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10 for Education McVille
Prior to the start of school this fall, the Nelson County Welfare Office contacted our Unit asking if we could donate school supplies for four students in the District who might not otherwise have them to fulfill the teacher’s requests.
With school about to start, a unit member who has four small children of her own gladly volunteered to pick up the extra supplies. With a long list of supplies in hand, this young unit member set off to complete her assigned duties and delivered the supplies for distribution to the children. From crayons to backpacks each of the four lists was complete. This was quite a task and we are so proud of her for taking on this project, doing her part in our mission to support our children and youth, veterans, and our communities. Thank you Kia.
Articles and photo submitted by Judy Twete, President Unit 135
