Tolna Unit 162
Veterans Day guest speaker Annie Gehardt
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.
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.
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).
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
