Category Archives: Home Page
Freedom Isn’t Free: Feikema Fought In Vietnam for Nearly a Year
John Brent Feikema was born to Frank and Irene Feikema in 1949. With several family members sharing the name John, he was known as Brent. Frank and Irene farmed near Leota. They had four children: Brent, Mary Beth, Milo, and
Ruiter Had 40-Year Military Career
By Jill Fennema – Dick Ruiter of Leota spent 40 years serving in the South Dakota Air National Guard (SDANG). He served from 1958 to 1999. He joined the SDANG in January 1958 with his friend, Ron Pronk. They were
Drooger Retires From Summer Rec
Pictured: Gay Lynn Drooger sprays Pee Wee players on the afternoon of the end of the season tournament when everyone was getting hot! On Friday, July 23, GayLynn Drooger sat at a picnic table watching her last rec event of
Talsma Served in the Navy Seabees
Ray Talsma served in Vietnam as a member of the United States Naval Construction Battalion, or the Seabees. The name Seabees is a shortened form of “Construction Battalion” or “CB’s,” which became the Seabees. Ray’s draft number was 39, so
Talsma Helped Supply Ships in the Navy
Glen Talsma graduated from Southwest MN Christian High School in May 1968. A lottery drawing – the first since 1942 – was held on December 1, 1969, at Selective Service National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This event determined the order
Dutch Festival Preview
The 71st Annual Dutch Festival is this weekend in Edgerton. After not getting to have a Dutch Festival last year because of COVID-19 restrictions, the theme this year is “We’re Back!” Of course, one of the main attractions is the
Schelhaas Made the Best of his Time in the Army
By Jill Fennema – Rolland Schelhaas was born to Albert and Jennie Schelhaas on Dec. 31, 1936. He was the third of four children. When he was 22 years old, Rolland, or Rolly as his friends called him, volunteered for
VanderStoeps Will Reopen Saturday
Pictured: Jordan Kooi, Kevin Scholten, and Jesse Van Hofwegen New building is a show-stopper! For over 90 years, Edgerton has had a furniture store. Last year, on June 1, 2020, the Vanderstoep Furniture and Flooring building caught fire and the
Paul Ward Worked in Air Force Communications
I was born near Harlan, Indiana, on October 8, 1938. My parents were Harris Lloyd Ward and Gladys Grace (Clark) Ward. My family originally came from the Grey Eagle area of Minnesota, which is towards the middle of the state.
My Military Tour of Duty
Art Spronk tells the story of his time serving in the army during the Korean Conflict. At dawn on June 25, 1950, (it was still June 24 in the U.S. and Europe) 90,000 communist troops of the North Korean People’s
