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KTLK morning talk show host Dan Conry spoke about his family's experience in New York during and immediately following the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. His mother was heading to work at the financial center across the street from the Twin Towers when the police stopped the trains, and she returned home to watch the collapse of the buildings on television. Having previously worked on the 104th floor for 15 years, she knew people who were being wiped out before her eyes. Then came the phone calls. Many of her friends lost loved ones. She spent most of the next week attending funerals. Dan's brother worked on the team with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, but the family didn't know he was all right until they heard from him that evening. As a former New York police officer, Dan joined other former officers, retired firefighters, steelworkers, medical personnel, and any other volunteer with a critical skill on the Staten Island Ferry the next day for the trip over to lower Manhattan. Ground Zero was an ocean of devastation. Dan worked on the bucket brigade that dug into the pile, hoping to rescue survivors. They were frustrated because they found only bodies, including a Port Authority police officer who had been severed in half and shot himself. On the positive side, the workers began seeing uniform patches from places like Minnesota as volunteers arrived from all over the country. The New Yorkers and Midwesterners gained an appreciation for each other, realizing they shared common hardworking values. The camaraderie was second-to-none. The Minnesota and Wisconsin firefighters were no strangers to beer, holding their own against the New York Irish! On the political side, the attack was a wake-up call for many people such as Dennis Miller. At first, there seemed no way Americans could be divided. Dan was pessimistic, knowing back then the Democrats would bide their time before raising their opposition. They opposed the Patriot Act, saying they were duped, but if they're so easily duped they don't deserve to be in power! |
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The evening's speakers also included Chief Petty Officer William Kettle and U.S. Congressman John Kline, and featured a raffle for U.S. flags that had been flown in Iraq and over the U.S. Capitol. Chief Kettle spoke about his construction unit's recent tour in Iraq. The unit was responsible for its own defense so the infantry could concentrate on fighting the enemy. Defending convoys and construction sites was dangerous work, as three members of the unit gave their lives, including Jamie Jaenke for whose family contributions were taken. According to Kettle, his unit took upon itself a secondary mission to build goodwill with the Iraqi people, working with smiles as they improved an inadequate infrastruture in which Saddam Hussein had never invested much money. Congressman Kline emphasized we're in a political fight. By spending more on television spots and organizing the grass-roots level, the Democrats won the last election both in the air and on the ground. The Minnesota Republican ground troops will have to work harder and longer to win back the lost seats in the state legislature. Staff Sergeant Mike Norris won the flag flown in Iraq on July 4, 2007. He's a U.S. Army recruiter in Bloomington. SD40 Bloomington Deputy Chair Ted Kollars won the flag from the U.S. Capitol. |
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Sean Barry and Tom Hulting |
Mike Norris (holding the U.S. flag from Iraq he won) with John Kline and Dan Conry |
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The SD40 Executive Committee with guest speakers (left to right); Andrea Erickson, Chuck Erickson, Sean Barry, Anna Kihlstadius, John Kline, Steve Schofield, Dan Conry, Matt Day, Dave Losier, Ted Kollars (holding the flag from the U.S. Capitol he won), Nancy Losier, Paul Voigt, Jean Van Gerpen, Tom Hulting, Stone Yu, and Milo Swanton |
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