Emmons dedicates Huey in Veterans Memorial Park

By Albert Lea Tribune and The Minnesota Legionnaire
A Huey helicopter is placed at the Emmons Veterans Memorial Park Sept. 27 ahead of a dedication ceremony on Sept. 30. Photo by Lory Groe via Albert Lea Tribune

EMMONS — Crews placed a decommissioned vintage Bell UH-1 Iroquois utility helicopter from the Vietnam War, also known as a Huey helicopter, into its place on Sept. 27 at the Emmons Veterans Memorial Park.

The helicopter is lit up by the supermoon of Sept. 29. Photo by Sunshine Maloney

The helicopter was purchased and transported to Emmons in December. The park also includes three flagpoles with the United States, Minnesota and POW flags, silhouettes of service members on the corners of the park and a veterans memorial with names of over 400 area veterans dating back to the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War all the way up to Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A dedication ceremony took place Sept. 30, with 1st District American Legion officials present.

Aside from the Huey, the park’s veterans monument was unveiled to the public in May, with a crowd of supporters gathering to see. Clair “Dag” Dagestad, member of Emmons Post 317 and president of the Emmons Veterans Memorial Committee, thanked community members for their support of the project, which has been underway since 2018.

He thanked other committee  members: Larry Rasmusson, Paul Henschel, Mark Heggestad and Jerry Thompson. Thompson is the commander of Post 317. Rasmusson and Henschel are members. Haggestad is the adjutant of Squadron 317.

The monument was unveiled by Purple Heart recipients Al Larson and Gary Honsey, both Post 317 members.