Ted Marti receives the Civilian Award for Excellence
WASHINGTON - Seventeen Minnesota civic leaders received a national award for
their support of the Minnesota National Guard with their Serving Our Troops
initiative Nov. 20 at the Joint Senior Leadership Conference here. The
Civilian Award for Excellence is awarded by the chief, National Guard Bureau
in recognition of the outstanding achievements by a civilian or group of civilians.
Serving Our Troops brings Minnesota troops and their families together to
share a special meal, despite the distance between them. In addition to
specially-prepared steak dinners, the event featured live video-links
between Minnesota and the various locations where troops are on active
duty to allow the families to share time together. The goal is to give
families the opportunity to share a meal together even though they are
continents apart from each other.
"Despite the logistical requirements, this group overcame many obstacles to
serve our troops in Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq," said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito,
Adjutant General, Minnesota National Guard. "These people are role models
and true patriots."
Shellito helped present the awards along with Minnesota Senator Amy
Klobuchar and Gen. Craig McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau to each of the
recipients. Maj. Gen. Richard Nash, Commander, 34th Infantry Division, also
thanked the awardees from Basra, Iraq through a live video teleconference.
Founded in 2004, Serving Our Troops came about from a simple idea: providing
National Guard members serving outside of Minnesota with a familiar hometown
meal. Since that idea came into fruition, Serving Our Troops has provided
over 40,000 steak dinners to troops and their families at home and abroad.
This December the group will provide another 10,000 steak dinners for troops
in Iraq and Kuwait, and for their families in Minnesota.
"[Serving Our Troops] is such an amazing service they started completely on
their own ... we already pride ourselves as a state that wraps our arms
around those serving on the front line and these guys exemplify that," said
Klobuchar.
The awardees are as follows: Tom Campion, Stockyard Meats / U.S.
Foodservice; Dave Cossetta, Cossetta's Italian Market; Ted Davis, Davis Communications;
Dan O'Gara,O'Gara's Bar & Grill; Pat Harris, Saint Paul City Council; Dick
Leitner, Saint Paul Fire Department; John Mancini, Mancini's Char House;
John Marshall, Xcel Energy; Ted Marti, Schell's Brewing Company; Kevin Moore,
Saint Paul Police Department; Joe Powers, The Canadian Honker Restaurant;
Dennis Rosemark, Office of the Saint Paul City Council; Zack Ryan, Lethert,
Skwira, Schultz & Company; Pete Skinner, Skinner's Pub; John Tinucci,
Tinucci's Restaurant; Jane Wandmacher, Pro Links Sports; and Mike Zipko,
Goff & Howard.
"We are honored and humbled to receive this award from the National Guard,"
said Pat Harris, St. Paul City Councilmember and a founding member of
Serving Our Troops. "Giving Minnesotans serving overseas a chance to have dinner
with their family is one way for us to say thank you to our troops."'
For more information about the group, visit their site online at:
http://ServingOurTroops.com
By Tech. Sgt. Cheryl Hackley
20 Nov., 2009