Programs for vets take root in Dakota County

Some military families have found volunteers to mow their lawns. Others have received discounts from restaurants and businesses. Some have learned about resources for veterans when they have run-ins with the law.

Throughout Dakota County, programs to support military members and their families -- both during and after deployment -- are taking off as the region deals with ever more veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

"They're really good programs and they're really trying to make a difference, so we don't have another situation like we did after Vietnam," said Michael Labovitch, director of veteran services for Dakota County. "I don't care if you like the war or don't like the war, you've got to take care of the people that are fighting it."

The programs are all volunteer-led in separate communities, and not every program is as vibrant or active as Labovitch would like. But things are improving.

"It's going to go," Labovitch said. "But it's an infant that needs a little TLC to keep it going."

According to the Minnesota National Guard website, more than 18,919 Minnesota National Guard members have been deployed and served in more than 33 countries.

Filling a need

If a family's snowblower breaks, for example, and the deployed family member is the only one who knows how to fix it, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon can find someone to repair it.

The programs are run community by community, and cities, churches, colleges and companies can become official Beyond the Yellow Ribbon sites. Isanti and Washington counties have been approved, and Dakota County will eventually seek approval, Labovitch said.

Farmington has an official program, and Lakeville and Hastings will receive official designations this year, according to Annette Kuyper, who started the Farmington program and is now the state's director of military outreach.

Volunteers Sue Palm and Police Sgt. Andy Bohlen kicked off Lakeville's Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program last year at Pan-O-Prog, the city's summer festival.

"This is a program specifically focused on those veterans currently returning from Iraq and Afghanistan," said Palm. "It just seemed like there was a void of programs for them. When my son went the first time -- he went the first year of the war in Iraq -- when he came back, there just really weren't things set up for him." Bohlen's son has done two tours in Iraq.

Bohlen also has worked with Lakeville's police department to make sure that every officer is trained on how to help veterans when there are run-ins with the law.

"If there is a problem that manifests itself after someone comes back" -- such as drugs and alcohol or domestic violence -- "police are the first ones that are called," Bohlen said. "We have an obligation as a society, a city and a police department to get people to the right resources."

Veteran recognition

Dean Markuson, the community leader for Hastings' Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, said it is going to focus mostly on deployed soldiers and their families.

Markuson is also the service leader for the local VFW and American Legion posts. He said the program has done veteran recognition events, such as holding breakfasts for returning National Guard units.