Defense

Optimist Club impacts 25 years worth of children (03/12/10)
Twenty-five years ago this week, a group of locals came together to make a difference for youth. Since then, thousands of young people in Le Mars have been reached by the Le Mars Optimist Club. "We've made an impact," said Jerry Haack, founding president of the club. "Over the past 20-some years, we've touched every kid in this town in a positive way."...

Water for Life Honduras (02/03/10)
A local group is about to change the lives of people of five villages, plagued with parasites and other water-borne diseases. The Le Mars Rotary Club spearheaded fundraising for water projects in Honduras, pulling together more than $35,000. That's enough to build a water system in each of those five villages, bringing clean, potable water to more than 1,000 people's homes...

Supervisors leave veterans' office alone (11/04/09)
Veteran affairs will remain in the Plymouth County Courthouse. The Plymouth County Supervisors determined that Tuesday as they continued to study the layout of a proposed courthouse annex building. Supervisor Craig Anderson wanted to know if his fellow board members were done talking about whether to leave the veteran affairs office in the courthouse...

Brig. Gen. Jack Nicholson awarded Silver Star for action in Vietnam (10/30/09)
Dec. 27, 1963 had already been a devastating day. Of the 240 men then-Capt. John "Jack" Nicholson was with, only 39 were able to walk away from an eight-hour battle with the Viet Cong. But for Nicholson, the night wasn't over. He would lead his men to save the lives of nine people...

Supervisors map out space in annex building (10/28/09)
The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday studied the most recent floor plan for a proposed courthouse annex building. Supervisor Craig Anderson explained various aspects pertaining to the preliminary rough drawing as he is the go-between for the supervisors and the architect on the project...

New ruling gives county green light on annex building (10/23/09)
The Le Mars Board of Zoning Adjustment reversed its earlier decision Thursday and approved variances allowing the county to move forward with plans to construct a courthouse annex building. Zoning board members voted 3-0 to approve a conditional use permit to build in a residential district and within 17 feet 9 inches off Fourth Avenue Southeast instead of 25 feet...

Schiltz calls Honor Fight guardian role rewarding (10/22/09)
As a guardian for World War II veterans on the Siouxland Honor Flight, Keith Schiltz, of Le Mars, was able to hear first-hand stories and memories of men who fought for freedom more than 60 years ago. The Honor Flight Oct. 13 took 108 World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to view the World War II Memorial and other memorials in the area, and honor them for their military service...

Le Mars troops may head to Afghanistan (10/21/09)
More than 100 Iowa National Guard soldiers based in Le Mars may be packing their bags for Afghanistan next fall in the largest single unit call-up of the guard since World War II. Official word from the Department of Defense came Tuesday that about 3,500 Iowa National Guard soldiers are being alerted for potential mobilization to Afghanistan as part of a scheduled rotation of forces in fall 2010...

National Guard honors student member with trip to capital (10/06/09)
Private Kayla Hohbach always wanted to see the nation's capital. That dream came true when she was chosen as one of less than 10 Iowa National Guardsman to take an incentive trip to Washington D.C. Sept. 26-Oct. 1. "They said 'You've been a really good leader and we want to reward you so we are going to send you D.C.' because they try to send a private to D.C. every year if they can," said Hohbach, a senior at Le Mars Community High School...

Quilters cut and stitch for wounded military personnel (10/06/09)
A one-time quilt project turned into a bit more for Becky Wiersma and a group of quilters from the Le Mars area. In May, 30 quilt tops were shown as part of the Red, White and Blue Challenge's American Hero Quilts project. Wiersma had heard of the project, which provides quilts for injured soldiers at Fort Lewis' Madigan Medical Hospital in Washington state and other military hospitals, from quilting friends on the Internet...

Station in the sky: How to view the ISS (09/24/09)
Even though it is flying 220 miles above our heads at the speed of 17,000 miles per hour, the International Space Station can still be seen from earth by the naked eye. In fact, through Sunday the International Space Station (ISS) can be seen from our backyards in Le Mars and the surrounding area...

Nicholson touts 4-H as important life experience (08/05/09)
A family reunion brought former Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson back to his hometown and an opportunity to visit the Plymouth County Fair last Friday. "I can't believe how much its grown. It's spectacular," Nicholson said during an interview at the 4-H Food Stand, indicating his last visit to the fair was about 10 years ago...

Delivering more than fuel (07/24/09)
From the ground, all you might hear is the rumble of a jet engine. But 29,000 feet above you, a work of aerial art is taking place. Locked in a delicate ballet, a KC-135 tanker airplane is pumping thousands of gallons of fuel into a B-2 stealth bomber...

Balmer to retire after a decade of serving veterans (07/16/09)
Martin Balmer threw his hat into the ring 10 years ago and became Plymouth County Veteran Affairs' director. "I had retired from the Department of Energy and I was looking for a part-time job," Balmer said. "As a veteran, I thought maybe we could help more veterans."...

Military coup causes upset in Honduras, Le Mars friends safe (07/01/09)
Le Mars Mission Honduras contacts living throughout the Central American country are safe and well following a military coup in the capital city Sunday said Dick Sievert, Le Mars Missions' director. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was ousted from the national palace in Tegucigalpa for attempting to change the Honduran Constitution to apparently extend his time in office, according to the Associated Press...

County Veteran Affairs office to offer more hours (06/12/09)
Changes are ahead for the county Veteran Affairs office. Jim Henrich, Plymouth County supervisor chairman, read a letter describing those new requirements to the board during its Tuesday meeting. Legislation passed this year requires Veteran Affairs offices to be open a certain number of days depending on the county's population...

Community rallies together to build veterans memorial (05/27/09)
In a community of 132 people, a project like the newly-dedicated Oyens Veteran's Memorial is -- by necessity -- grassroots. Brainstormed around a Memorial Day lunch table, designed by locals on their own time, built on the sweat of volunteers and paid for by local donations, the new memorial now stands in the Oyens cemetery...

Memorial Day services honor service men, women (05/22/09)
Plymouth County American Legion and V.F.W. posts will join with others across the United States in Memorial Day services Monday, May 25, to honor the U.S. men and women who served their country in military service with a special tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country...

Area quilters answer call to Red, White and Blue Challenge (05/20/09)
Local quilters will provide 30 injured military service men and women "hugs" as part of the Red, White and Blue Challenge's American Hero Quilts project. Becky Wiersma, of Le Mars, learned of the project -- providing quilts for injured soldiers at Fort Lewis' Madigan Army Medical Hospital in Washington state and other military hospitals -- through quilting friends on the Internet...

A man, a stone, a story (05/18/09)
Dale Kunkel will never be able to tell his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the stories of what he saw and how he served in World War II. But today a new stone marks his grave. It tells the story he cannot. On Friday, along with 50 family members and friends, Dale's sons, Ronald and Kenneth, placed a new grave marker on his grave in Calvary Cemetery in Le Mars...

Quilters respond to Red, White and Blue Challenge (05/13/09)
Area quilters will come together Saturday at the Le Mars Arts Center to show their "hugs" for injured soldiers in the form of patriotic colored quilt tops and blocks. It's the "Red, White and Blue Challenge" which creates quilts to be gifted as "hugs" to injured soldiers at Fort Lewis' Madigan Army Medical Hospital in Washington state and other military hospitals...

Like father like daughter (05/07/09)
This week, Staff Sgt. Steve Dolph is heading to training for his third tour of duty in Iraq. His daughter, Morgan, a senior at Le Mars Community School, doesn't want to say goodbye. She wants to go with him. The only thing that's standing in her way: basic training...

LCS grad soars at NASA, retires after 38 years (04/21/09)
A man who started his journey in the math and science classrooms of Le Mars Community High School finished his career this month at the top of NASA's center for experimental flight research. Kevin Petersen, a 1969 LCS grad, retired from Dryden Flight Research Center as the director after serving nearly 38 years...

Stimulus package could help pay for local law enforcement (03/10/09)
The Le Mars Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office could be eligible receive a total of more than $30,000 in economic stimulus dollars, according to a release from U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's office last week. The Le Mars Police Department is set to receive $20,390 and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office is set to receive $11,069...

A reminder of honor:Oyens citizens band together to build veterans memorial (03/04/09)
Memory is important for the community of Oyens, population 132. Oyens residents are gearing up this year to remember 100 years of history for the Oyens Centennial, June 6. But if all goes well, they'll also celebrate the completion of the Oyens Veterans Memorial...

Red, White and Blue Challenge set for area quilters (03/03/09)
The Le Mars Arts Center is hosting a "Red, White and Blue Challenge" for area quilters this beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday. Organizer Becky Wiersma sees the challenge as a good way to get quilters involved in a very worthy cause: creating quilt tops that will be gifted as "hugs" for injured soldiers at Fort Lewis' Madigan Army Medical Hospital in Washington state and other military hospitals...

Local soldiers will protect the commander in chief (01/15/09)
It's a duty the Iowa National Guard has never been called upon for before. About 85 soldiers in the Iowa Army National Guard will help with security during President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington D.C. January 20. "It's a pretty big deal," said Private First Class Jesse Olson, of Le Mars. "Being as historic as (this election) is, it's really, really exciting. It's a pretty big honor to be chosen for it."...

More budget requests on table for supervisors (01/12/09)
Plains Area Mental Health Center and Plymouth County emergency management officials requested increased budgets for 2009-10 Tuesday. Patrick Schmitz, Plains Area Mental Health Center's executive director, presented a 4.8 percent increase to the center's budget. The increase comes from an increase in services offered to county clientele...

A year to remember: Top stories of 2008 (12/30/08)
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories recapping 2008's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. 10. O'Keefe stabs, kills a man A butcher knife to the chest led to the death of Sam Toliver, 32, Jan. 24, 2008. Jody O'Keefe, 35, most recently of Le Mars, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. ...

Behind the bells: Salvation Army ringers tell their story (12/18/08)
Ring-a-ding, ding-a-ding. Imagine hearing that for 10 hours. Mike Gunderson, of Sioux City, doesn't have to imagine it. As a Salvation Army bell ringer, he's rung his bell for a 10-hour shift before. "I like the bell. There's something about ringing the bell at this time of year people like," he said...

Legislators predict budget crunching, right-to-work laws to top session (12/12/08)

Museum plans Pearl Harbor, WWII day (12/02/08)
It was a Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into the fighing of World War II. This Sunday, Dec. 7, the Plymouth County Historical Museum will host the program "Pearl Harbor, World War II Christmas Memories" at 2 p.m. in the museum's "Old Central" Gym in Le Mars...

WWII Last Man's Club members gather for 11th year (11/11/08)
The 11th annual banquet of the World War II Last Man's Club in Le Mars Saturday evening gave the veterans a chance to renew old acquaintances and quietly reflect on their wartime experiences. More than 70 veterans, spouses, family members and friends attended banquet, which is held annually in November close to the Nov. 11 Veterans Day observance...

WWII experience still vivid for Hart (11/06/08)
John Hart, of Le Mars -- like other veterans -- carries many memories and stories of his military service as a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. In sharing those stories family members, friends and the community can better understand the sacrifice that U.S. service men and women make, in times of war and peace...

Courthouse shuffle begins (11/05/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors took the first step Tuesday toward rearranging the courthouse to make more room for crowded offices. The main push was to make more room for the cramped Juvenile Court Services. The supervisors approved moving the Veterans Affairs office, currently on the main floor of the courthouse in the northeast corner, to the lower level. There that office will share the space with the Zoning and Sanitation offices, which are only used one day a week...

Speakers urge local leaders to consider possible threats (10/01/08)
Maybe it will be an ice storm. Maybe a pandemic flu. Or maybe a terrorist strike with chemical weapons. Disaster is always on the horizon -- at least that was the message at a "Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail" videoconference that brought together local leaders from Le Mars and in six other states...

Reflecting on their sacrifice (09/19/08)
A single stone soldier stands at salute. Five black granite slabs, etched with veterans' names, mirror his reflection against the blue sky. After years of planning and work, the Remsen Veteran's Memorial was put up Tuesday in the cemetery on the west edge of Remsen. It will be dedicated in a 1 p.m. Sunday ceremony...

Siouxland veterans flown to memorial in D.C. (09/09/08)
The Honor Flight began as a flicker of light three years ago and has grown into a beacon, thanks to retired Air Force Captain Earl Morse of Springfield, Ohio. It was Morse who flew World War II veterans to see the Memorial, the latter of which was built, completed, and dedicated to them in May 2004. ...

It's 'fair or bust' for the Ludwig family (07/14/08)
(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of stories about families preparing for the upcoming Plymouth County Fair) In less than two weeks the Ludwig's family van will journey to the Plymouth County fairgrounds filled with 4-H baked goods, dogs, a homemade hurdle and coffee table, plus the five Ludwig children and a kitten, if there's room...

Local National Guard unit helps fend off floodwater (06/16/08)
Fifty-five members of the local National Guard unit were working through the night this weekend to help hold back flood water in downtown Des Moines and Burlington. The group from Le Mars' C-Troop 113th Cavalry left Thursday to help sandbag near the rising Des Moines River. This weekend they were called to Burlington to help with sandbagging efforts along the swelling Mississippi River, and they are continuing with that effort this week...

Schipper tells council local diaster plan learning efforts going well (06/06/08)
Le Mars Fire Chief Wayne Schipper put the city council on alert Tuesday. The council members, Schipper said during the group's regular session, are most likely the next to be tested on their awareness and knowledge of the city's disaster plan. "We want everyone," Schipper said, "to be aware of the plan's basics."...

Service honors soldier who fell 40 years ago (05/27/08)
First Lieutenant Corbin Clark Tindall was killed in action on April 12, 1969. He and other members of the Armed Forces were honored Monday at The Avenue of Flags Memorial Day Program, in Le Mars, at the Plymouth County Courthouse. Tindall and his unit's service were recognized during the ceremony as this month is the 40th anniversary of their mobilization, May 13, 1968...

American Legion Auxiliary announce winners of Poppy Poster Contest (05/21/08)
Sixth grade students at Gehlen Catholic School showed their support of veterans of all wars by participating in the American Legion Auxiliary's annual Poppy Poster contest. Poppy Week is usually observed as the week that ends on the Saturday before Memorial Day. However, Gehlen Catholic sixth graders learned about it earlier as part of a unit on good poster design in art class in preparation for the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest, under the direction of Beth Schlichte...

History to send students to Maryland (04/30/08)
Three Le Mars Community Middle School students and nine Akron-Westfield Middle School students are among the 25 Iowa students to earn a trip to the National History Day National Contest June 15-19 at the University of Maryland. They were among the 440 Iowa students in sixth through eighth grade competing in the National History Day Iowa Junior Division contest held Monday at the State Historical Building in Des Moines...

Kooistra advances to state Geographic Bee (03/24/08)
A Le Mars Community Middle School student has advanced to the 2008 Iowa Geographic Bee. Seventh grader Zach Kooistra, son of Marie and Mike Kooistra, will compete at the 2008 Iowa Geographic Bee set for Friday, April 4, at Drake University in Des Moines...

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