By Bruce Karnick

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Veterans day 2021 will be a day to remember for the United Heroes League and hundreds of invited guests and visitors. For a few hours, the Heroes Monument, which is still under construction, was open to the public for a tour and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The ceremony started with an introduction from UHL President Shane Hudella followed by a performance of the Star-Spangled Banner. That was followed by a flyover by two World War II era planes. The planes were chosen to honor SSG Lou Chilquette, a B29 tail gunner.

Hudella said the monument will honor and celebrate the men and women who have served our country.

“We are losing the stories of our veterans from generation to generation,” said Hudella. “Through my military career and my work with United Heroes League, I’m meeting some amazing heroes. I wanted a place for families and supporters to honor and memorialize these military men and women and preserve their legacy.”

The Heroes Monument has three walls, 60-feet long and 6-feet high, in the shape of the United Heroes League logo, a shield. The legs of the shield represent the military, sports and family. Bricks in the walls present an opportunity to honor and commemorate a service member. For example, the north wall of the monument is reserved exclusively for the first 2,160 service members. Each brick is the same size and color to denote the importance of each member’s sacrifice, regardless of branch or rank. When all bricks are purchased, this monument will commemorate over 4,300 heroic service members.

“We plan to tell the personal story of the veteran named on each brick,” said Hudella. “When we open to the general public next Memorial Day, there will be a way to learn those stories about all the veterans who are part of the Heroes Monument.”

Hastings Mayor Mary Fasbender, Dakota County Commissioner Mike Slavik, State Representative Tony Jurgens (Dist. 54B), Prairie Island Indian Community President Shelley Buck and Sergeant Major Jesse Howard, Minnesota Army National Guard all spoke at the ribbon cutting.

United Heroes League actively works to ensure that children of military service members can afford every opportunity to participate in sports. They have positively impacted over 75,000 military families nationwide and around the world, while providing over twenty million dollars’ worth of benefits to military service members and their children.

Hudella made a promise during the ceremony, the Heroes Monument will be open to the public Memorial Day of 2022. To keep up with the work that United Heroes League is doing or to donate, visit www.unitedheroesleague. com.