To the editor,
I am a native of International Falls and Koochiching County; both my parents served during World War II.
My mother Beth Holen was Gen. Spaatz’s Teletype operator at the 8th Air Force Headquarters in London. She endured the V-2 rocket attacks that devastated London. She then was transferred to Paris after the Germans were driven out. My father Vernon Holen assembled Waco Gliders in Scotland for the Normandy Invasion and was later sent to Berlin and was assigned as M.P. until 1946. My mother Beth Holen ended up becoming the Selective Service clerk for Koochiching County and was required to draft many men from this county to serve in the military.
Both my brother and I served in Vietnam.
In the mid ‘60s, a major fire at the National Records Center in St. Louis, Mo., destroyed many military records, so a large number World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans records could not be found. Many claims by wounded G.I.s never received any benefits that were due them.
Things are quite different today. With the assistance of Candance Helms Ritch, finding those records, tasks have been improved with digital computer technology. Candance is one of the finest Veteran Service Officers I have ever encountered. She is willing to help any veteran with a claim to the Veterans Administration, and she is the most effective Veteran Service Officer that I have ever seen.
I have been in her office when it was filled with veterans seeking help with their claims and the vast bureaucracy of the Veteran Administration system. The current office is cramped and has little privacy for vets to express their feelings and emotions related to their combat experiences. I find that some veterans have a great mistrust of the VA system and the military. Some veterans from this county deserve their benefits and have never filed a claim for their injuries, which they received in combat.
The Koochiching County Veterans Service Office needs to be expanded to accommodate veterans from all conflicts and military service. The present office is too small and should be moved to a better location where there is parking to accommodate the disabled veterans of this county and a larger facility to accommodate the needs of Koochiching County veterans.
The suggested move to the former under-utilized Minnesota Information Center would be a better location to accommodate the needs of our Koochiching County veterans. There is enough area for a waiting room and a place to have group therapy sessions for veterans dealing with the effects of post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. There is a great need for office privacy for one-on-one talks. Also there would be room for expansion of staff offices that could help with the backlog of claims that are stuck in the Veterans Administration system.
Richard D. Holen
International Falls, MN
