Coleman/Pound Lions hold Ninth Annual Salute to Service

COLEMAN/POUND – The Coleman/Pound Lions Club administered their ninth annual Veterans Honor/Salute to Service event on Friday, Nov. 8, where community veterans and a plus one can each redeem a voucher for $15 at twelve local restaurants.

Coleman/Pound Lion Mike Kinzinger and an anonymous donor came up with the idea for Salute the Service while the friends were fishing on a 12-foot boat together in 2015. Kinzinger’s friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Kinzinger he wanted to do something to give back to the community’s veterans.

“He said, ‘Hey, how about we take care of the veterans. Let’s feed the veterans.’ He asked me if I thought the Lions Club could help him do something like that,” Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger, a veteran himself, was eager to help commemorate his fellow veterans, and saw it as a great opportunity for the Lions Club.

“It’s all about giving back to those who served. That was the ultimate goal of it, and as a Lions member, community organization and thanking those others who served – that’s what you do. You try to help the community,” Kinzinger said.

The anonymous donor passed away a couple years ago, but Kinzinger said his wife has continued to donate each year.

“He was just one special friend and special guy. He was always looking to give back and when times got tough, he came out of it by giving back to others. He always set aside thoughts and time to help others out, and you just don’t meet too many people like that,” Kinzinger said.

Coleman/Pound Lion and Treasurer Dave Pellman said when the event first began, it was fully funded by the anonymous donor.

“All the money came from this one gentleman. It was totally anonymous. It didn’t cost the Lions Club anything until we started going to 200+ attendees, so the club covered it with our yearly fundraisers,” Pellman said.

Once the cost grew to the point that Lions’ funds and the anonymous contributions weren’t enough, Pellman said Wendt stepped up for his fellow veterans.

“Wendt said, ‘I want to help you guys out too. I’m going to donate all my ice fishing derby funds to you for the Salute to Service,’” Pellman said.
Wendt has continued to host his ice fishing derby to raise money for the event for five years.

When Salute to Service was first held in 2015, eight restaurants volunteered to participate and help cover some of the costs. Today, 12 community restaurants participate in the event to thank veterans. Pellman estimates there were about 120 attendees that first year, and to date the largest crowd they’ve seen is more than 500 veterans and their families.

The restaurants who accepted vouchers this year were Bob and Laura’s Supper Club, Equity Community Hall, Gilly’s Old Habits, Cheers Too, Papa Bears Bar & Grill, Katie’s Subs, Beaver Saloon, Article 15, Wouter’s Front II on White Potato Lake, Woodshed Pub & Perk, G3 Up North and El Vaquero.

Pellman said the event continues to draw larger and larger crowds, so the Lions Club hopes to include more restaurants, bars and cafes in the future.

“We’ll see how this year goes. Most of the places are getting to their capacity. And we stressed this year, shop around, go to different places, because I sit at Barbados and it’s an hour wait, if you’re lucky enough to get on the list,” Pellman said

According to Wendt, the event brings veterans of all branches and ages together.

“It’s nice to be able to show support and get everybody out and even the ones that have a hard time making it, a lot of them still end up making it,” Wendt said

“We see veterans from all branches of the military,” Pellman added. “The Army, the Navy, the Marines, the National Guard and even the Coast Guard – although we haven’t seen anybody from the Space Force yet.”

Kinzinger said the event provides a unique opportunity for veterans and their families to come together and celebrate with people who understand.

“Only 10% of people serve their countries,” he said. “So we’re very proud of that, because not everybody does it.”

Wendt echoed his sentiment, saying, “One of the biggest things about the military is, if you ask a lot of veterans, military is the camaraderie, having this building, having this business, seeing all the veterans come up and be able to meet other veterans, it kind of brings that camaraderie back together.”

William Mose, a veteran who served for seven years in the Navy, said he’s experienced more support from fellow veterans than he feels he deserves.

“They say some gave, all gave some, well I really don’t think my sacrifice is that great, but I’ve been treated very well for what I’ve done,” Mose said.

The country’s attitude towards veterans has changed over the past several decades, and Mose said he’s grateful to see it.

“When you look at the way the Vietnam Veterans got treated back in the day, I mean, they got spit on, and the way veterans get treated these days, it’s a day and night difference. But there’s a lot of them out there that still need the care that they deserve,” he added.

Emyl Schroeder, an Army veteran who served from 1956-1958 and spent the next six years in the Army Reserves, said he’s been coming to Salute the Service for four years.

“I actually worked with [a veteran seated nearby], and I didn’t recognize him, so it’s kind of nice. There’s other people that I’ve seen before, and it’s just nice that they do this for us,” he said.

The Lions Club works hard to support local veterans, and Schroeder said it shows.

“All you got to do is mention that if you were in the military and they say thank you. And at the time I was in, I didn’t think I was doing anything special. I was there just because I wanted to be there,” he said.

The event celebrates veterans, but Pellman said it also brings the rest of the community together.

“It’s great for the community, because we’re not asking for anybody to pay for anything. The restaurants all kick in, and some do go a little bit about, you know, they basically do their own menus, but some have specialty stuff, and that helps to have that much that many people coming into the community,” Pellman said.

The event also provides the Lions Club with the opportunity to share their purpose with the community, according to Kinzinger and Pellman.

“We’re always looking for new members, so it’s a great way to get back out into the community,” Kinzinger said.

Although there are many reasons the Coleman/Pound Lions facilitate Salute to Service every year, Pellman said his favorite part of the event is the simple act of shaking a veteran’s hand.

“The thing that makes it special, to me, is when I shake a veteran’s hand – that’s special. And World War II veterans are getting harder to see, so it’s great to see them. They’re all in their 90s and stuff, but they’re still coming out, and it’s great to see,” Pellman said