Regional Industry & News

WILLMAR — Reflecting on 250 years as a nation during the Liberty Tree dedication Saturday in Willmar, keynote speaker Maureen Banavige said she not only thinks about famous patriots such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, but she also thinks about the ordinary Americans who were called to do extraordinary things to build the nation.

In honor of America’s 250th, the Willmar Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution planted a Liberty Tree at the Flags of Honor in Willmar. The tree planting was held in conjunction with the American Revolution Experience exhibit, which continues on display through Friday at the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a non-political, nonprofit women’s service organization, according to Willmar Chapter member Stephanie Sjoberg. The goal of the Willmar Chapter and others is to promote American patriotism through education and historic preservation.

According to Banavige, that mission is among the most important acts of patriotism.

The Daughters of the American Revolution organization helps “to preserve our history, encourage good citizenship, support education, honor veterans and preserve stories,” Banavige said. “If we stop doing that actively, we’ll forget where we’ve been and we could make the same mistakes we made in the past.”

In this way DAR recognizes that while the United States is built on the promise of equality for all, Americans still have an obligation today to fulfill that promise.

It’s why the Willmar Chapter’s Liberty Tree, a Cathedral elm, planted at the Flags of Honor veterans memorial site on the shores of Willmar Lake. is all the more symbolic. As Banavige said, “no one plants a tree expecting that we will get to enjoy its shade. We plant it for the future so that others can.”

Banavige, who goes by “Moe” among friends and colleagues, is a retired major general who served more than 32 years in the United States Air Force.

However, in her retirement she still remains committed to serve. She currently serves the boards of Bravo Zulu House, a sober living house for veterans, and the Twin Cities Aerospace Network, a community of aerospace and defense enthusiasts. She is also a member of Congresswoman Kelly Morrison’s Veterans Advisory Council.

Banavige served with Doug Kveene, a “DAR Husband” as Willmar chapter member Julie Kveene joked with those who attended the ceremony Saturday.

Banavige told the West Central Tribune that she and Kveene both served at the 934th Airlift Wing in Minneapolis.

“We spent a lot of night shifts with the team in the command post right after 9/11,” she said. “He was a mentor to me back in those times.”

She said it was a humbling honor to be tapped to speak at Saturday’s ceremony, especially for an organization like DAR.

“Every single one of these women can trace their ancestry literally back to the Revolution,” she said.

“It’s amazing that they preserve history, help teach it and encourage patriotism. … This is just a gift to be asked by such a storied organization to come help tell the story a little bit and help inspire people to serve and be proud of America.”

For Banavige, it is the small acts of service, the people who quietly support others or put in the work, that make America the greatest country on Earth.

“History doesn’t send any kind of calendar invitation,” she said in her speech, “it just arrives when it’s your generation’s turn and says ‘are you ready?’”

The troops of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment heard that at Gettysburg, Banavige said, “and quite literally saved the day at Gettysburg and helped turn the tide of the Civil War. … Minnesota was the first state to commit troops in the Civil War … and every generation since has heard that call,” she said.

“ ... We cannot imagine what history will ask of our young Americans today,” Banavige said, “ … but we can prepare them” by leaving examples of how this generation has met its challenges.

It’s never perfect and Americans certainly can’t forget the times they might have come up short, she said, but people can always put in their best effort.

“Our best way to improve the country is at the ballot box, to be informed citizens and to serve in whatever way you can,” Banavige told the West Central Tribune.

Those actions will plant their own proverbial trees within people and help them grow. That is how to honor those who came before, according to Banavige.

“Freedom, just like this mighty elm, grows stronger when each generation tends to it with care and then passes it on.”