— Thursday, Aug. 14, will be a day Julie Engdahl of Alexandria, a veteran who served nearly 30 years in the U.S. Army, will probably never forget.
It was on this day in front of thousands of people and numerous family members, that Engdahl raised the flag at Target Field in Minneapolis before the start of a
“Raising the flag and also the singing of the National Anthem is an emotional experience for me,” Engdahl said in an email to the newspaper. “I served for nearly 30 years, and I am proud of my service. Having 24 members of my family join me made it all the more significant. The reality of military service is that much of it happens away from those you love. Having my family share in the experience made it even more special.”
Engdahl said her sister, Jill Kelly, was the driving force behind the honor of raising the flag. She said Kelly has a connection with the organization and had asked how they selected veterans to raise the flag before home games.
The process starts with simply filling out a nomination form online, said Engdahl, adding that the Twins organization has been choosing veterans to raise the flag since 2010. Her sister filled it out and submitted it and then Engdahl was chosen. The nomination form can found online at
mlb.com/twins/community/armed-forces-flag-raising-program.
Prior to the game, Engdahl filled out a bio form. She explained that she was commissioned in 1985 through the University of Minnesota. She was deployed as a signal officer for Operation Desert Storm; a marine terminal officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; and a logistics officer in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Of all the honors and accolades I received during my long career, my greatest honor was to lead some of the finest men and women who have ever served in the United States Armed Forces,” she wrote in her bio.
A few of the numerous awards and medals she won include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star and Legion of Merit
As for any last thoughts about the game that day, Engdahl said, “A win by the Twins would have been icing on the cake, but I guess we don’t often get everything we want.”
The Twins lost to the Detroit Tigers by a score of 4 to 3.
Celeste Edenloff is the special projects editor and a reporter for the Alexandria Echo Press. She has lived in the Alexandria Lakes Area since 1997. She first worked for the Echo Press as a reporter from 1999 to 2011, and returned in 2016 to once again report on the community she calls home.