Minnesota employers awarded ESGR Freedom Award
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, known as ESGR, assists in fostering a culture in which employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve. This year, two Minnesota employers were selected for the Secretary of Defense, Employer Support Freedom Award. It is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon company, received the 2024 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for the large company category. The League of Minnesota Cities received the Freedom Award for the public sector category. The awards were presented at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22. See the event photos.
Nominations for this award must be submitted by a Guard or Reserve service member who is employed by the organization being nominated or by a family member. Click here to learn more or nominate an employer.
Retreat builds connected community for women veterans, service members
Fifty veterans and current service members attended the annual Southern Minnesota Military Women’s Retreat at Mt. Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington on Aug. 16 to 18.
The retreat, hosted by the Owatonna Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, includes a resource fair, music and art therapy, hiking, and other activities. It is designed to recognize participants for their military service and provide a relaxing environment where they can focus on their well-being, learn about opportunities, and connect with one another. Navy veteran Patty McNeese, who has served as the retreat coordinator for the past five years said participants, from ages 18 to 70, have described it as beneficial and life changing.
“Several have said it saved their life due to the connections they have made,” McNeese said. “The retreat is a place for women to connect, collaborate, and communicate, building a network and support for those who think they are invisible.”
McNeese provided an example of a previous veteran participant. At the time, she was leaving an abusive relationship and was experiencing challenges. Through the retreat, she was able to connect with organizations and individuals who supported her through successfully finding a job and home, returning to school, and obtaining custody of her children.
“So, it’s that community, connection, and collaboration that’s the vital part,” McNeese said. “Women veterans knowing other women veterans. If they are in trouble, who can they call? We have several who are going through some hardships right now, who really need our support. You don’t know what you don’t know. By bringing everybody together, we make those connections.”
According to McNeese, the Disabled American Veterans had hosted similar retreats starting in 2017 but only for DAV veterans. In 2019, she and the Owatonna BTYR took on the endeavor and offered all women veterans and National Guard women service members a chance to attend as well. The retreat is staffed by volunteers, along with McNeese, who is also an Owatonna BTYR board member.
Air Force veteran Kristine Fasnacht Fumia said the retreat offers women veterans and service members a safe space.
“And you know how people say women can be hard on each other? Well, here I can see women loving each other and nurturing and uplifting each other,” Fumia said.
Fumia served as a medic in the military and is now a licensed acupuncturist in Madison Lake, Minnesota. This was her second year offering acupuncture services to retreat participants.
“I’ve been able to network very well with finding other entities that I feel very drawn to, like the addiction recovery centers. I offer my services because I’ve learned how beneficial it is for somebody to get acupuncture,” said Fumia, who sees acupuncture as way for her to provide veterans and service members a path to healing their body, mind, and soul as well as give back. “This is how I serve my community.”
Fumia said she was overwhelmed and touched when she provided her services at the retreat for the first time last year. When others learned she was a veteran, she received a Quilt of Valor, which is presented to all veteran and service member participants.
“I had never seen those given out before. Oh, yeah. I was not much of a crier. And the lady said, ‘I made this one,’ I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!” Fumia said. “So, I look at that every day, every day.”
The retreat is free to all participants. It is funded through grants and donations from various organizations that support the military community, including Operation: 23 to Zero, which raises awareness of veteran issues, such as post traumatic stress, and suicide prevention.
McNeese recently retired and this is her last year coordinating the retreat. She is passing on the role to Mellissa Franz, Women Veterans Initiative and DAV lead.
“I will miss the team I put together, working as one to create amazing events and rewarding experiences for these amazing women,” McNeese said. “Coordinating the event was a wonderful honor, but the stress levels that come with such a task take its toll. However, if asked to step up again after a recovery time, I would be honored to serve.”
Lower St. Croix Valley network featured on radio
Also on the show, learn about the Veteran Food Pantry program from the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System and get an update from Minnesota National Guard Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erickson. Tune in and subscribe at https://minnesotamilitaryradiohour.com/podcast.
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team welcomes new member
The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team recently welcomed new member, Taunja Moe Forbes, who will serve as a community outreach coordinator.
Forbes said being part of the BTYR program provides her an opportunity to give back to servicemembers, veterans, and families, "to those who have sacrificed so much."
"I’m proud and grateful to have a chance to be part of such a worthy cause. I’d love the opportunity to help Minnesota communities and organizations be part of this wonderful mission," she said. "I’m also looking forward to the partnerships and friendships that I will gain along the way as we grow the BTYR Nation throughout Minnesota."
Forbes, whose paternal grandfather was a World War II prisoner of war survivor, grew up in a small rural town in northwest Minnesota. She said she has been getting progressively farther south as the years go by. "Hopefully, I’ll find myself at a beach one of these years," she said.
Forbes currently lives in Sartell, Minnesota, with her husband, Army Lt. Col. Clay Forbes, who has 36 years of military service and is deployed with the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Infantry Division. They have four adult daughters and a four-year-old granddaughter.
"Luckily, they all live in Minnesota close to us, with the exception of my youngest, who is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin Madison," Forbes said.
Forbes has an extensive background in training and development, mainly in the financial sector. She earned a bachelor’s degree in leadership from Purdue University and hopes to pursue a master’s in legal studies in early 2025. She enjoys spending time with her family and their two dogs, reading, and traveling. She has a bucket list of international destinations she would love to visit that includes Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Commentary: Leaders are leaders...
By Air Force Chaplain (Maj.) Keith Beckwith
Minnesota National Guard Operations Chaplain
You may have heard the saying, “Leaders are readers.” But in today’s fast-paced world, shouldn’t leaders also be podcast and audiobook consumers?
I recently attended a training session to become certified in two programs, Strong Bonds (Air Force) and Building Strong Ready Teams (Army). One of these programs is based on the book, The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey, the son of Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestseller, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. According to Simon and Schuster, The 7 Habits has sold 25 million copies. In contrast, the exact number of copies distributed worldwide of the Quran , the Bible, and the Tanakh is not readily known. However, a common thread ties these works together — the search for meaning, connection, and belonging. In this search, some are drawn to a higher purpose, often found through a spiritual path, religion, or deeply held beliefs.
What are you reading or listening to? Is it enriching your life and encouraging you to grow? Are you gaining new perspectives that allow you to appreciate others more fully? At every Beyond the Yellow Ribbon event supported by Minnesota National Guard Unit Ministry Teams, we always find ourselves restocking our tables, because the books we make available on these topics are in such high demand.
Keep learning, listening, reading, and growing. It will make you a more holistically well-adapted person, positively impacting your most important relationships.
Reach out.
The mission of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is to establish and sustain a comprehensive community and corporate support network that connects and coordinates agencies, organizations, and resources to meet the needs of Minnesota's veterans, service members, and families in all military branches.
The BTYR Bulletin informs, connects, and supports Minnesota's military community and its many partners across the state.
Subscribe: E-mail beyondtheyellowribbon.com.
E-mail: ng.mn.mnarng.list.j9-beyond-the-yellow-ribbon@army.mil
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Resources: Minnesota National Guard Family Programs
Editor: cristina.f.oxtra.nfg@army.mil