A crowd of about 60 people gathered in the main worship area of Saron Lutheran Church in Big Lake, on Wednesday evening, November 5.  

They gathered to honor all U.S. Veterans, their commitment, and sacrifices.  After a brief welcome, the Flag was presented by the Big Lake American Legion Post 147 Color Guard and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.  The Big Lake High School Chamber singers led attendees in the singing of the national anthem and after a moment of silence, Kathy Friedrich, the featured speaker, began to speak. 

Friedrich spoke about her five years of active service in the Army as a nurse, beginning with her service at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD in the 80’s.  She served when the initial AIDS epidemic broke out in the US.  Walter Reed is also a research facility, so when service members began getting sick, they went to Walter Reed for treatment.  Friedrich admitted that one doesn’t always know what one is signing up for when one joins the military and her two-year stint at Walter Reed was difficult, but it made her more resilient.  She learned how to take care of patients no matter what the situation was.  

After that, she served a year in South Korea and her final two years, in the middle east during the Gulf War.  However, it was her service in Korea that made a lifelong impression on her.  

A Marine CH53D Helicopter crashed during joint exercises with the Korean military on March 20,1989.  Nineteen marines were killed and 15 were injured.  Friedrich and her unit, helped care for the injured who were badly burned.  She and her unit were overwhelmed, but that didn’t stop her and surrounding units from coming together to help save them. 

An emotional Friedrich admitted, “There’s nothing like being in the military and being in teams like that.  I missed it.”  

That longing to be a part of a larger team, was the reason she created Gateway Meadows Equine-Assisted Services.  Gateway Meadows allows veterans the opportunity to spend time with others who have served and gives them a place to talk through their unique challenges of service while juggling everything else that life demands.  They partner with horses to do groundwork activities in a peaceful, natural environment.   The service comes at no cost to participants thanks to the generosity of their donors.  Friedrich said it takes $5,500 a year to support one horse to be used for therapy. 

During her speech she thanked all the members of the units she served with and wrapped everything up by thanking her husband who supports her and the organization she founded.   

Prior to the main ceremony and after, representatives from organizations who focus on Veteran’s issues gathered in a nearby room to speak to anyone who needed help or anyone wishing to get involved, including Monticello VFW Post 8731, St. Cloud Standdown, Big Lake Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, Big Lake American Legion Post 147, Sherburne County Veteran’s Service Office, and Gateway Meadows.