Saturday, the New Ulm Battery members surprised Fritsche during their monthly meeting with Lifetime Achievement Award for service in the battery.

It is believed Fritsche is only the second member to receive the honor since the battery was formed.

Fritsche was not informed in advance that he would receive the award.

“They shook me up a little bit,” Fritsche said.

Members of the New Ulm Battery give John Fritsche a round of applause after receiving the Lifetime Achievement of Excellence award for his service to the battery.

Fritsche joined the New Ulm Battery at age 26. He said his group leader at Kraft, Sonny Arndt, asked him to join.

“I asked ‘what it involved?’ He said ‘cannons and horses’ and I thought I could serve five years doing that. Here I am 56 years later,” Fritsche said.

In giving Fritsche the Lifetime Achievement Award, New Ulm Battery president Bruce Olson said the battery was blessed with solid leadership, for which Fritsche deserved credit.

“[Fritsche] has served as an officer on the board for decades,” Olson said. “he has been such a mentor to everyone who came into the battery, taking them under his wing, teaching them how to do it and being a motivational force.”

Battery member Ryan Kelly said Fritsche was a huge mentor for him. Fritsche served in the battery with Kelly’s grandfather too.

“He’s a great resource,” Kelly said. “You can ask him any question about the battery and he knows it.”

Fritsche said he asked many of the current members to join the battery and helped them learn how to represent New Ulm.

I always try to work with people,” he said. “I try to teach people how it has to be done. If we are going to represent the city of New Ulm, you have got to do it right.”

Olson said Fritsche has also been heavily involved in most of the New Ulm Battery events.

“It is very uncommon that John is not at an event,” Olson said.

Fritsche said some of his best memories of working with the battery were attending the 150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Shiloh. He said there were New Ulm men at the Battle of Shiloh and they helped win the battle for the Union.

Fritsche also helped start the Thunder in the Valley event, first held during New Ulm’s sesquicentennial. The Thunder in the Valley has expanded to an annual event during Hermannfest that brings different battery units to New Ulm.

“It was always fun to work with the battery for 56 years,” Fritsche said. “Why else would I continue to do it?”