Cherish the vets

THUMBS UP: The 70th anniversary of D-Day on Friday brings to mind the thought that these amazing veterans, who accomplished this monumental landing, are becoming a rare breed. Someone who was 18 years old when the invasion began on June 6, 1944, is 88 today. Only about 1.7 million World War II?veterans remain alive today, in their 80s and 90s. They have reached a long, full life span, but many of them won’t be around for the 75th and 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Tom Brokaw labeled them “The Greatest Generation,” and he may be right. We should honor and cherish those members of the generation who are still with us, especially this year as we remember the great battles that they fought after the D-Day landing. After all, D-Day was just the beginning of the end of the war. It took 11 more months before the war in Europe ended, with many more trials, battles and deaths in store. We are grateful for their courage.

Blood donations

THUMBS UP: The Red Cross brought another blood drive to New Ulm this week. We applaud all who volunteer to make these events happen, and all who show up to give blood.

Giving blood is an easy thing to do, and it has a tremendous lifesaving impact. We hope even more people will give the next time the bloodmobile comes to town.

Greyhounds win

THUMBS UP: Congratulations to the Cathedral Greyhounds Softball Team, who won the Class A Minnesota State High School League Softball championship on Friday.

The Greyhounds’ 3-1 win over New Life Academy gave Cathedral its 7th state title, and its first since 2007.

It was a hard fought game, with Anna Mohr pitching out of tough situations and the Greyhounds playing tough defense.

Coach Bob Mertz and the Greyhounds deserve a big Thumbs Up for their accomplishment.