‘I think about the people’
Macemon encourages asking vets about connections made during service
Air Force veterans are honored while the NUHS band performs "The Wild Blue Yonder." Photo by Dylan Jackson
Keynote Speaker Sergeant Major retired Brandon Macemon encourages audience members to ask veterans about the people they served with. Photo by Dylan Jackson
Air Force veterans are honored while the NUHS band performs "The Wild Blue Yonder." Photo by Dylan Jackson
Keynote Speaker Sergeant Major retired Brandon Macemon encourages audience members to ask veterans about the people they served with. Photo by Dylan Jackson
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"God Bless The USA" performed by the New Ulm High School band opened the event, followed by an introduction by Student Council President Crosby Batt thanking veterans in attendance.
Commander of New Ulm Post 0132 Roger Hoffmann, who is part of Cathedral’s 1968 class and a Vietnam-era veteran, led the rest of the program as Master of Ceremonies.
New Ulm Area Veterans Color Guard were advanced under the command of Francis Reiger before performances of "Star-Spangled Banner," "Hymn to America" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" by the Oak Street Singers, New Ulm Choir and Concord Singers respectively.
Sergeant Major retired Brandon Macemon served as the 2026 Veterans Day Program Keynote Speaker.
From Lake Crystal, Macemon spent nearly 23 years in the military and traveled to over 50 counties. Retiring in 2022, he now works as a Minnesota Emergency Medical Administrator for Mayo Clinic Health Systems.
Macemon began by sharing the history and distinctions between Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
On November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. World War I came to an end. To commemorate the end of the war, President Woodrow Wilson recognized November 11 as Armistice Day.
President Dwight Eisenhower changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954 to recognize everyone who has ever served in the military.
Memorial Day is in recognition of those who gave their lives during service. Veterans Day recognizes all who have served with a focus on honoring living veterans.
Macemon's time in the military began as a way to make money for college. He signed up for the Mankato National Guard to save money for school.
Following the September 11 attacks, Macemon's intentions changed.
"I remember watching the events unfold and feeling disbelief, anger, sadness and uncertainty," Macemon said. "But I also remember watching Americans come together... I wanted to serve. I wanted to be part of something greater than myself."
Macemon did become something greater than himself. He joined the active army and became a Green Beret.
"When I think back on my military career, I don't think about the medals, the promotions, or the rank I achieved," Macemon said. "I think about the people."
Macemon shared a story from his time as a Green Beret nearly 20 years ago.
As part of Operation Detachment Alpha 074, Macemon and 10 others trained for over a year in military freefall before deploying to Iraq.
"Essentially you jump out of an airplane from above 12,000 feet, fall through the sky at approximately 200 miles an hour and open your parachute yourself," Macemon said. "It was a tool that allowed us to reach places in ways that other military units couldn't.
Training included more than 40 parachute jumps with many taking place at night allowing for navigation practice through darkness.
In May of 2007, Macemon and his team were to parachute into the desert at night and approach a village housing a suspected terrorist involved with counterfeit money and weapon transportation.
It was the first combat standoff military freefall incursion in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"We weren't thinking about making history, we were thinking about accomplishing our mission and getting everyone home safely," Macemon said.
On the night of the operation at 4 a.m. the 11 soldiers, carrying over 100 lbs of equipment, parachuted into the darkness. They had not anticipated a sandstorm that resulted in the separation of the 11 men into three separate groups. Due to their training and trust in one another, they carried on with the mission, met at the designated point, and successfully carried out their mission.
"What I find most remarkable about the experience is nearly 20 years later, I still keep in touch with every single one of the men who made that jump with me," Macemon said. "And the stories we tell aren't always about combat or dangerous missions. More often they are about funny things that happened along the way."
He closed with this message: "Don't ask them what they did, ask who they did it with."