Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund hosted its annual dinner on Friday, October 18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloomington. MMAF was honored to welcome its keynote speaker, U.S. Army General Michael E. Kurilla, the Commander of U.S. Central Command and a native of Elk River. Joining General Kurilla was Naval Aviator and retired Marine Corps Major Joel Rauenhorst of Easton. Two days before the annual dinner, as a result of recent major events in the Middle East – CENTCOM’s area of operations – General Kurilla had to remain at CENTCOM headquarters and deliver his remarks via livestream, rather than in-person. Despite this change in format, this did not affect the crowd of nearly 450 supporters who attended the event and raised over $450,000.
The evening’s program was emceed by Tom Hauser of KSTP 5-Eyewitness News. Tom is a long-time supporter of MMAF and shared a moving video of an interview he conducted in August of 2005 with MMAF Founder, Eugene Sit. Tom’s interview was a fun look back at the very beginning of MMAF and Gene Sit’s vision of a state-wide grassroots effort to say “thanks” to Minnesota service members. Nearly 20 years later, Gene’s vision continues.
The program continued with the Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 Color Guard posting colors and the Ensemble Singers from VocalEssence, conducted by Philip Brunelle, performing patriotic songs throughout the program. Army Chaplain (Colonel) Buddy Winn provided the invocation for the evening. MMAF Chair, Roger Sit, spoke about the progress of MMAF: More than $13.5 million dollars has been awarded to over 19,900 Minnesota service members since inception in 2005. MMAF grant recipients are found in over 800 municipalities throughout the state and over 6,000 supporters have made contributions to MMAF, representing every region of Minnesota. Roger also noted that the grassroots effort continues to be successful, with many individuals and groups, such as the Patriot Ride, continuing to hold events in their community that raise money for MMAF.
After a break for dinner, guests were introduced to Major Joel Rauenhorst, a retired Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot. Major Rauenhorst spoke about his inspiring military family. All five of his brothers served in the military (and his sister married a Marine)! Major Rauenhorst was first influenced by his father, a Marine Corps fighter pilot in Vietnam. He wanted to fly like his dad. With little money and knowing that he would need a college degree to achieve his wings, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, and attained the rank of Sergeant while attending Minnesota State University Mankato under the G.I. Bill. Major Rauenhorst was winged as a Naval Aviator and lived his dream of flying the F/A-18 Hornet, deploying numerous times during the 1990s and 2000s. Two of his Marine Corps mentors and his Marine brother-in-law were in attendance and Major Rauenhorst recognized them for their impact. In 2010, Major Rauenhorst retired from the Marine Corps and returned to farming back on his family farm in Easton. It was inspiring to hear Major Rauenhorst’s love and commitment to his family, fellow service members and our country.
General Joe Votel, the former Commander of U.S. Central Command and past MMAF keynote speaker, then took the stage to give a heartfelt and personal introduction to his friend and keynote speaker of the evening, General Michael E. Kurilla, current Commander of U.S. Central Command. General Kurilla was livestreamed into the ballroom from CENTCOM headquarters and, as a fellow Minnesotan, immediately had the crowd laughing with jokes about the Vikings. General Kurilla was also quick to recognize the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division, which is currently deployed to Kuwait for Task Force Spartan, and how they are playing a crucial role strengthening partnerships with our allies and maintaining U.S. Military posture in the region. This message of appreciation meant a great deal to those guests with family members currently deployed with the Red Bulls.
General Kurilla provided details and context to the events since Hamas-led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7th of last year. The ensuing war between Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas militants and various proxy groups has taken a vast humanitarian toll on Palestinians. General Kurilla noted that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed by Israeli Defense Forces just two days before tonight’s event. The impact of Sinwar’s death on military operations in Gaza remains to be seen. The insight, detail and timeliness of General Kurilla’s address provided a rare look behind the scenes for our guests.
Roger Sit presented desk awards to Major Rauenhorst and General Kurilla in appreciation for their time. The evening concluded with a beautiful performance by VocalEssence of God Bless America. Thank you to those individuals and corporations who gave so generously to this primary fundraiser for MMAF. One hundred percent of funds raised at the dinner went directly to Minnesota troops and their families thanks to sponsor Sit Investment Associates who underwrote all event expenses. We hope to see you next year!
