Virginia Carman is visiting veterans, troops, their families and those active in Veterans of Foreign Wars activities in every state.
"It's an opportunity to meet with (VFW) members to thank them for their work with the communities," Carman, national president for the Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW, said after arriving at Fargo's Hector International Airport on Thursday. She also plans to visit area veterans during several stops in the region.
"My goal is to let (veterans and servicemen) know of help we can offer to them," she said of ladies auxiliary VFW programs that offer financial assistance, youth community service and moral support.
Carman, a Renton, Wash., resident, crossed Minnesota off her list as her 47th tour stop after crossing the Red River into Moorhead. She's also visited Washington, D.C., and Panama.
During her Minnesota tour stops, Carman plans to attend a 9 a.m. breakfast today in Barnesville with VFW Post No. 4628, followed by a tour and lunch at the Veterans Home in Fergus Falls at noon and dinner with Alexandria VFW Post No. 936.
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Barbara Boerger, president of the ladies auxiliary VFW for Minnesota, joined Carman at the Fargo airport Thursday.
Boerger, a Crookston, Minn., resident, said several members of the state's 216 ladies auxiliary VFW posts are involved in nationwide "support the troops" programs such as the "Adopt a Unit" program, which is responsible for sending care packages to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Carman will attend a 9 a.m. breakfast Saturday at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead and will be at Moorhead's VFW Post 1223 at 3 p.m. for a dinner event.
Carman made a North Dakota tour stop in Minot last fall. Her final tour stops are in Massachusetts, Kansas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Guam.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Benny Polacca at (701) 241-5504
