Tens of thousands of our fellow Wisconsinites have perished in the line of military duty since we became a state in 1848. This weekend we remember all of them, and the other American servicemen and women who gave their last full measure of devotion to this great nation. We wrap up this week and head into a long weekend in a free land, thanks to their service and their sacrifice.
Here are today’s Key Reads.
Let’s start out with what could be some really amazing news.
Wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong’s plane believed found in South Pacific | Associated Press
Searchers believe they’ve discovered what they believe is the wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong’s plane in the South Pacific.
The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin, and the nonprofit World War II historical preservation group Pacific Wrecks announced in March they were launching a joint search for Bong’s Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. Bong nicknamed the plane “Marge” after his girlfriend, Marge Vattendahl…
[T] he search team discovered the wreckage in the jungles of Papua New Guinea’s Madang Province…
Bong, who grew up in Poplar, Wisconsin, is credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He plastered a blow-up of Vattendahl’s portrait on the nose of his plane, according to a Pacific Wrecks summary of the plane’s service.
Bong shot down more planes than any other American pilot. Gen. Douglas MacArthur awarded him the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military’s highest decoration, in 1944.
Bong and Vattendahl eventually married in 1945… He was killed on Aug. 6, 1945, when a P-80 jet fighter he was testing crashed.
Vattendahl was 21 at the time of Bong’s death. She went on to become a model and a magazine publisher in Los Angeles. She died in September 2003 in Superior.
They got rid of bag milk but this may help ease their pain.
Wisconsin charging network to be Kwik Trip heavy | The Center Square
Nearly half of Wisconsin’s to-be-built electric vehicle charging stations will be built at Kwik Trips.
Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday announced the next step for the state’s EV charging network.
In all, Wisconsin will build 53 charging stations across the state…
The heart of the new plan is $78 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure money from Washington D.C.
Some of that money, a little more $23 million, has been earmarked for private companies to add EV chargers at their businesses.
The new plan includes more than a few of those, including the Oneida Casino in Green Bay, a Holiday Inn Express in Wauwatosa and a handful of small markets in rural Wisconsin.
But Kwik Trip will get nearly half of the EV chargers. Of the 53 charging stations Evers announced, 24 will be built at Kwik Trips across the state.
“EVs are a part of the future of transportation, so we are prioritizing resources to make this sustainable option more accessible in our state,” Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson said. “This is a robust plan that will support people no matter where they live or travel in Wisconsin. We’re looking forward to a time when EV drivers don’t have to worry about where to find their next charge.”
The hope is to have an EV charging station every 50 miles in Wisconsin.
Thompson says that should help the 2,300 EV owners in the state take longer road trips and end any range anxiety they may have.
Wisconsin’s EV charging money will come into the state over the next five years, and both Thompson and the governor say the 53 charging projects announced Thursday are only the first round. There’s no word just when the work will begin on the first round of EV chargers.
We hate the media’s interpretation that part time and summer employment for teens are in any way a bad thing. A strong work ethic, money saved for future plans, and a little spending money that was hard earned are great things for teens to develop. As are the soft skills like showing up on time and learning how to communicate with co-workers and the public.
Ask any employer and they will tell you they can spot the difference between the 20-somethings they hire who had a job in high school, and those who did not.
Yet, there are folks who oppose capitalism who equate a Summer job with images of ten-year-old kids working full time in mines. Ironically, they share these views via electronic devices powered by rare earth metals mined by children in other countries, but that’s another story for another day…
Amid debate about child labor rules, Wisconsin teens take summer jobs | WPR
More than 35,000 14- and 15-year-olds join the state’s workforce each year, according to work permit data from the state Department of Workforce Development. May and June are traditionally the months the department issues the most permits each year. Those months last year accounted for about 39 percent of all permits.
Wisconsin’s older teens, 16- to 19-year-olds, are also working or seeking jobs at higher rates than their peers nationally. Among that age group, DWD says 55.3 percent are either working or looking for work. That’s more than 18 percent higher than the national average.
Even as teens have taken an increasingly important role in the state economy, some states, including Wisconsin, have tried to pass legislation critics say rolls back child labor protections…
Having a job can also provide social benefits, said 14-year-old Marin Gransee. It’s Gransee’s first summer at Wilson’s, but she previously helped out at a separate Door County restaurant owned by her family.
“I’ve always liked working. I don’t like just sitting around,” Gransee said. “It’s more fun just doing stuff and being with people. I’m pretty social, so I find it actually really fun.”
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Dan Buttery, Chairman and CEO of War Memorial Center in Milwaukee, does an amazing job. There are hundreds of communities across Wisconsin that will have tributes to the fallen this weekend. But we’ll end this week’s Key Reads with recognition of Buttery’s teams’ fantastic work. We encourage you to click on the link below to see video of this impressive Memorial Day display.
Milwaukee’s lakefront adorned with ‘Field of Flags’ in tribute to fallen Wisconsin heroes | WISN
The “Field of Flags” is made up of 27,316 flags. This is the exact number of Wisconsin service members killed in action since the Civil War..
New this year, as you walk through the “Field of Flags”, you’ll notice that each war has its own section. The Civil War section commemorates the over 12,000 Wisconsinites who lost their lives.
Buttery explained the new layout.
“So you will now be able to appreciate the level of sacrifice that occurred each and over all those conflicts,” he said.
The “Field of Flags” serves as a breathtaking reminder of the price of freedom. The final four flags will be laid during a special ceremony near the Vietnam War Memorial tomorrow at 11 a.m. The event will include a flyover.
That’s a wrap for today, and for the week. We hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day with friends and family. We also hope that all of us take time to remember that some who served this nation, never returned to reap the benefits of their service. It is their sacrifice and their selflessness that we Memorialize.
Key Reads will resume on Tuesday.
