On Tuesday, September 5, LCC Kare 9® Military Ministry Dogs Brutus (LCC Squad) and Nigel (LCC Staff) paid their monthly visit to the USO at Great Lakes Naval Station.

Each month LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry visits the USO to bring love and compassion to recruits and sailors who are away from home, many for the first time in their lives. It is always inspiring to meet these young people who so proudly serve our nation. 

On Wednesday, August 23, the LCC Kare 9® Military Ministry had the honor of sending off and welcoming the Honor Flight Chicago #110 veterans at Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on their one-day trip to Washington, D.C. to visit the War Memorials and other sites.

LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dogs Brutus (LCC Squad) with U.S. Navy Veteran Gene Weisbecker, and Nigel (LCC Staff) with U.S. Army Veteran Jim Morrison were present to show their support and gratitude for the veterans who have served our country with honor and courage.

Participating in the Wednesday flight were LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry veteran handlers Bob Royce (Combat Veteran, Vietnam) and Dale Sasse (U.S. Army, Vietnam), who shared their experience.

"It was a fantastic experience from start to finish. We felt honored, appreciated, and wowed many times. My guardian was outstanding, always looking out for me. Visiting the Vietnam War Memorial Wall was particularly special for me. I found the name of my high school friend who was killed in the war. The welcome was beautiful and unexpected. It blew me away. I didn’t expect it to be that big! Seeing people greeting us, shaking hands, and seeing my family really touched me. I would tell anyone, if you haven’t taken the flight yet, do it! Fill out the application and get on the list. It’s worth it!" shared Bob.

Dale shared that it was a wonderful day and would recommend it to any Veteran.

Memorable moments are too many to mention. However, one that thrilled everyone was the World War II Veteran, Gloria Kerzner, who served as a Navy Wave (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). This lovely patriot will be 100 years old in September 2023. What an honor it was to meet her.

A volunteer shared, “I have worked 25 Flights, and this never gets old!”

The veterans were welcomed back with open arms and a heartfelt thank you for their service. The LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry is proud to have been a part of this memorable event for years and will continue to show their support for our military heroes.

We salute our Veterans!

It was an early morning on Saturday, June 17, as some of our nation’s veterans were honored by Honor Flight Network who flew them to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials commemorating their service and sacrifice.

Honor Flight Network was created in 2005 by Jeff Miller and Earl Morse with a simple, yet powerful, mission – honoring our nation’s veterans by bringing them to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials built to commemorate their service and sacrifice.

While initially focused on America’s World War II veterans, Honor Flight Network has expanded its mission to include those who served during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and veterans of any service era who are critically ill.

Transporting approximately 22,000 veterans annually, Honor Flight Network has flown nearly 275,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. since its inception.    

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Charity (Brookfield Lutheran – Brookfield, Wisconsin), Rhoda (Prince of Peace – Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin), and Samson (Zion – Marengo, Illinois) along with their handlers were honored to be at Stars and Stripes Honor Flight at Mitchell Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin early Saturday morning to help send off our nations heroes who served and protected our country.  The LCC K-9 Comfort Dog teams were blessed to hear the veterans stories of their service in the military and see their smiles as they departed for Washington D.C. We are forever grateful for their service.

LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dogs Amos (Our Savior's Way – Ashburn, Virginia) and LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Kezia (Emmanuel – Baltimore, Maryland) were at Dulles International Airport to welcome the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight arriving from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This Honor Flight included one veteran from WWII and veterans from the Korea, Vietnam and Gulf wars. The comfort dogs were especially blessed to enlist veterans from Our Savior's Way Lutheran Church representing the United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Marines and the United States Coast Guard to join in their ministry of presence. There were many special moments shared between the veterans, their guardians and the volunteers as they experienced Jesus’s love.

It is an honor to be present for the sendoff from Wisconsin as well as welcome our heroes to DC to let them know how grateful we are for their service.