Several veterans were honored today with a free breakfast at the Brainerd American Legion. The event was hosted by two local sponsors and was not only offered to veterans, but for the active-duty military as well.

Smiles for Jake and Cuyuna Regional Medical Center both hosted the free Veterans Day breakfast. Representatives from both sponsors spoke at the event along with Army veteran Scott Hall from Baxter. Hall spoke about mental health concerns for veterans such as suicide and PTSD and how veterans who need help can find resources.

“CRMC, one of the big things, our initiatives in the last two years is to help support a lot of the people that maybe struggle with behavioral health issues as a result of fighting for our freedoms,” said CRMC Director Of Physician Recruiting and Business Development Todd Bymark.

“I think just thanking our veterans over and over and really recognizing the good that they have done for our entire nation and for all of our well-being, my personal well-being, your well-being, that we are able to live in a nation where we are free to have an opinion, free to vote, all of those things come because of their battles and what they have done for us as a military,” said Smiles For Jake Smile Advocate Kristi Westdorck.

Following the breakfast, veterans were transported by bus to Brainerd High School where they took part in another Veterans Day program.

By — Chaz Mootz