Upcoming weekend events honor local heroes in the veterans community – Cache Valley Daily
Freedom Fest activities taking place at Elk Ridge Park in North Logan include a display of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Traveling Wall. This exhibit is an 80% recreation of the Vietnam War veterans in Washington. DC, plus 21 military campaign memorial tributes.
NORTH LOGAN – Upcoming weekend events will honor local heroes from the Cache Valley veteran community.
It’s all part of Freedom Fest, a week-long celebration of all things happening militarily at Elk Ridge Park here.
The free benefit concert for the Dan Gyllenskog Veterans Resource Center will take place on Friday, August 26 starting at 6 p.m. The concert will conclude with a fireworks display by ProPyro ACME, sponsored by Sunset Mortuary and local businesses.
The benefit concert will include food trucks and displays from local veterans who have been able to find purpose in their lives through art, leatherwork and more, according to Phil Redlinger, executive director of the Gyllenskog Center.
The late Dan Gyllenskog was from Smithfield and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1966.
While serving in Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division from 1968 to 1969, he was wounded and decorated.
Gyllenskog was an active member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Marine Corps League, Military Order of the Purple Heart, and Vietnam Veterans of America.
He also provided informal counseling to some of the more than 5,000 veterans living in Cache Valley about their military benefits and service-related disabilities.
On Saturday, August 27, local veterans will host the annual Michael J. Allred Ride for the Fallen.
This 120 mile motorcycle tour to Bear Lake will depart from Elk Ridge Park, kickstands at 10:30am.
The annual Northern Utah and Southern Idaho Motorcycle Tour is sponsored by the Lance Corporal Michael J. Allred Scholarship Foundation of Hyde Park. This charity was founded by Brett and Zellene Allred to honor their son, LCpl. Michael J. Allred, a US Marine killed in action in Iraq on September 6, 2004.
Michael Jacob Allred graduated from Sky View High School and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in January 2001.
After basic and individual training, he was assigned to the Compagnie des Indes, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California. In recognition of his work ethic and leadership abilities, Michael Allred was the first member of his cohort of recruits to achieve the rank of Lance Corporal and appointed as an infantry firefighter team leader.
LCpl. His first Allred combat tour was during Operation Iraqi Freedom (the invasion of Iraq) from January to May 2003. After being reassigned to Fox Company, 2n/a Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, he redeployed to Iraq for combat duties in the hotly contested region of Fallujah in March 2004.
Michael Allred received a Purple Heart medal after being wounded in action in late March 2004.
Six months later, he was among seven Marines and three Iraqi National Guardsmen killed in a suicide car bombing outside Fallujah.
The August 27 Ride in Honor of Michael Allred is one of the most popular charity motorcycle tours held in this area each summer.
In addition to supporting its patriotic theme and worthy goals, regional bikers are excited about this event because it is exceptionally well organized and rides through some of the most scenic landscapes in northern Utah and southern Idaho.
Freedom Fest activities will conclude on Sunday, August 28 with a non-denominational field service honoring all of Cache Valley’s fallen veterans.
The Dan Gyllenskog Veterans Resource Center is located at 1760 North, 200 East (Suite 100), North Logan.
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