With Veterans Day this week, it is a great time to remember and honor all of our veterans.

That sentiment is very important to Blue Earth resident, and former City Council member, Glenn Gaylord.

A lot of our World War II veterans are gone, Gaylord points out, with the war ending 80 years ago.

“I think it is important to remember what these veterans went through during that war,” Gaylord says. “Many of us don’t remember what our parents and grandparents did during the war.”

Or, quite a few people know they had family members in World War II, but do not know exactly what they did and where they served.

That is why Gaylord recently saved some family history that was headed to the trash bin.

It has to do with his wife, Janet’s, great uncle.

His name was Martin C. H. Sandman, and he was born on Aug. 28, 1917, in Northwood, Iowa.

“My father’s name was Kinsler Grube, and Martin was his uncle,” Janet Gaylord remembers. “My family lived in Glenville, south of Albert Lea.”

After the war was over, Martin Sandman settled in Seattle, Washington, was married, and worked at Boeing his whole career.

“We visited him out there, and met him and he was a great guy,” Glenn Gaylord says. “We didn’t really know about his service in World War II, however.”

Until a shoe box showed up one day.

It seems that all the artifacts about Martin Sandman’s service to his country in World War II had been put in a shoe box after his death.

“His wife was really not interested in it, and they had no children,” Glenn relates. “No one else in the family was interested in the shoe box, so Janet’s father ended up with it.

When Janet’s mother was going to throw it away, Glenn stepped in and said he would take it.

“I just couldn’t see this history being thrown out,” Glenn explains. “I just think it needs to be preserved if it can be.”

When he went through the shoe box he was shocked.

“There were commendations in there from generals, and a list of the battles he had been in,” Glenn says. “And the biggest surprise of all were a whole bunch of medals, including a Bronze Star.”

One of the commendation letters has this quote: “Your heroic accomplishments during the operations of the Po Valley wherein this Division alone attacked and destroyed two German divisions and parts of four others, in five days, then moved to cut off and capture the 75th German company of 40,000 men, covering 421.5 miles in nine days, has brought forth this commendation from the Corps Commander.”

Gaylord says he hopes that families keep this kind of history of their ancestors and can display it and not let it get thrown out.

“I think we all have a duty to preserve this information,” Glenn says. “I know I have a lot of information about my father, and Janet’s father and grandfather, and their time in the service.”

So this Veterans’ Day, take a moment to think about what your family has done for our country, and make plans to preserve that part of your family history, Glenn says.

And don’t put it all in a shoe box that could later get thrown into the trash.