WILLMAR — Jon Lindstrand of Kandiyohi is well known in west central Minnesota for the military artifacts he has collected over the past two decades and puts on display every Veteran’s Day at the Willmar War Memorial Auditorium.
His collection now counts over 7,000 artifacts from military veterans, everything from their uniforms to the weapons they carried.
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He’s the first to tell you the artifacts are not nearly so important as the stories they tell. He’s put together over 600 individual stories of veterans now. They tell of the courage, sacrifice and losses of those who answered the call to duty. Many, especially World War II veterans, told him of the separation they felt from family and home while serving overseas, he said.
Lindstrand’s display will be the backdrop at 7:30 p.m. Monday as a program to remember and honor those who served is held at the Willmar Memorial Auditorium as Willmar's annual observance of Veteran’s Day is held.
The Auditorium is also open throughout the day for those who wish to view the collection. The display was opened to the public on Saturday. Lindstrand said that in recent years, anywhere from 400 to 500 people will take advantage of the three-day display to view it.
Some tell him they spend as much as four to five hours looking it over, only to come back the next year and discover what they've missed.
Visitor numbers were more in the range of 1,100 to 1,400 pre-COVID, Lindstrand said. There were more school groups able to visit, he explained.
He began the collection when he was five years old with a helmet liner and leggings from veteran Arden Pearson. Just in the last few weeks, he’s added a 1942 Jump Uniform from a Windom area veteran.
He admits that the thrill of the hunt is part of what motivates him to keep growing this collection. Just recently, a contractor found a veteran’s uniform in a home to be demolished and passed it on to him. He went to work from there, and was able to contact the veteran’s family. They were surprised to learn about its whereabouts. They had lost track of it after it was used in a school play.
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Since making the contact, the family has provided other artifacts and shared the veteran’s story with him.
All of the artifacts, and the stories they tell, will be carefully packed and protected after the Veteran’s Day program. With help from family members and friends, Lindstrand said it takes about five days to put it all on display. He and his helpers will spend the next two to three days putting it all away for next year.
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The Trust Project
