Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
Post offices would honor Minnesotans Charles P. Nord, James Rogers, Jr., and Kort M. Plantenberg, who lost their lives in a tragic 2019 Black Hawk helicopter crash
Representatives Tom Emmer and Michelle Fischbach led the passage of companion legislation in the House. Bills now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that their bicameral bills to rename three post offices in honor of fallen Minnesota National Guardsmen, first introduced by Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) in the House, have passed the Senate. The Avon Post Office would be renamed in honor of Army National Guard Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg; the Perham Post Office renamed in honor after Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Charles P. Nord; and the Winsted Post Office renamed in honor of Chief Warrant Officer James A. Rogers Jr. The bills now go to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
These three Minnesota National Guardsmen were tragically killed on December 5, 2019 when their UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter experienced engine failure during their flight.
“Sergeant Plantenberg, Chief Warrant Officer Nord, and Chief Warrant Officer Rogers made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country,” said Klobuchar. “By renaming the Avon, Perham, and Winsted Post Offices in their honor, we will pay tribute to their legacies and help Minnesotans keep their memories alive for generations to come. Thank you to Representatives Emmer and Fischbach for leading this effort in the House.”
“These men gave their lives in service to our country,” said Smith. “Sergeant Plantenberg, Chief Warrant Officer Nord, and Chief Warrant Officer Rogers are well deserving of this honor, and they will be remembered by Minnesotans for the sacrifice they made.”
“Kort, James and Charles gave their lives in service of Minnesotans. We are proud to honor their legacy by creating a living memorial in the communities they called home,” said Emmer.
“We can never honor our fallen the way they truly deserve, but every step we can take is a meaningful one. Charles Nord and James Rogers of Minnesota’s 7th District and Kort Plantenberg of the 6th District were deeply passionate about their service to this country and loved by their family and friends in their communities, who still gather together to share stories and memories” said Fischbach. “I am so pleased that with the passing of this legislation to rename the post offices in Perham, Winsted, and Avon we can take one small step to memorialize these three patriots the way they deserve.”
In February, Klobuchar and Smith led the entire Minnesota congressional delegation in urging the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to take action to pass these three pieces of legislation.
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